Out of the classroom – into nature!

School classes of the 8/9 and 10th year can book projects, reflection and community living weeks.

In advance, together with the teachers, we agree on the general plan for these weeks.

Experience one’s self and others in nature without digital media.

A challenge for young people from the city. Only when we leave our safe comfort zone is change possible.

Those who can have a positive experience in nature will also be ready to protect it later.

Under expert guidance students work on projects such as: laying paths and small roads, working in the vegetable and fruit garden, looking after the animals, harvesting figs and olives, planning menus for the whole group and cooking the food, checking their own beliefs on future performance, learning Italian, rebuilding terraces to prevent erosion and more, and so actively participate in reconstructing an ancient cultivated landscape.

Timeout from electronic stimuli opens the senses to the natural environment. The young people leave visible traces behind, and learn through teamwork that conditions can be changed by involvement.

The learning location in southern Italy offers 42,000 square meters of nature, a safe space to carry out practical tasks.

Where one can reconnect with the earth, and rediscover your balance. The community and the Life Academy project are constantly evolving.

“The holy building site” as a metaphor for life in development. Evolution is never finished, it is not about being “finished”, there is always something to improve, renew, beautify, learn – in oneself and in society. This leads to a culture of learning in which there are many possible solutions to the challenges of life.

Excursions to the temples to Paestum, the excavations in Velia and Pompeii bring the students into direct contact with our cultural heritage. Hiking in Cilento National Park and the Protected Marine Area Punta Licosa complement the experience at this special place. Not for nothing were the National Park Cilento and Valle di Diano declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and a World Heritage Site.

School projects are possible from May to late October. The duration of projects: approximately 2 weeks up to a maximum of 3 weeks at 30 € per person per day for accommodation and full board. 

Travel expenses and bus transfer from Naples airport to the camp and back, as well as coach rental for excursions are extra. We have beds for max. 26 students plus 3-4 teachers and accompanying persons. The students and teachers are housed in wooden caravans and cabins. Toilets, showers, etc. are like at a campsite directly on site. A 200 square meter restaurant comprises the kitchen, dining room and lounge.

Already in the last century, in her educational concept for the 7th – 10th school years, Maria Montessori proposed the “Erdkinderplan” (earth-child plan), a radical break and de-schooling of learning in the years of puberty. 

In this development phase, a highly explosive hormone mix in the body leads to a “roller coaster ride” of feelings for young people. During this time, school marks often deteriorate rapidly, one feels misunderstood and parents become difficult. Neurologists, educational scientists and dedicated educators are now pioneering the implementation of this training concept.

The Life Academy Gioiadivita is part of this pedagogy of environmentally-based learning.