Tuesday 19 June 2012

June 2012 News

Time and again I am being asked about what Camphill is - so I thought today that I would give a little bit of a history. The first Camphill was started in the 1940s by a group of war refugees who had been inspired by the philosophy of Rudolf Steiner. The group , who's leader was Karl Koenig , moved after some searching into an estate called Camphill near Aberdeen in Scotland and were soon joined by a group of children with special needs. As these children grew older and new children came the movement grew into England, Northern Ireland and later into the world.

40 years ago , in 1972 . the first Camphill in Ireland opened its doors. It is the the biggest of the 17 places that are now in Ireland and it is near Gorey in Wexford.

In Camphill we live and work together with the aim that all of us are equal. All of us , co-workers or companions , share in the daily responsibilities according to our abilities.

In Camphill Dingle live always about 20 people. Co-workers come for longer or shorter terms and share accordingly in the running of the place. At the moment we have 4 long-term co-workers who share in the responsibility for the long-term vision of the Community. Everyone of these would be responsible for different areas of the Community - but not one of us can make big decisions by ourselves. There are a few employees who are very much needed to give the continuity for the companions and for administrative purposes.

The short term co-workers come on average for a year and help in the daily and social life. There are also a number of volunteers who came on a daily basis or for specific tasks - and also some FAS workers and people from Mit freundlichen Grüßen. All in all there are a lot of people passing through - but then this is a big place and there is a lot to do. By putting so much effort into our place we all gain a sense of pride for our place and gain a purpose in our work. At the same time we try not only to care for each other but also for the environment.