The non-profit organisation “l’Écolieu de l’Orneau”, in Gembloux (Belgium) encourages the sharing of knowledge through an egalitarian approach.
Cohesive and inclusive venue accessible to all, the project invites people to experiment new social and economical practices towards sustainable development.
Established 5 years ago, the ASBL École Démocratique de l’Orneau (Écolieu de l’Orneau) was driven by the need of families to create a place of learning, that would bring together “a village to raise their children and themselves” : to flourish in a multi-age and intergenerational living environment, focusing on natural and autonomous learning, with the possibility of taking part in the group’s decisions in a democratic way.
In September 2016, the École Démocratique de l’Orneau was set up in Lonzée, initially welcoming 15 children aged between 3 and 18, and then gradually increasing to around 50 children.
In June 2019, the School moved to a new site in Ferooz (Gembloux). This new space will allow the project to evolve, to diversify the pedagogical possibilities and to start developing new activities.
In May 2020, the ASBL continues its deployment, redefines its vision and launches the Écolieu de l’Orneau project: offering an education pole, a housing pole and an economic activities pole (crafts, coworking, events).
The project uses shared governance based on collective intelligence, legitimising the opinion of each individual, encouraging participation and allowing various degrees of commitment and co-responsibility.
The support of the Alcuin Fund has allowed the school to purchase a new bread oven: a craft bakery activity has been in place since the beginning of 2020, allowing young people to learn about this knowledge and to bake bread twice a week.
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