"We need to go back to the source, to the ROOT, and the ROOT of human beings is children. The real children who are part of our network, both the children we once were and the children who will be born at any moment."
Laura Gutman
We need to go back to the ROOT of each one of us
Since its foundation, one of the main goals of RAIZ’s work has been to create a calm, safe and happy place where children and their families can truly connect with themselves and each other.
We try to reproduce within our doors what we would like to see mirrored in the world: a society centered on relationships, where children and their needs and well-being occupy the same place of importance as the needs of adults. We understand that it is of the utmost importance to break with the current paradigm of an adult-centric, mechanized, dehumanized society, where time to look at oneself or one’s family is not seen as a priority.
Recognize our Original Design
All of us human beings are born vulnerable, dependent and immature, yet completely connected to our own nature, which is to be deeply loving. We all arrive confident and surrendered to the world, hoping to be loved, seen, cared for and to belong.
If the adult doesn’t meet the baby’s/child’s needs or meets them in a disorganized or mistaken way, the baby/child will think it’s wrong to feel what they feel and will gradually disconnect from their authenticity in order to meet/satisfy the adult’s needs. And so the ecological disaster begins: “If you treat a child badly, they don’t stop loving their parents, they stop loving themselves.” Bert Hellinger
It's urgent to find a loving place
If I’m stressed, the children in my care are guaranteed to be stressed and their needs won’t be met, because I don’t even care for myself, feel myself, recognize myself. For there to be a connection, there first needs to be a state of relaxation and for this to happen, there needs to be tranquillity, self-observation and a broadening of our view of childhood.
If we agree to look at children’s behavior differently, we can see that they are incredibly generous beings who want nothing more than to love us and express that love to us at all times.
There is an urgent need to reshape education
Education in Portugal is under threat because it is currently the threat itself and it takes a lot of courage on the part of families and educators to accept this reality. We urgently need to stop the train, go deeper, to the root of the problems, and change this path once and for all, in order to transform educational spaces into places of real learning, joy, tranquillity and safety.
For a new me, a new us, in a new tomorrow.
The world has changed, but education hasn’t. Why?
For two centuries, we have been shaping children like herds to memorize instead of learning. Education has stood still and is no longer capable of understanding, motivating and empowering children.
With our eyes set on the future and our sleeves rolled up to help build a more united world, one big family, it is with the Jardim na Floresta Learning Community that we set to work to fulfill our purpose.
Our proposal
AcWe believe that every place is a place for learning, that we learn and teach all the time, that learning can be joyful, pleasurable and a lot of fun, and that only in this way does it make sense. That’s why we understand school as a space for learning through play, where the pedagogical objectives and the content to be learned are just a starting point and the path to get there is unique, personalized and in the image and time of each child.
We propose an approach that involves children in an experiential discovery of situations where they are invited to move, think and question themselves about the phenomena of human life and the workings of nature, both inside and out. We propose an educational space that is active, participatory, with a project, involving families and the community, challenging and meaningful for all participants in the process. An educational space that goes far beyond the four walls, a laboratory for curiosity and cooperation, a fascination with knowledge, a willingness to experiment and empowerment to solve challenges and problems. We believe that it is possible to create a magical place that teaches you to think with joy, curiosity and wonder, a place that is based on a horizontal operating logic, where no one is left out and no one is left behind.
We value humanized, democratic, collaborative, free and ecological teaching, in which each child has the opportunity to seek knowledge on their own and produce something new and unique. Teaching that is closely linked to nature, where the natural space becomes the learning environment itself.
We value a pedagogical approach centered on relationships, secure attachment and the neuroception of security. Learning by doing is our mantra.
Let’s bring the home into the school and the school into the home!
With our pedagogy, the child:
– learn lovingly and safely;
– learn by respecting and being respected;
– learn anywhere, continuously;
– learns with joy and motivation, discovering and thinking about their findings;
– learn instead of memorize;
– learn, share, question, empower, undertake and explore;
– learn other languages;
– learn your areas of interest;
– learn to their full potential.
The passion for learning will bring to our weekly rhythms workshops in Music, Yoga, Meditation, Cookery, Dramatic Expression, Plastic Expression, among others of interest.
The Pedagogical Project of the Jardim na Floresta Learning Community is based on the open learning model of Professor José Pacheco, founder and promoter of Escola da Ponte, in Portugal, and co-founder of Projeto Âncora, in Brazil, considered one of the most innovative schools in the world; as well as on the principles of Positive Education.
We will be the first Portuguese educational space with an emphasis on Secure Attachment.