Camphill Movement
Encyclopedia
The Camphill Movement is an initiative for social change inspired by anthroposophy
. Camphill communities are residential "life-sharing" communities
and schools for adults and children with learning disabilities, mental health problems and other special needs, which provide services and support for work, learning and daily living. There are 119 Camphill communities in 21 countries in Europe, North America, southern Africa and Asia (as of 8 January 2010).
by Austria
n pediatrician Karl König
. It was König's view that every human being possessed a healthy inner personality that was independent of their physical characteristics, including characteristics marking developmental or mental disability, and the role of the school was to recognize, nurture and educate this essential self. The communities' philosophy, anthroposophy
, states that "a perfectly formed spirit and destiny belong to each human being." 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 twenty countries, mainly in Europe, but also in North America and South Africa.
Anthroposophy
Anthroposophy, a philosophy founded by Rudolf Steiner, postulates the existence of an objective, intellectually comprehensible spiritual world accessible to direct experience through inner development...
. Camphill communities are residential "life-sharing" communities
Intentional community
An intentional community is a planned residential community designed to have a much higher degree of teamwork than other communities. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, religious, or spiritual vision and often follow an alternative lifestyle. They...
and schools for adults and children with learning disabilities, mental health problems and other special needs, which provide services and support for work, learning and daily living. There are 119 Camphill communities in 21 countries in Europe, North America, southern Africa and Asia (as of 8 January 2010).
Founding
The movement was founded in 1939 at the Camphill Estate near AberdeenAberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
by Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n pediatrician Karl König
Karl König
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....
. It was König's view that every human being possessed a healthy inner personality that was independent of their physical characteristics, including characteristics marking developmental or mental disability, and the role of the school was to recognize, nurture and educate this essential self. The communities' philosophy, anthroposophy
Anthroposophy
Anthroposophy, a philosophy founded by Rudolf Steiner, postulates the existence of an objective, intellectually comprehensible spiritual world accessible to direct experience through inner development...
, states that "a perfectly formed spirit and destiny belong to each human being." The underlying principles of König's Camphill school were derived from concepts of education and social life outlined decades earlier by anthroposophist
Anthroposophy
Anthroposophy, a philosophy founded by Rudolf Steiner, postulates the existence of an objective, intellectually comprehensible spiritual world accessible to direct experience through inner development...
Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner was an Austrian philosopher, social reformer, architect, and esotericist. He gained initial recognition as a literary critic and cultural philosopher...
(1861–1925). Today there are over 100 communities worldwide, in twenty countries, mainly in Europe, but also in North America and South Africa.