Areas of Concentration
Study Inclusive Social Development
Social artists meet people wherever they are in life, so we offer three concentrations within our Inclusive Social Development programs for different biographical and social contexts:
- Curative Education supports students working with children and young adults.
- Social Therapy supports students co-creating community with adults and elders
- Social Agriculture & Biodynamics supports students working in community-based and inclusive initiatives for agricultural and ecological stewardship
Students of Inclusive Social Development at The Camphill School have the option to pursue a concentration in the area of Curative Education.
Curative education is an interdisciplinary approach aimed at providing holistic support to children, adolescents and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities or related support needs on their individual path of development. Unlike traditional special education, which focuses primarily on academic learning and skill development, curative education takes a broader view. It incorporates education and therapies while recognizing that a child’s lifestyle and overall life situation can support or hinder their development. Curative educators do not look at classroom or therapy settings in isolation, but work with the totality of a child’s life circumstances. Similar to Waldorf education, curative education is rooted in Rudolf Steiner’s anthroposophical view of the human being with a spiritual-scientific emphasis.
Internationally, Curative Educators serve in a wide variety of contexts, including:
- Early childhood education and early intervention
- Special education schools and kindergartens
- Integrative and inclusive school and kindergarten programs
- Home-based support services
- Residential programs for children and adolescents
- Social services for children and youth
- Child and juvenile psychiatric services
- Vocational training and supported living for young adults
Students can pursue the concentration in Curative Education is available at The Camphill School campus community. The Camphill School, a curative educational school community, provides education, care, and therapy to children and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Its activities consist of the ‘Children’s Village’ located at Beaver Run, which is a K-12 Waldorf School and residential program, and the Transition Program at Beaver Farm for young adults aged 18-21 who have completed the K-12 program and are preparing for their transition into adulthood.
Anthroposophic understandings of the human being gives us the necessary foundation to understand what Rudolf Steiner calls “the farm individuality”. Within this holistic framework, the farm’s parts are seen as an integrated contextual whole in which the farmer is asked to develop a personal relationship with the many different aspects of the land and the people. This alignment of theory and practice guides students towards appropriate actions. Therefore, Social Agriculture and Biodynamics is an interdisciplinary approach focusing on biodynamic agriculture, environmental stewardship, and supporting the development of adults with developmental differences as part of the human community embedded in and caring for the broader ecosystem.
The curriculum is designed and taught by experienced farmers, gardeners and social therapists within Camphill communities with a focus in two areas: (1) Biodynamic Agriculture (renewing the land) and (2) Social Therapy (renewing ourselves and others).
Internationally, practitioners of Social Agriculture and Biodynamics serve in a wide variety of contexts, including those listed for Social Therapy as well as:
- Community-supported agriculture
- School and community gardens
- Farms
- Other innovative, sustainable community enterprises
Students can pursue the Social Agriculture and Biodyanmics concentration at the Camphill Village Kimberton Hills campus (Kimberton, PA).
Our Programs
The Camphill Academy offers three levels of full-time academic programs in anthroposophic Inclusive Social Development: the Foundation Studies Program, the Paraprofessional Certificate Program, and the Diploma Program. These programs are offered within the context of intentional community life at our participating communities. Camphill Academy students are full members of their respective host communities, living and learning alongside community members with and without disabilities for the duration of their program.
Ready to Start Your Journey?
We are here to answer your questions or get your application started. Contact us or apply today!
Social Therapy aims to address individual situations with respect for each person’s unique life story. This holistic insight guides the integration of social, educational, and therapeutic support. As a result, Social Therapy brings an inclusive transdisciplinary approach to a field of work defined by the intersection of a wide range of disciplines. These include not only social work, human services, medicine, psychology, and nursing, but also such elements as the arts, agriculture and community building.
Practitioners of Social Therapy, guided by a transdisciplinary perspective, must be able to form a holistic understanding of human situations and individual life stories with unique themes and challenges. On this basis, they build and shape community processes that encompass social, cultural and economic dimensions. Drawing on a diverse range of tools and methods, so that individual destinies can unfold.
Internationally, practitioners of Social Therapy serve in a wide variety of contexts, including:
To learn more about the field of anthroposophical social therapy and its underlying principles, refer to the white paper published by the Social Therapy Working Group of the International council for Inclusive social Development.
Students can pursue the Social Therapy concentration at the following campus communities: Camphill Communities California (Soquel, CA), Camphill Village Kimberton Hills (Kimberton, PA), Heartbeet Lifesharing (Hardwick, VT), Plowshare Farm (Greenfield, NH) and Camphill Village, USA in Copake, NY and its associated participating communities.