Why did you create this innovation?

Springhouse is an example of what education can be when it is oriented around vitality. Education is where adults in power determine what is most valuable to pass down, and engage our young people. We can choose, both adults and youth, to design education in a way to brings us alive and builds regenerative culture. This is why Springhouse exists. To be that example.

How does your innovation work in practice?

Springhouse offers a Day School for teens, Coming of Age programs for pre-teens and their families, adult programs including a 9-month fellowship with two tracks- vitality-centered educational design and regenerative farm design; and the Sourced Design Lab the support people globally who seek to put vitality at the front and center of their lives and their communities. Springhouse articulate five design principles that include

- Take care of vulnerability.
- Cultivate personhood.
- Build beloved community.
- Respect the wisdom of the Earth.
- Love and serve others.

Springhouse is located in the Blue Ridge mountains on an 11-acre farm.

How has it been spreading?

Examples are what give us hope. Springhouse is a living example of what educational design looks like when it orients around vitality. This design is called Sourced Design and participants from around the world (8 countries!) join together in small intimate cohorts in the Sourced Design Lab to practice the five design principles and support each other in fostering vitality in their own lives and places. These Labs are held three times a year and participants can immerse in Springhouse, a living example of the design they are exploring and practicing in their places. These Labs are part of the Sourced Design Network that also includes monthly support meetings for practitioners, and an annual gathering at Springhouse where we celebrate and learn more about designs globally that foster life.

If I want to try it, what should I do?

If you are interested in learning more about Springhouse and Sourced Design, please visit springhouse.org. You can also access the Sourced Design curriculum at sourceddesign.org. Then if you are interested further, apply for the Sourced Design Lab which is the first step in joining the Sourced Design Network- a sustainable web of support for vitality-centered practitioners around the globe.