Skills-swap spawns education by twos

Jules Burnstein was a bit late in lining up her summer job this year. Come June, the then-soon-to-be-senior at Haverford College in Pennsylvania found herself back in Brookline with nothing in particular on the agenda. And so, between tracking down last-minute job leads, Burnstein set about sharing some of the lessons she learned at college with the residents of her hometown.

"The idea is that all knowledge is on the same level. In teaching, there is learning, and vice versa," said Burnstein, explaining the theory behind the Brookline Skill Exchange, which she launched in the first few weeks of summer.

The concept is simple: Take any two people with differing skill sets, and match them so they can swap those skills. An expert cookie baker, for example, might trade a handful of lessons in the kitchen for a few classes in website design. Or, a math whiz might offer up some calculus tutoring in return for instruction in how to crochet.

Burnstein had taken part in a similar initiative organized by one of her professors the previous school year, involving exchanges between students, faculty, and staff at Bryn Mawr College and its sister school, Haverford. In addition to expanding participants' repertoires, she said, the program resulted in some unlikely friendships that went "beyond the superficial," spanning age, ethnicity, and background.

Brookline boasts what Burnstein calls an "interesting mixing pot of experiences," so she thought that a similar endeavor might work here.

Yet, as the 21-year-old quickly discovered, even a simple concept can, in practice, become rather complex.

"What I did not anticipate is just how many skills there are in the world," said Burnstein, with a rueful grin.

She started by plastering 300-plus fliers on bulletin boards and sign posts from Beacon Street to the Muddy River and Longwood Medical Area. Within a couple of weeks, she had accumulated a list of more than 40 skills for the exchanging, ranging from the exotic, such as Arabic language lessons and Thai/Lao cooking, to more everyday talents, like time management and how to mend clothes.

Rachel Singer and Fran Burstein, both of Brookline, each found plenty to interest them among the mix. They ended up teaming up with one another. Singer, a graduate student in counseling psychology, offered to instruct Burstein, a working mother of two, in the techniques of self-hypnosis for relaxation. In return, Burstein helped Singer brush up on the American Sign Language she had learned as a kid.

"It was exactly what I needed," said Singer. Originally from Newton, she said she had lived in Brookline for three years, but had yet to meet many neighbors. Plus, she added, she liked the idea of refreshing skills she had already developed by getting to teach them to somebody else.

The pair met three or four times during the summer. Burstein was soon making use of the visualization activity Singer taught her, mentally walking herself down a flight of steps that led to a calming ocean whenever she began to feel too stressed. For her part, Singer was so delighted with her newly improved signing skills that she returned to the summer camp for the deaf she had worked at as a teen to show them off.

All in all, said Burnstein, the Brookline Skill Exchange created six skills partnerships and two group get-togethers hosted in one participant's backyard garden during the summer. Another participant designed a website (communityskillexchange.org) and message board for the endeavor that will enable skill exchanges to continue in Brookline now that Burnstein, who made most of the skills matches herself via e-mail, is back at college.

"I'm a philosophy major, so I'm always interested in learning useful things that aren't just, like, in your head," Burnstein said.

Burnstein's partner in the program she participated in at school had been a member of the college's facilities staff. In exchange for some insights into Chinese culture and language, which she had picked up during a four-month study abroad in China, Burnstein received instruction in electrical wiring, heating, cooling, and plumbing. And she put her new abilities immediately to work.

"We had this toilet that kept running in our apartment in Haverford," she said. "So, the guy gave me a part for it, and told me how to fix it.

"My roommates loved me."