The Island School of Social Autonomy (ISSA) is a place that imagines, experiments with, and cultivates forms of knowledge production and sharing that go beyond traditional notions of education and its purpose. It also fosters modes of living that extend beyond mere survival in the “age of extinction.”
We perceive social autonomy as the ability of individuals to function as cooperative group members, engaging in communal self-governance while being aware of the interconnectedness and interdependence of communities within broader networks (or archipelagoes) of human and non-human life-organization. Autonomy does not imply isolation but rather the ability to make autonomous decisions, through mechanisms of collective deliberation, about how to live together and take responsibility for caring for those that are not able to make them (children, non-human living worlds, etc.)
With ISSA, our aim is to cultivate ways of living, learning, and teaching together. We seek to explore autonomy as a political strategy and a model for social organization. Additionally, we adopt a hands-on approach to design, experimentation, and the implementation of processes, goods, and services. We collaboratively engage in discussions, physical labor, and the development of joint projects and programs, working with individuals and collectives. Throughout our endeavors, we remain guided by our motto: “We build the school, the school builds us” (“Mi gradimo školu, škola gradi nas”).