Riverstone Village

Riverstone Village is the first Democratic Self-Directed learning community in South Africa, and on the continent.'Democratic' means participatory democracy: every member of our learning community has an equal say in all group decisions, including budget spending and staff appointments.'Self-directed' means that each person has full responsibility for their own choice of activities and educational process. We support their unique unfolding, without interference. We are a diverse group of families committed to self-directed, life-long learning, inspired by the Sudbury Valley School model. We span a wide range of income and highest education levels, life style choices, religions and ancestral heritages. What connects us is respect for the learning process of all people, of all ages. Inside our learning community, everyone is equal, everyone is living their lives to the full, and nobody knows what anyone else needs to learn. Each person, regardless of age or ability, is sovereign over their own body, life, and time. It is a place of caring, respect, and mutual support, where we can learn to be 100% ourselves in ways that celebrate other people’s freedom, too. We learn how to resolve conflict so that everybody wins. We learn how to communicate so that we can be fully ourselves rather than trying to fit in. Many families choose Democratic SDE simply because it is the cutting-edge gold standard in education, growing fast across the globe. Others find that their child suffers in other educational models, and that this is where they finally thrive. We have an admissions process that lets your family assess whether or not Riverstone Village is a good fit. If this journey calls you, join us. We’re growing our village day by day. Each new person who joins our founder’s group brings new skills and resources. You might bring some critical piece of the puzzle, without realising that it could make such a difference. It’s time. Let’s live it :)