Villa de las Rosas, Argentina. A participatory research project for sustainable communities.
The Argentine Camphill initiative Ámbar Comunidad is still relatively young, having been in existence for only four years. As a Camphill-oriented community, its activities are based on a socially inclusive space in which adolescents and young adults who need assistance are supported in their daily lives and personal development. At the same time, Ámbar Comunidad sees itself as an ongoing research project. Like many social initiatives, it faces the challenge of securing its pioneering work through a long-term financial strategy – at a time when monetary support for social work is becoming increasingly scarce.
The community has made this universal problem the subject of its research: How can a social project respond creatively to financial limitations and make the best possible use of the resources at its disposal? What concrete solutions help to ensure the financial viability of a project without losing focus on healthy interpersonal relationships? The community is not only conducting research for itself, but also wants to pass on its experiences and findings to initiatives in a similar situation. Its goal is to describe and visualize the results of its own process as an experimental prototype in order to make it accessible as a practical model for other projects.
Ámbar Comunidad uses a participatory approach for its research, bringing together activists, scientists, and community members to draw on their shared wealth of knowledge. The methodology used includes structured observations, interviews, written reports, surveys, and case studies. The staff of Ámbar Comunidad are supported in their research work by members of the Section for Inclusive Social Development at the Goetheanum and by the Camphill Academy in the USA.
More Anthroposophy Worldwide and Camphill Academy
Translation Charles Cross
Photo Gustavo Sánchez
