THOSE who come to work in our 11 communities to support community members with special needs include vocational co-workers, volunteers and employees. They all work towards our goal of providing suitable settings in which those with special needs can develop their potential in an atmosphere of mutual care and respect, where each individual is valued and recognised as an equal.
Our community members with special needs are capable in many ways. So, those who work alongside them are ‘enablers’, providing any support that might be needed to allow those with special needs to achieve their potential in life.
Work opportunities
The work opportunities are enormously varied. Some people are involved full-time in administration, ensuring all the policies and procedures we need to follow are in place. Others are farmers, therapists, shopkeepers, bakers, homemakers, craft specialists, architects, gardeners, fundraisers..... and so on. The list is almost endless.
While our employees have clearly defined tasks, our vocational co-workers and volunteers may each fulfill several roles. Someone who runs a farm may also be part of a group involved in assessing applications to join a community as well as another group planning a festival celebration. A volunteer might be supporting people in a household to make sure they know their timetable for the day before spending the morning working in a cafe and the afternoon in a garden.
Way of life
While our vocational co-workers make a long-term commitment to our communities and our volunteers usually join us for just a year, both groups follow Camphill’s founders in doing their work not as a job but as a way of life. This was originally inspired by Rudolf Steiner’s philosophy that communities are stronger when everyone works to help each other rather than for personal reward. It continues today, and all those living in our communities are not paid directly for their work. Instead, each person’s needs are met from the resources of the communities.