Camphill is a worldwide movement dedicated to community living that supports and values the contributions of all community participants without regard to their financial assets, or their intellectual or physical capabilities. Camphill communities have taken up many tasks. Among the most prominent in North American communities are:
- Provide education, advocacy, therapeutic care and other services to support people with special needs and help them participate fully in the world as contributing citizens;
- Care for and heal the earth through sustainable and healthy methods of consumption, agriculture, and natural resource use; and
- Create new social arrangements that nurture the growth and development of individuals and families.
A Pathway to Wholeness
In every Camphill community, the path to wholeness involves relationships of mutual respect, education and (or) meaningful work, real participation in community life, a healing rhythm of daily activities, seasonal celebrations, a rich artistic and cultural life, natural therapies, and acceptance, individual recognition, and dignity for everyone.
This path - which is created for all Camphill community residents, not just for those with special needs -- is founded in the teachings of Camphill's founder, Dr. Karl Koenig, and the philosopher who inspired him, Rudolf Steiner. To learn more, please see the History of Camphill.
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"[There are] several dimensions of the lives of the residents of the Camphill communities, those with and those without disabilities. There is the physical dimension: Health, nutrition, and exercise are important ingredients that nurture the lives of Camphill participants. There is the mental health dimension: The Greek saying about a sound mind..." More » "[There are] several dimensions of the lives of the residents of the Camphill communities, those with and those without disabilities. There is the physical dimension: Health, nutrition, and exercise are important ingredients that nurture the lives of Camphill participants.
There is the mental health dimension: The Greek saying about a sound mind in a sound body (mens sano in corpore sano) guides Camphill communities, both as their members interact with each other and with the professional providers.
There is the spiritual dimension: By this, I mean the nurturing of one's inner self, of one's essential spirit. ....
There is the communal dimension: Camphill is not unique in its being a 'voluntary community' but it is rare for people with and without disabilities to associate with each other, so deliberately and so voluntarily, and to fashion out of their communal instincts and deliberate communities those physical spaces and interpersonal environments where physical, mental, and spiritual wholeness are the measures of the good life and the indices for 'all is well.'
In our country, 'we' value people who excel by reason of their intellectual or physical prowess. We do not often enough value those who, being 'average' or less than that, just (!!) find joy in living, especially with each other. Yet the 'joy factor' -- not IQ or physicality -- is an essential part of everyone's constitution, at least everyone who comes to Camphill or is associated with it.
At Camphill, words such as 'include, integrate, accept, value' seem unnecessary to speak. .... That is so because ... they are aspirations that have been achieved at Camphill. What most of us still seek in our lives, as we advocate for our family members or friends with disabilities, we find achieved at Camphill."
H. Rutherford Turnbull, III
Former President of the
American Association on Mental Retardation
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Camphill Workers
Camphill communities are "staffed" by people who choose the tasks and the lifestyle of Camphill for a short time, or for a life time. Called "coworkers" to acknowledge their role of working alongside people with disabilities, these volunteers come from many countries and many different walks of life. Some even come with their families and make their home in Camphill. Although financial arrangements vary among communities, all coworkers are supported for their basic living needs.
Coworkers are people who have decided to live, however briefly, in a world where the dominant values are learning from others, practicing awareness, and appreciating and protecting the natural world. To learn more, please read about Volunteering in Camphill.
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In every Camphill community, the path to wholeness involves relationships of mutual respect, education and (or) meaningful work, real participation in community life, a healing rhythm of daily activities, seasonal celebrations, a rich artistic and cultural life, natural therapies, and acceptance, individual recognition, and dignity for everyone.