EUDEC Member School:

Ojo de agua - ambiente educativo

Address: Ptda. Racó de Pastor s/n 03790 ORBA Alicante España

Tel.: (34)649901562
Email: info at ojodeagua.es
Website: www.ojodeagua.es and www.urobia.es

Name of contact person: Javier Herrero – Marién Fuentes

Year founded: 1999

Students: 25
Age Range: 3-16
Number of staff: 3 full time, 1 part time
Type of funding: private

School Info Chart - Ojo de agua

ojo de agua is an educational environment, an innovation on education. Formally, this is not a school, but an Ecological Park focused on Educational Leisure. We develop an environment based on ethics, attitude and design-permaculture principles. The ethics principles are: take care of the earth, take care of people and share with equality.

In this environment all people, young people and children, are there by their own will; all persons can spend their time with others as they wish, independent of their age; all activities are voluntary; there is no predetermined curriculum; there are no courses or grades; parents are welcome; there are no compulsory lessons, except on demand.

Our mission in ojo de agua is to create a rich and engaging environment - with real, human and material resources - that helps satisfy the authentic developmental needs of children and young people in a respectful atmosphere. We seek to create the conditions in which all individuals can connect the feelings inside themselves with their external activity. When this happens, the individual feels happy. When we learn to live in this way, we are able to give others the best of ourselves.

In ojo de agua each person has opportunities to learn to decide what to do every day. People have a wide range of free activities. The range of freedom for each person is directly proportional to his or her level of responsibility. It is every person’s responsibility to define his or her own learning process. All interests –academic and non-academic - are equal in importance.

The work is based on demand. When a person wants to learn or practice anything and needs help, we look for this among the rest of children and the staff; if no one can help, then we look for it in the circle of parents and friends; if not, we look in the local market or for a specialized person.

The parents and staff work together in these processes for satisfying the interests of children. This can take place inside or outside of our educational environment. We see ojo de agua as a place, but not the only place, for learning.

We have a weekly assembly. All young people and full-time staff have a voice and vote in the assembly. This meeting is a tool for learning to live together.

Parents have a key role in the development of children. Because of that, there is a very close relationship between this educational environment and parents. Most of them help the staff organize activities that children ask for or work with us depending on the needs of the environment or the abilities of each parent.

For more information, please visit our websites.