Platform Lifelong Learning invites you to join us at Chermside Library for a series of thought-provoking and enriching seminars. These events are designed to spark curiosity, foster connection, and bring people together through the joy of learning. Whether you’re a history buff, a lifelong learner, or simply looking to meet new people, our seminars offer something meaningful for everyone.

Check back often as new topics and dates are added!

Book Tickets Below – Limited Seats Available

Foundations of History

• History is Alive: How the Past Gives Meaning to Your Present—Delve into the nature and purpose of studying history. Is it what you think?
  • 📅 Friday, 04 July | 🕒 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
    📍 Chermside Library
  • 💵 Free admission – all are welcome!
    👉 Register Now

Indigenous Cultures and Early Empires

• What You Were Never Taught About America’s First Peoples—Explore the diverse societies that thrived in the Americas before European contact.
  • 📅 Thursday, 17 July | 🕒 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
    📍 Chermside Library
  • 💵 Free admission – all are welcome!
    👉 Register Now
• How Native American Wisdom Reframes Our Relationship with Nature—Discover the interconnectedness of nature and culture among Indigenous peoples.
  • 📅 Friday, 25 July | 🕒 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
    📍 Chermside Library
  • 💵 Free admission – all are welcome!
    👉 Register Now
• The Empires That Shaped America Before Columbus—Examine the powerful civilizations that existed before European colonization.
  • 📅 Thursday, 31 July | 🕒 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
    📍 Chermside Library
  • 💵 Free admission – all are welcome!
    👉 Register Now

Colonial Encounters and Early America

• Beyond the Horizon: What Drove Spain to the New World—Discover why Spain sailed west: chasing spices, silk & empire after the Silk Road closed — a gamble that reshaped the world.
  • 📅 Friday, 08 August | 🕒 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
    📍 Chermside Library
  • 💵 Free admission – all are welcome!
    👉 Register Now
• How England Stumbled into Empire—Trace England’s early steps into global colonization.
  • 📅 Thursday, 14 August | 🕒 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
    📍 Chermside Library
  • 💵 Free admission – all are welcome!
    👉 Register Now
• God, Gold and Glory: The Motives for America’s First English Colonies—Understand the cultural exchanges and clashes that shaped colonial societies.
  • 📅 Friday, 22 August | 🕒 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
    📍 Chermside Library
  • 💵 Free admission – all are welcome!
    👉 Register Now
• Indentured Servitude: A High Price for Passage to the New World—Unpack the lives and legacies of laborers who built the New World.
  • 📅 Friday, 05 September | 🕒 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
    📍 Chermside Library
  • 💵 Free admission – all are welcome!
    👉 Register Now
• The Untold Story of Convict Transportation to America—Investigate the role of convict labor in shaping early settlements.
  • 📅 Thursday, 11 September | 🕒 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
    📍 Chermside Library
  • 💵 Free admission – all are welcome!
    👉 Register Now

Revolutionary America

• The Shot Heard Round the World: Origins of the American Revolution—Explore the roots of the revolutionary experiment.
• 📅 Coming Soon
  📍 Chermside Library
• The American Revolutionary War and Why Americans Celebrate Independence Day—Follow the battles and ideas that gave birth to a nation.
• 📅 Coming Soon
  📍 Chermside Library
• How the US Constitution Shaped a New Nation and the World—Analyze the creation of the United States’ foundational document.
• 📅 Coming Soon
  📍 Chermside Library

Slavery and Its Legacies

• The Cotton Gin: The Technology that Changed the World, and Destroyed It.—Examine the economic and human impact of the cotton boom.
• 📅 Coming Soon
  📍 Chermside Library
• Breaking the Chains: The Movement to Abolish Slavery in the US—Discover the movements and individuals who fought for freedom.
• 📅 Coming Soon
  📍 Chermside Library
• What Really Divided America Before the Civil War?—Trace the tensions that led to America’s bloodiest conflict.
• 📅 Coming Soon
  📍 Chermside Library
• Abraham Lincoln and the War for America’s Soul—Learn about Lincoln’s leadership and the war’s transformative effects.
• 📅 Coming Soon
  📍 Chermside Library

