Each of us is precious.
We, together, must break every cycle that makes us forget this.
~ adrienne maree brown
Dear Springhouse community,
I hope this summer season finds you well. We are well here in the Blue Ridge mountains.
I spoke with one of our alumni this summer, and he shared with me that he has been a bit upset with Springhouse since his graduation. I was surprised. When I asked him why, he said that being at Springhouse showed him what is possible in community, and now, he said, it is much harder to find. Over half of our alumni reported that continuing to practice the Springhouse values in our mainstream culture was very difficult. Unfortunately, what we value in life and in education is fundamentally different than what most of us are used to. We value connection, and we make sure we have systems in place to ensure that we foster relationships with ourselves, each other, and our place. We are intergenerational and moving toward greater cultural diversity because we value individuality. We practice trusting ourselves and each other; we do hard things in order to grow because we value resiliency; we practice saying what we mean and following through on our commitments because we value integrity; and we practice using our imaginations because we value creativity. Sadly, the world we live in is far from embodying these values as a whole.
We know we are doing what is desperately needed in our world. The Springhouse staff and Trustees know that serving our mighty mission of fundamentally transforming the purpose and practice of education takes preparation. This year is a big one for us! We just celebrated ten years, we welcomed two new staff members this summer, and we are launching new intergenerational and culturally diverse programs. To thrive amidst the complexity, we know that we must root down deeply in our own lives and in the collective vision, mission, values, and goals of Springhouse. This takes intention and practice.
The Springhouse staff and the Trustees have spent the summer preparing in all kinds of ways. We take time for ourselves, spending time with friends and family, swimming in the river, being alone, and seeing new places. We take time to connect, work, and plan as staff. We have met for monthly retreats where we sing, dance, design vitality-centered programs and curriculum, break bread, and play. Next month, we are headed to Smith Mountain Lake for a long weekend thanks to the generosity of the friend of a staff member.
To prepare ourselves for our English-Spanish two-way language immersion program, those of us with English as our dominant language are learning Spanish and integrating Spanish into our staff meetings and conversations with each other. This has been noticeably vulnerable for us. We do this because it is important to us that the change we hope for in the world, like welcoming cultural diversity, begins with us. This also includes the relationship building we have been doing with new parts of our community. It has been fun to share stories and food with each other as we prepare to embark on a new journey together this fall.
The principles that guide us as a community, Sourced Design, ask a lot of us. The design begins with the practice of taking care of vulnerability in a world where vulnerability is often exploited rather than taken care of. We cultivate personhood by taking care of our bodies and the sacred and growing our self-awareness. We build beloved community in ways that respect individuality, foster unity, and take care of relationships. We learn from the Earth as we sustain and grow as a community by taking good care of the example that Springhouse is and supporting the scaling of this example in our region and well beyond. Finally, we know that to love and serve this world we must learn how to accept the realities we face, follow our call to foster vitality in ways that are needed and unique to us, and develop the stamina needed to keep going. We do not just teach these principles and the values we share. As a staff and the Trustees, we do our very best to live them.
The path we have chosen leads us inward toward ourselves and outward toward the world. A healthier world starts one person at a time, but it does not stay there. The love we cultivate for ourselves must extend beyond ourselves and those we know and love and out into a hungry world – much like a full pitcher naturally overflows. There are many in our communities who are terribly vulnerable, and until we live in a world where the human right to live fully is accessible to all, we must keep redesigning the systems that keep us from that birthright.
We overflow with gratitude for our global community. We know you are with us, and we thank you for all of the ways you keep the candle burning here at Springhouse. We are really excited for our upcoming school year! Please be in touch by joining our programs on campus and online or coming by for a visit. We hope to see you soon.
Gratefully and with love,
Jenny
English 
Español de México