Camphill Movement

Last updated

The Camphill Movement is an initiative for social change based on the principles of anthroposophy. Camphill communities are residential communities and schools that provide support for the education, employment, and daily lives of adults and children with developmental disabilities, mental health problems, or other special needs. [1]

Contents

There are over 100 Camphill communities in more than 20 countries across Europe, North America, Southern Africa and Asia. [2]

Founding

The movement was founded in 1939 at Kirkton House near Aberdeen by a group that included Austrian paediatrician Karl König. [3] [4] It was König's view that every human being possessed a healthy "inner personality" that was independent of their outer characteristics, including characteristics marking developmental or mental disability, and the role of the school was to recognize, nurture and educate this essential self. [5] The communities' philosophy, anthroposophy, states that "a perfectly formed spirit and destiny belong to each human being." [6] The underlying principles of König's Camphill school were derived from concepts of education and social life outlined decades earlier by anthroposophist Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925).Today there are over 100 communities worldwide, in more than 20 countries, mainly in Europe, but also in North America and Southern Africa. [7] [8] [9] [10]

History

The Camphill Movement takes its name from Camphill Estate in the Milltimber area of Aberdeen, Scotland, where the Camphill pioneers moved to with their first community for children with special needs in June 1940. Camphill Estate is now[ when? ] a campus of Camphill School Aberdeen. [11] There are six Camphills in the Aberdeen area.

The Camphill School Aberdeen [12] was noted in the HMI/Care Commission report for 2007 as meeting "very good" to "excellent" standards, [13] The school also holds Autism Accreditation from the National Autistic Society. [14]

The Botton village received the Deputy Prime Minister's Award for Sustainable Communities in 2005; the award cited the community's dedication to the ethos of sustainability and mutual respect, as well as their concrete achievements in these areas. [15]

See also

Related Research Articles

Anthroposophy is a spiritual new religious movement which was founded in the early 20th century by the esotericist Rudolf Steiner that postulates the existence of an objective, intellectually comprehensible spiritual world, accessible to human experience. Followers of anthroposophy aim to engage in spiritual discovery through a mode of thought independent of sensory experience. Though proponents claim to present their ideas in a manner that is verifiable by rational discourse and say that they seek precision and clarity comparable to that obtained by scientists investigating the physical world, many of these ideas have been termed pseudoscientific by experts in epistemology and debunkers of pseudoscience.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rudolf Steiner</span> Austrian esotericist (1861–1925)

Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner was an Austrian occultist, social reformer, architect, esotericist, and claimed clairvoyant. Steiner gained initial recognition at the end of the nineteenth century as a literary critic and published works including The Philosophy of Freedom. At the beginning of the twentieth century he founded an esoteric spiritual movement, anthroposophy, with roots in German idealist philosophy and theosophy. His teachings are influenced by Christian Gnosticism or neognosticism. Many of his ideas are pseudoscientific. He was also prone to pseudohistory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Christian Community</span> Esoteric Christian denomination

The Christian Community is an esoteric Christian denomination. It was founded in 1922 in Switzerland by a group of ecumenically oriented, mainly Lutheran theologians and ministers, who were inspired by Rudolf Steiner, the Austrian philosopher and founder of anthroposophy. They were led by liberal theologian Friedrich Rittelmeyer, who had been the most prominent representative of liberal Lutheranism in Germany during the First World War and whose early theological work had focused on the concept of a socially engaged "Christianity of deeds" (Tatchristentum).

The General Anthroposophical Society is an "association of people whose will it is to nurture the life of the soul, both in the individual and in human society, on the basis of a true knowledge of the spiritual world." As an organization, it is dedicated to supporting the community of those interested in the inner path of schooling known as anthroposophy, developed by Rudolf Steiner.

Eurythmy is an expressive movement art originated by Rudolf Steiner in conjunction with his wife, Marie, in the early 20th century. Primarily a performance art, it is also used in education, especially in Waldorf schools, and – as part of anthroposophic medicine – for claimed therapeutic purposes.

Emil Molt was a German industrialist, social reformer and anthroposophist. He was the director of the Waldorf-Astoria-Zigarettenfabrik, and with Rudolf Steiner co-founded the first Waldorf school. Hence, Waldorf education was named after the company.

Karl König was an Austrian paediatrician who founded the Camphill Movement, an international movement of therapeutic intentional communities for those with special needs or disabilities.

