Community workshop – The Owl’s Nest

The Owl’s Nest makes it possible to create, in different places, environments where people can make, repair, learn, share knowledge, investigate, meet and take part in practical activities. A shareable work model has been developed within the project to describe the common foundation for this.

Operators give that work model concrete form at their own locations. This allows The Owl’s Nest to work from the same recognisable foundation in different places, while the available space, people, knowledge, equipment and activities can differ from one location to another.

The Owl’s Nest is a project of ASK-Solutions. The project and the shareable work model are not tied to a single location.

Learn more about The Owl’s Nest.

The shareable work model describes the common foundation of The Owl’s Nest. It centrally describes, among other things, the capabilities, underlying principles and ways in which people can take part or contribute.

An operator can then give that foundation a practical form at its own location. The model provides enough coherence for The Owl’s Nest to remain recognisable across different places, without prescribing that every implementation has to look the same.

Capabilities are recognisable types of activities that can have a place within the shareable work model. On the website, each capability has its own activity badge: a recognisable icon used together with the name of the capability.

They include General repair, Woodworking, Metalworking, Welding, Automotive, Bicycles, Visual arts, Glass art, Ceramics, Textiles, Gardening, 3D printing, Electronics, Science experiments, Digital and Social contact.

Each capability has a central description of what it means. On the same page, you can then see at which locations that capability is available and how it is put into practice there.

View all capabilities.

A capability describes a type of activity that can have a place within the shareable work model, such as electronics, woodworking, textiles or social contact.

A workshop is a specific organised activity in which something is explained, practised, investigated or done together. Its format, duration, materials and availability can differ between locations.

A project has its own substantive purpose and can run for a shorter or longer period. A project can use one or more capabilities and can involve different people, operators or locations.

View the workshops or view the projects.

The Howard Public Licence, abbreviated HPL, is a separate framework of agreements around The Owl’s Nest shareable work model. It helps define how the model can be applied, adapted and further developed locally while preserving shared knowledge, continuity and responsibility.

The HPL is not only about copying text or files. It also includes agreements about the use of The Owl’s Nest name and recognisable expressions, and about how an implementation relates to the shared model.

The work model therefore describes what is being shared in substantive terms; the HPL describes the framework within which that sharing, application and further development take place.

There are different ways to take part. You can, for example, make or repair something, work on your own project, practise a skill, share knowledge, take part in a workshop, help as a volunteer, or contribute time, knowledge, materials or equipment.

Which forms are possible at a particular time depends on the location, the people and facilities available there, and the activities taking place.

You can start with Capabilities, Workshops, Use the workshop, Volunteering or Contribute.

Practical work can have different meanings for different people. Someone may come to make or repair something, learn a skill, share knowledge, meet other people, or gradually rebuild rhythm, confidence, capacity or participation.

These possibilities do not have to stand apart from each other. Learning can arise while working on a real practical question, knowledge can be passed on while making something together, and a meaningful activity can at the same time create room for social contact or personal support.

What form is appropriate depends on the person, the activity and the specific implementation at the location.

The website first describes the parts that belong to the shared model and then shows how they are implemented in specific places. Capabilities, for example, have a central description, while location pages show what is actually available at a particular place.

Under About you can find background information about the project, its operators and locations. Capabilities describes the types of activities within the model. There are also separate sections for workshops, projects, using a workshop location, contributing and volunteering.

These pieces of information are connected in different places across the website. A capability can show at which locations it is available, for example, while a location can show which capabilities, workshops, projects or other current information are associated with it.

An operator is an organisation or other party that applies The Owl’s Nest shareable work model in practice. An operator brings together people, knowledge, resources and organisation and gives the model concrete form within its own implementation.

Different operators can have their own emphases, ways of working, activities and locations. The overview shows which operators are included on this website and provides more information about their implementations.

View the operators.

A location is a physical place where an operator gives The Owl’s Nest shareable work model practical form. It is where the available space, people, knowledge, equipment, activities and local arrangements come together.

The location page therefore provides information that applies specifically to that place, such as available capabilities, practical access and other local details.

View the locations.

Every location exists in its own environment. The available space, equipment, materials, knowledge, people, opening hours, local questions and collaborations all help determine the practical form that can develop there.

The shareable work model provides the common foundation, while the local implementation retains room to fit the people and circumstances of that place. Locations therefore do not need to be copies of one another.

You can approach this from two directions. Under Capabilities, you first choose what you want to do and can then see at which locations that capability is available. Under Locations, you first choose a place and can see which capabilities are offered there.

Workshops follow the same principle: the general workshop information can apply in more than one place, while a location can provide additional details such as format, duration, materials or practical availability.

Operators and locations can publish information about what is happening or needed within their implementation. This allows projects, requests, campaigns, updates and practical examples, for example, to be shown in connection with an operator or location.

Such a connection helps visitors find the information in its practical context. The content itself can additionally state who is involved, where something takes place and what its purpose or duration is.

For practical information about a specific place, the location page is usually the best place to start. For information about the party that carries out the model there, see Operators.

On the contact page, you can choose an operator or location to find the corresponding contact details and forms.