Platform for
heartbased education

Seeing the wonder in each child and guiding them holistically toward their own wisdom, focusing on values, talents and connection.

"Education is the most powerful tool which you can use to change the world."

- Nelson Mandela

It is time.
Time for education with a soul.
Time to dare to radically choose a new story,
where every child is seen as a gift
and learning is a joyful adventure.

A child is born full of innocence, with a great openness to life and everything around him. Gradually, due to conditioning and limiting influences in our personal lives and in school and work environments, we see that in many people the openness and inner strength diminish. The existing educational world is cracking. Our children and youth are giving signals: so many get stuck in the current system. Our teachers are also giving us signals: dropout and burnout rates are skyrocketing.
We believe and have experienced that another form of education is possible. A form in which the life and life force in each child, in each person, is seen, supported and encouraged as much as possible.

• Do you also want to help build an educational environment where every child is honored in their essence, and seen as a unique and wonderful gift of life?
• Do you agree that we have to nurture and support young people above all, to develop their own power, potential and wisdom and find their inner compass?
• Do you also feel the need for a totally different form of education, one that is committed to love and (self)confidence, values and talents, resilience and connection?
• Do you also believe in a form of education in which both children, young people and their learning guides are on their way together in an equal, heart-connected and joyful way?
• Are you also curious about how we can harness the digital possibilities of our time in a healthy, meaningful way, without forgetting our humanity and the richness of real life?

Are you looking for inspiration, expertise and a treasure chest of tools to work with out-of-the-box?
Do you want to guide children and youth with more freedom and flow and from a deeper consciousness, experiencing together the richness and adventure for which we were all born? Then this platform is for you!

Why this platform?

Steven Cnudde: "From the start of my studies I knew: I'm going into education, to give young people everything I never got and needed to grow into a strong adult. An adult who moves through the world resilient and confident, full of enthusiasm for life and with faith in the future. As a nineteen-year-old, I had experienced the impermanence and relative value of my "good points" after some solid sledgehammer blows of life. I was left with big questions to which I had no solution or answer.

How do I deal with pain and grief?
How do I find meaning in my life?
How can I build inner strength?
How can I go back to sleep peacefully at night?
What is the essence of my and our existence?
How can I be meaningful to my loved ones?
How do we create more connection with each other?
How can we be truly happy as human beings?
And also: where are the "wise elders" who want to share their knowledge and wisdom with us young people and can truly guide us on our path?
 

Becoming a teacher felt like a calling.
I knew: this path will bring me fulfillment. This is what I will do with my life.

For the first few years as a teacher, I had my hands full trying to settle into my job and get a foothold in the school. After a few years, however, during my classes I felt the disinterest, apathy and need for other input growing in the young people. While most students did what was expected, their motivation often seemed to come from fear of bad marks. A deep drive from within and genuine interest were often absent. This touched me to my core, because every hour I spent teaching these young people was an hour of their lives that would never return!

I felt deep down that this was not what learning was all about.
I wanted to offer young people an environment where they could grow and build themselves,
and in which the adventure of being on the road together could be central.

Instead, reality felt more like 'We sit out the ride and look forward to the evening, the weekend, the next vacation'.
Does this sound recognizable, reader?

Increasingly, the young people were asking me to offer other input in addition to the mandatory curriculum.  What I could not offer within the lessons, I began sharing during breaks: martial arts, philosophical conversations, a picnic in the park, a moment of reflection. These moments felt rich and like an essential part of education: being truly on the road together. Here we experienced the magic of connection and of exploring and discovering life together. They were magical moments, always starting from the areas of interest of the young people. A natural flow rippled through the group, lifting everyone to another level. This is what I lived for, and the young people clearly did too!

Having experienced that flow and intrinsic motivation as essential building blocks of education even then, and believing that they should be the norm rather than the exception, I never stopped looking for how to enable such a learning environment. Sir Ken Robinson's TED talk 'Do schools kill creativity?' only fanned my fire. The discovery of Sudbury schools also enriched and deepened my search for answers. Testimonies of children who chose home schooling and other forms of learning brought yet other perspectives. The more forms of education I discovered, the more I began to question the existing classical system, and the more eager I was to create an alternative.

Over the past 25 years, I have taught in just about every educational setting and have been at the cradle of many radically innovative learning initiatives, both and unsubsidized.

These were years of searching and finding, trial and error, and figuring out what the essence of education can be. I combined the essence of my experience and vision in this trajectory - Wonderwijs. In this I am practically and substantively supported by my life partner and lover, Lien. Her talent for deep listening and her years of professional background as an appreciative-research interviewer were a rewarding addition to my expertise. This learning platform is a life's dream come true. I wish that this platform may deeply inspire and enrich you on your path."

"Who is this course created for?"