This article on the history of Waldorf schools includes descriptions of the schools' historical foundations, geographical distribution and internal governance structures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waldorf education</span> Educational philosophy

Waldorf education, also known as Steiner education, is based on the educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, the founder of anthroposophy. Its educational style is holistic, intended to develop pupils' intellectual, artistic, and practical skills, with a focus on imagination and creativity. Individual teachers have a great deal of autonomy in curriculum content, teaching methods, and governance. Qualitative assessments of student work are integrated into the daily life of the classroom, with standardized testing limited to what is required to enter post-secondary education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rotvoll</span> Neighborhood in Trondheim in Trøndelag, Central Norway, Norway

Rotvoll is a neighbourhood in the city of Trondheim in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the borough of Charlottenlund. It is located next to the Trondheim fjord between Leangen to the west and Grillstad to the east.

Peter Selg is a German psychiatrist. He was born in Stuttgart and studied medicine in Witten-Herdecke, Zurich, and Berlin. Until 2000, he worked as the head physician of the juvenile psychiatry department of Herdecke hospital in Germany. Selg is director of the Ita Wegman Institute for Basic Research into Anthroposophy and professor of medicine at the Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences (Germany). He lectures extensively and is the author of numerous books.

Thomas Weihs was an Austrian doctor and special needs educator, one of the founders of the Camphill Movement and a pioneer of Anthroposophical curative education.

Wilhelm Ernst Barkhoff was a German solicitor, founder of anthroposophically oriented alternative banking, the GLS Bank, reformer of the German welfare system and inspirer of the movement for Ethical banking.

Rudi Lissau, born 26 June 1911 in Vienna and died 30 January 2004 in Brookthorpe, United Kingdom, was a Steiner school teacher, author, lecturer and anthroposophist.

Sunfield is a private special school, Children's Home and charity on the border of Worcestershire and the West Midlands in England. It was founded in 1930 and now supports boys and girls, aged 6 – 19 years, with complex learning needs, including autism.

Hans Schauder, was a British medical adviser and counsellor, co-founder of Camphill Community, founder of Garvald School & Training Centre

The Garvald Centres are a group of six affiliated but independent Scottish charities that support people with special needs and learning disabilities. It is based on the work of the Austrian esotericist. The charities operate in the Midlothian, Scottish Borders and Edinburgh location of Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlo Pietzner</span> Austrian-American artist

Carlo Pietzner (1915-1986) was a co-founder of Camphill, artist, anthroposophist, and a special needs and adult educator.

Julian Sleigh was a Christian Community priest, councillor, founding member of Camphill in South Africa and author.

References

  1. At Camphill Kimberton, crafting a different way to live - Pilly.com 2013-10-05
  2. "Camphill Worldwide : Creating opportunities for people with special needs". Archived from the original on 2015-03-10. Retrieved 2015-03-20.
  3. Robin Jackson, The role of social pedagogy in the training of residential child care workers, Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 2006 Vol. 10, No. 1, 61-73
  4. Holistic Special Education: Camphill Principles and Practice. 2006, Floris Books, Edinburgh
  5. Marga Hogenboom,Living With Genetic Syndromes Associated With Mental Disability, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2001
  6. Busalle, Rebecca, Cornelius Pietzner, and Stephan Rasch. "The life of the soul". Aperture, Summer 1996 n144: 26(10).
  7. Todd Saunders, Ecology and Community Design: Lessons from Northern European Ecological Communities, Alternatives Journal, Vol 22, Apr/May 1996
  8. "Camphill Worldwide : Creating opportunities for people with special needs". Archived from the original on 2015-03-10. Retrieved 2015-03-20.
  9. Jackson, Robin (2019). "The birth of the worldwide Camphill Movement in the North of Scotland". Northern Scotland. 10 (2): 157–187. doi:10.3366/nor.2019.0185. S2CID   211670655.
  10. Jackson, Robin (2017). "The influence of Moravian Brethren religious thought and practice on the development of Camphill communities". Communal Societies. 37: 25–51.
  11. Report Demonstrates Standards of Excellence at Aberdeen Special Needs School, press release, 12 September 2007. Retrieved on 28 March 2008. Archived on 2010-01-18.
  12. Camphill Rudolf Steiner Schools. Retrieved on 23 March 2008.
  13. HM Inspectorate of Education, Inspection Report: Camphill Rudolf Steiner Schools Archived 2009-01-07 at the Wayback Machine , 12 September 2007. Retrieved on 23 March 2008.
  14. Autism Services Directory: Camphill School Aberdeen. Retrieved on 23 March 2008.
  15. "The Deputy Prime Minister's Award." Learning Disability Practice 9.2 (March 2006): 26(1)

Further reading