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Meeting of the Hague Circle in Dornach
Report by Dorit Winter
Approximately 35 people representing about 20 countries gathered in Dornach, Switzerland, from November 19th to 22nd to consider the Waldorf movement worldwide. This was the 3rd meeting of the Hague Circle at which “Inner and Outer” has been a major theme. This set of meetings was opened by presentations on that theme from Christof Wiechert (Pedagogical Section Leader), Dorit Winter (USA), and Iryna Kokoshynska (Ukraine).
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One piece of business was the ratification of a universal statement of “Criteria and Principles” of what makes for a Waldorf school. It would be on the basis of these criteria and principles that a school would be entitled to the name “Waldorf.” In many countries, there are currently questions about identity.
Christof Wiechert, leader of the Pedagogical Section worldwide, presented a set of 3 concerns: quality, identity and name. Quite some discussion centered on these 3 aspects of Waldorf. How can they be fostered? How can they be recognized and spread? How can they be documented?
Reports were given about conditions in the following countries: Chile, Argentina, Peru, Brazil, Israel, Sweden, South Africa, Ukraine, Holland, Hungary, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, USA.
Also represented was the European Council of Waldorf/Steiner Schools, and the Freunde der Erziehungskunst (Friends of Waldorf Education), an organization which helps fund Waldorf initiatives around the world, especially in Africa, Eastern Europe and the Far East: http://www.freunde-waldorf.de/en/
Conference languages were English and German.
The next meetings are set to take place in Germany in May, 2010. One topic on that agenda: the big World Teachers Conference to take place in Dornach at Easter of 2012.
