We envision a world where all Life thrives.
Springhouse is an intergenerational learning community in Southwest Virginia where we envision, practice, and share ways of living that contribute to a world where all life thrives. To move toward this world, we practice the following principles in our local and global community: take care of vulnerability, cultivate personhood, build beloved community, learn from the Earth, and love and serve others.
Education either functions as an instrument which is used to facilitate the integration of the younger generation into the logic of the present system and bring about conformity, or it becomes the practice of freedom, the means by which men and women deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world.
Richard Shaull
Education can serve a different purpose and become a vehicle for change. Springhouse fundamentally transforms the purpose and practice of education by facilitating change in the individual, community, and larger culture.
After ten years of experience in transformative education, we created a curriculum that supports the holistic development of people of all ages and leads to individual and collective transformation and maturation.
We believe that taking care of Life, one person and community at a time, can eventually bring the larger culture we live in back to health. We care for our community through shared values and practices, and we learn about ourselves, the cultural context we live in, and the power of possibility.
We share our learning with others by participating in our local community, distributing books and cards made in our print shop, and starting learning communities around the world.
Springhouse is accessible to all who want to fully live this life and learn how to create the conditions for others to do the same. Partnering with us allows us to offer our unique and vital programs to anyone, regardless of their financial means.
“Springhouse is the most dynamic and promising experiment in education and community building I have seen. It is not just a school. It is a growing community of learners of all ages and is a potent seed for real regenerative culture. Their exceptional staff are imaginatively catching fire and inspiring other schools and communities around the planet.”