Lincoln Land Community College is known
for its transfer degrees and its workforce and health care training, but do you
know about all the other classes, workshops and learning opportunities designed
for ages ranging from 5 to 105?
As our name suggests, the LLCC Community
Education Department is here to serve the community. These classes are not the
kind we might typically think of that are focused on homework assignments and
grades — just the opportunity to learn for personal enrichment, skill building
and, yes, … even fun.
There are learning opportunities that
cover a wide variety of topics. We provide a space for people to explore new
interests, engage in lifelong learning, learn a new language, paint a picture,
participate in fitness classes, discover beekeeping, plan for retirement, use
Photoshop and broaden their culinary skills. Our class offerings range from art
to Zumba and everything in between.
Our culinary classes, workshops, dinners
and events are always a popular choice. Local chefs and food experts share
their knowledge on a variety of topics and experiences in our state-of-the-art
culinary facility. In our hands-on baking classes this fall, you can learn the
techniques for making pretzels at home, gluten-free desserts, macarons,
sourdough breads, palmiers (also known as elephant ears), crème brulee, holiday
candy and more. In our fall cooking classes, you can learn the skills for
making cheese, pasta, budget-friendly meals, soups, holiday appetizers and
more.
We also offer an opportunity to make
special memories with your little chef as you decorate prepared cookies with
royal icing in our Parent & Me Christmas Cookie Decorating class. And we
also have Special Night Out events to spend a fun night watching chef
demonstrations and preparing some of the dishes on the menu for a fun and tasty
night out.
In addition to our short, open
enrollment classes for the community, we have the Academy of Lifelong Learning.
Also known as ALL, the academy is a membership organization designed for people age 50 and older. Members enjoy access to 12-15 monthly programs and special
interest groups encompassing a wide array of activities from learning to play
Mahjongg to social events featuring guest speakers. Members explore our community
through local tours, take day trips, play golf and learn about history,
technology and other topics of interest.
There are also opportunities for youth,
including Black Rocket technology and Dungeons and Dragons camps. In the summer,
we offer College for Kids camps. Your little ones can come to college for the
week and get their hands dirty digging for dinosaurs in our paleontology camp,
create digital music, explore the topic of writing, discover history, build
with Legos and learn the culinary arts.
All of these opportunities offer the
community a great place to belong, to build camaraderie and to enjoy learning
together. Learning doesn’t always have to be structured and formal. It can take
place anywhere people gather. We learn together when we share our knowledge and
ideas through conversation with one another. We build a community when we come
together for a shared purpose. I invite you to check out the opportunities at
www.llcc.edu/community-education. We are here for your pursuit of lifelong
learning.
Jolene Lamb is the director of community education at Lincoln Land Community College.
This article appears in “A message of freedom and joy”.
