Education Nowadays

David Spangler introduced education into the community and started the practice of winter classes, open to everyone. They evolved into sessions which could be anything people felt like offering, such as Sacred Dance, or recorded talks by the founders, or David’s own works, such as from his book Revelation. He had ideas of a college being established one day.

External education started with Experience Week in 1974. Its format of Sacred Dance, discovery games, introducing inner listening, co-creation with nature, and work is love in action, still works its magic. The community sharing evening during Experience Week now includes the whole community, not just Foundation co-workers, and we are exploring how to strengthen eco-awareness within the week.

We started our three-month programmes in the 1980s. At a Park Family meeting we arrived at the conclusion that we needed more guests at different times of the year, outside the summer season. We ran Touch The Earth in Cullerne, and Essence of the Arts over winter. Our latest three-month programme is Spiritual and Personal Deepening.

About five years ago, we realised that with Peak Oil fewer people might want to travel here, plus there was an impulse to reach out more in our local area. With the growing recognition locally that we weren’t just funny hippies, we started our Building Bridges programme, establishing links with local agencies, and received funding for a three-month pilot project for disengaged local youth. They came to Cullerne one afternoon a week, and had a full day every fortnight, being introduced to new ideas and to working as a group, and to learning how to take responsibility. We’ve received funding for at least two further groups this year.

Through the Building Bridges initiative we are bringing in people from the business world, welcoming progressive entrepreneurs for a think tank week. They really appreciate the place and value the experience. We also ran Building Bridges for physically disabled groups, and our first Experience Week for groups with learning disabilities.

We’ve branched out from conferences to events with one speaker, such as Caroline Myss, and last year streamed her entire three-day workshop to subscribers. We’re collaborating with David Spangler and the Lorian Association to run the Living Whole workshops, which include a streaming element.

We’ve simplified ways people can become part of the Foundation, replacing SEVA, LESP staff induction and the Foundation Programme, with one Living Essentials Apprentice Programme.

Findhorn College established in 2001 offers accredited education and is really finding its place. Students from the USA come for a semester and students from Heriot-Watt University and St Andrews University come for other programmes. They love the community aspect of what they do.

In the future, I can imagine our work with local people expanding. We are starting a programme for people recovering from addictions, offering what we do best: a working social setting in which to build self-confidence and self-worth.

I see us continuing the web-based programmes and working with entrepreneurs. We try to be responsive to what is needed and I think there’ll be a lot of interest in co-creation with nature and eco-education. I would love to see us combining permaculture with what Dorothy Maclean brings.

Judith Bone, interviewed by Catharine Stott

EXPERIENCE WEEK

DigiRoutes

Digital Routes is a web design and development company based in beautiful Lossiemouth on the Moray Firth of Scotland