Learning in the Third Place: Community-Based Educational Programs at a Bookstore Cafe

Abstract

This capstone proposes an alternative learning program, where learning in the third space of a bookstore café is developed in St. Ann, Jamaica. The program responds to gaps in culturally relevant, community-centered educational spaces that reflect Jamaican heritage, support diverse learning styles, and extend beyond traditional classroom structures. A needs assessment consisting of a stakeholder survey and follow-up interviews demonstrated interest in experiential, arts-based, and place-rooted learning opportunities among educators and community members, despite a limited sample size and minimal youth participation. Findings also highlighted the need for stronger community engagement strategies, intergenerational knowledge exchange, and accessible spaces that integrate literacy, creativity, and cultural identity. Drawing on decolonial education framework, Homi K. Bhabha third space theory, and David Sobel place-based education, the program emphasizes learning as relational, context-driven, and rooted in local histories and environments. The curriculum integrates adventure-based learning, intergenerational writing workshops, and community dialogue within a bookstore café setting designed to function as a hybrid educational and social space. The alternative learning program, learning in the third space of a bookstore café, advances a model of international education that is locally grounded, culturally sustaining, and responsive to community knowledge systems while engaging global educational discourses. It aims to foster critical thinking, cultural identity development, and lifelong learning through accessible, community-based educational experiences