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About Us
Our Vision
Children hold the future of our planet. Every child and young person has a special place in our world. Each has a contribution to make to help earth and all creation. We see the children and youth as the leaders of our new tomorrow.
The Sanctuary School program offers children and youth a foundation in kind living and love of nature by encouraging compassionate service, partnership with all life and individual creative expression.
Our Mission
The Sanctuary School
offers a model for education whereby each child's sense of
purpose is nurtured and supported. Studies focus on
decision-making, peacemaking and leadership development.
We seek to further and support the vision and goals of the United Nations by encouraging community service, partnership with all life, and environmental stewardship. Online courses to enhance learning abilities and introduce the heart-mind connection are being updated, to be offered as a global outreach to the new generation of children in homeschooling programs, public and private schools, and community-based learning environments. Through this holistic approach, children will learn and enjoy learning.
Our History
The inspiration and vision for The Sanctuary School emerged from classes held in Ojai, California, where children ranging in age from 4-14 met with golden retriever Delphi to read and discuss Six Lessons with Delphi, a remarkable book by Patricia Jepsen and inspired by Delphi herself. What became evident within the first few meetings was an immediate acceleration and expansion in awareness, creative thinking and self-confidence. Children's participation blossomed from shyness, rote responses, and cautious skepticism to openly shared experiences of partnership and closeness with nature, original ideas, and creative problem solving.
The calming, nurturing and restorative effect that this program had on young people in California was also demonstrated in a community education outreach coordinated by the Graffiti Abatement Program (GAPIT) in Tucson, Arizona. GAPIT, a city-funded, community-based organization, incorporated Six Lessons with Delphi and the syllabus Teaching Delphi into its workshops and presentations. The program was enthusiastically received in schools, community organizations, juvenile facilities, and prisons.
With the development of
online courses for children and youth based on Six
Lessons with Delphi and related materials,
the Sanctuary School was born. More courses were added,
and plans for a comprehensive curriculum using a
heart-based approach, as well as the development of a
physical campus, are envisioned. The Sanctuary School
provides a safe haven for learning, where the heart can be
open and the mind free to express the creative brilliance
of each young person.
Our Founder
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Founder and former director of The Sanctuary School, Patricia Jepsen, was president of the non-governmental organization Center for International Cooperation. Her work in international diplomacy, environmental conferences, and humane education provided her with the necessary background for The Sanctuary School vision and purpose. Patricia Jepsen made her
transition in September 2009. The school
continues its outreach under the guidance of
Program Director Susan Hunt and the CIC Board of
Directors. |
About
CIC
The Sanctuary School is affiliated with the Center for International Cooperation (CIC), a nonprofit, non-governmental organization on the Roster of the United Nations Economic and Social Council. CIC has been sponsoring educational and environmental projects for over 25 years.
