Curative Education and Social Therapy
Our theory of curative education and social therapy developed in the spirit of Rudolph Steiner, the "father of Anthroposophy," is based on our perception that each human being has a "healthy spiritual core" which attempts to cope with life's challenges, to develop, find meaning and significance, even when social, physical or mental conditions surrounding this "core" limit or make life extremely difficult.
Based on this philosophy, we understand that human beings who may have severe mental limitations, nevertheless have an inner force seeking to advance, develop and live a full life, even if that life always bears the stamp of the individual's limitations. The more severe the disabilities, the more difficult it may be to identify the internal strengths. However, under the proper conditions, this force will be revealed. Furthermore, the so-called "healthy" person is not essentially different from the person with special needs who requires a supportive framework. Even the "healthy" person who sincerely looks deeply into his or her own soul is likely to discover many internal barriers blocking the fulfillment of human potential and which may be their wake-up call and a challenge to find an internal pathway of change.
The curative community is structured on an understanding that in the encounter between "healthy" members and those with special needs opens the door to a journey of growth and change both for the care staff and those cared for. Curative communities based on Anthroposophical principles have been established in Europe, the USA and elsewhere and have been operating since the mid-20th century, with a wide spectrum of populations of different ages, serving people with various special needs.
What characterizes these communities as a whole is the integration of people with different types of challenges, bringing individuals together as a community and integrating them so that each person can develop empathy for others' distress and discover and express one's own strengths. The curative community creates a system of living to include active social and cultural partnership during work, studies, domestic life and nurturing the environment and the landscape.
The goal of the curative community is not to "normalize" its members into being "just like the majority," or "to bring members with disabilities into the wider community" at any price. It is obvious that people with special needs usually find themselves to be in an inferior position in the larger society. Our goal is to create a supportive community so that the humanistic side of each person stands out, each person's strengths and weaknesses as they are. To the surprise of many, it has become clear that in a protective, supportive environment, people with special needs are able to create in an artistic and social atmosphere, contributing rare qualities of innocence, warmth and love, which very often are curative to the people who are living and working with them.
Integrating into the broader community
Children and adults with special needs require special conditions to enable their delicate soul qualities to grow and develop. However, the encounter with life in a broader community, and life within a larger community context form an important condition for forming a healthy connection with the external world. Most of the children in the Tuvia Community are in special education classes integrated into the supra-regional Waldorf school operating on Kibbutz Harduf. During most of the day, the students learn in small groups according to their needs, but the cultural and artistic activities emphasized in Waldorf education are held together with all of the school children. Over the years, some of the children in the Tuvia Community have succeeded in advancing academically and made the transition from the special classrooms to the mainstream classes, with assistance and support from the Tuvia staff. On the kibbutz, as well, the Tuvia children and the members of the Beit Elisha Community have become part of the landscape. They join in the kibbutz celebrations and artistic performances, as well as the kibbutz children's sports events and environmental projects. Nearly all of the Tuvia children have been "adopted" by kibbutz host families, although this is not a dogmatic principle; we make every effort to "match" each child or member in the best way and at the pace most suited to the individual.
Environmental design and the rhythms of time
Children and adults with special needs are extremely impacted by their external environment. The usual "mental shell" which facilitates a certain separation from the environment is hardly present for such children and adults. This is why the curative community places a special emphasis on designing the environment – both the physical space, the domestic space and the "space of time" – the daily, weekly schedule and seasons of the year. A beautiful harmonic environment designed with careful attention out of natural materials, calls out to the human being to create beautiful, vital things by himself/on his own. A full day's regular schedule which takes into account the changes of day and night, a day which begins with lighting candle and the joint intention towards the light within all of us, in which each meal begins and ends with a blessing, and each day ends with an evening circle of everyone together summing up his or her day sharing something that happened during the day – all of these actions provide a stable framework in which the life of the soul can move about fully and harmoniously/ fully with harmony. The seasonal festivals are celebrated together, arousing the members of the community to the bond between the cyclicality of nature and the human soul's cycles, thus connecting the individual to the external world.
Working with the three mental forces of thought, feel and will
The Anthroposophical path inspiring curative education sees the human being as an entity combining body, soul and spirit. Waldorf education considers the entire person and strives to develop all of the individual's soul powers. Indeed, the curative educational approach places great emphasis on developing the powers of willing and feeling in addition to the ability of thinking, which is usually emphasized exclusively in the common forms of education. The forces of will are processed in various forms: at an early age, we facilitate children's activating the limbs and the lower body, encouraging activities such as jumping rope, balance and eurythmy (Anthroposophical-inspired art of movement). At a later stage, students learn various handicrafts, such as knitting/crocheting, sewing, woodworking, metalworking, ceramics, blacksmithing, basket weaving and more. In addition, the lifestyle itself is directed towards active activities in various spheres, such as rhythmical work at home or in the vegetable garden while avoiding stimuli such as television and computers which weaken the forces of will and imagination at a young age. As the students mature (the adolescents in the Tuvia Community and members of Beit Elisha), they are required to work on a regular basis to develop powers of persistence, patience and responsibility.
The forces of feeling may be developed and refined through artistic work. We in the curative community strive to imbue each sphere of life with art. Great attention is paid to the esthetics of the home, our flower gardens, conduct of meals, welcoming the Sabbath and holidays, and more. We work a great deal in all of the spheres of art, such as music, song, painting, drama, and sculpture - not with the intention of pushing students to competitive achievement, but in an attempt to facilitate the discovery by each child or member of the community of one's own fountain of creativity within, and to experience the world of color, sound and word all around him in a new form.
Teamwork among the staff of the curative community
For the curative educator and social therapist, the community is no mere "workplace," but in practice, the educator/therapist is required to take a unique internal stand which transforms work from "just a job" into a mission, and even into a pathway of self-development. The educator's work on the self, with the goal of developing empathy, self-criticism, an aesthetic sense and artistic abilities, begins during studies and continues into professional life. Of course, no one can reach the desired level in all of the areas, which is where teamwork comes in to assist the individual educator.
Teamwork is, therefore, a basic and necessary element in the curative educational approach. The entire staff of those who specialize in various spheres work together to build up a joint, comprehensive, deep picture of the student, the source of any problems and the recommended way to enable the student to grow and develop. Very often staff members usually try to learn about an issue together and ask questions referring to some sphere or another, while in other cases they engage in joint art activities, such as by performing or mounting a short musical production for children and adult members of the community. As for administration, as well, the staff strives to avoid a rigid hierarchical structure but instead has various members take positions of responsibility for specific periods of time, with the understanding that in a curative community, staff and community members alike are all human beings embarked together on a journey of growth and development.