Migration, Frontiers, and Urbanization

• Ghosts of Passage: The Irish Potato Famine as a Transatlantic Tragedy—Understand the migration and hardships spurred by Ireland’s Great Hunger.
• 📅 Coming Soon
  📍 Chermside Library
• The Real Wild West: Myths vs. Reality on the American Frontier—Investigate the myths and realities of America’s western expansion.
• 📅 Coming Soon
  📍 Chermside Library
• Homesteads and Hardship: Building Lives on the American Frontier—Learn about the challenges and opportunities of frontier life.
• 📅 Coming Soon
  📍 Chermside Library
• Transatlantic Crossings: Why Europeans Immigrated to America in the 19th Century—Explore the waves of immigration that shaped modern cities.
• 📅 Coming Soon
  📍 Chermside Library
• Building America’s Great Cities—See how industrialization transformed urban landscapes.
• 📅 Coming Soon
  📍 Chermside Library

Wars and Global Transformations

• The Spanish-American War and the Birth of American Empire—Discover America’s rise as a global power.
• 📅 Coming Soon
  📍 Chermside Library
• America’s Role in World War I—Understand the causes, horrors, and consequences of the “Great War.”
• 📅 Coming Soon
  📍 Chermside Library
• What Really Caused The Great Depression?—Learn about the economic collapse that reshaped the 20th century.
• 📅 Coming Soon
  📍 Chermside Library
• World War II and America’s Rise to Power—Examine the global conflict that defined a generation.
• 📅 Coming Soon
  📍 Chermside Library
• The Cold War—What made the global Cold War “cold?”
• 📅 Coming Soon
  📍 Chermside Library

Broad Historical Movements and Events

• The Black Death—Study the pandemic that transformed medieval society.
• 📅 Coming Soon
  📍 Chermside Library
• The Protestant Reformation—Discover the religious upheaval that reshaped Europe.
• 📅 Coming Soon
  📍 Chermside Library
• The Enlightenment: Did it Make Us Smarter?—Dive into the era of ideas that championed reason and science.
• 📅 Coming Soon
  📍 Chermside Library
• The Scientific Revolution in Europe—Learn about the groundbreaking discoveries that changed the world.
• 📅 Coming Soon
  📍 Chermside Library
• The French Revolution and the Birth of French Nationalism—Explore the revolution that redefined liberty, equality, and fraternity.
• 📅 Coming Soon
  📍 Chermside Library
• The Treaty of Versailles: A Peace Treaty?—Investigate the controversial treaty that ended World War I.
• 📅 Coming Soon
  📍 Chermside Library

Special Topics

• A History of Money—Trace the evolution of currency and its impact on societies.
• 📅 Coming Soon
  📍 Chermside Library
• Convicts Labor in America vs. Australia—Compare the histories of convict transportation in two continents.
• 📅 Coming Soon
  📍 Chermside Library
• Conducting Historical Research—Learn how to use the tools of a researcher in order to uncover the secrets of the past.
• 📅 Coming Soon
  📍 Chermside Library
• Lifelong Learning—A history of the movement to democratize and expand learning beyond traditional schooling.
• 📅 Coming Soon
  📍 Chermside Library
• Public Speaking—Methods for how to speak to diverse audiences in the 21st century.
• 📅 Coming Soon
  📍 Chermside Library
• Building a Platform—Explore the journey of creating Platform, a lifelong learning initiative born from a passion for education and community enrichment.
• 📅 Coming Soon
  📍 Chermside Library

Each topic is designed to provide new perspectives, spark meaningful discussions, and connect the dots between the past and the present. Let’s journey through history together—book a learning seminar today!