CAMPHILL FOUNDATION, INTERNATIONAL COMMUNAL STUDIES ASSOCIATION TO PRESENT SYMPOSIUM ON DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION IN INTENTIONAL COMMUNITIES

Multi-Day Event Convenes Thought Leaders for Discussion, Education, and Relationship-Building

Chestnut Ridge, NY, July 1, 2019 ​—​ Hundreds of researchers, authors, academic experts, and intentional community members from around the world will gather at Camphill communities for the triennial conference of the International Communal Studies Association (ICSA), to be held jointly with Camphill Foundation’s Camphill Research Symposium. Taking place July 18th-21st, the event is devoted to the theme of “Diversity and Inclusion in Intentional Communities.”

The symposium will include plenary sessions, as well as seminars, workshops, case study presentations, and panel discussions that delve into specific interests, such as youth and elder connections, sustainability, and inclusive entrepreneurship. Sessions will be hosted by Camphill Ghent, Camphill Hudson, Camphill Village Copake, and Triform Camphill Community, four Camphill communities in New York state where persons with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities live, work, and celebrate life together.

On Saturday, July 20th, Camphill Village Copake will also welcome symposium participants to attend a special screening and discussion of the documentary “Intelligent Lives” from award-winning filmmaker Dan Habib. The film follows three pioneering young Americans with intellectual disabilities, who challenge perceptions of intelligence as they navigate high school, college, and the workforce.

“We are thrilled that this year’s Camphill Research Symposium, presented in partnership with the International Communal Studies Association, gives our New York-based Camphill communities the opportunity to sharetheir inclusive practices with the world’s foremost experts in intentional community-building,” said Karen Murphy, executive director of Camphill Foundation.

“Camphill is one of the most significant networks of intentional communities today, yet many communitarians haven’t had a chance to visit Camphill,” added Daniel McKanan, the International Communal Studies Association’s chairperson. “We hope this exciting event will spark conversation and innovation as diverse communities learn from one another’s experiences.”

Full event details can be found at www.camphillfoundation.org/camphill-research-symposium/.

About Camphill Foundation

Founded in 1966 to support two fledgling Camphill communities in New York and Pennsylvania, Camphill Foundation has grown dramatically over the past five decades. Today, its mission is to grow, strengthen, and safeguard the Camphill movement at 15 Camphill communities and affiliates in the United States and Canada. Camphill Foundation primarily accomplishes this mission by providing strategic grants and low-interest loans that help grow and sustain the Camphill movement. Visit www.camphillfoundation.org for more information.

About the Camphill Movement

Founded almost 80 years ago by Austrian pediatrician Dr. Karl König, Camphill is a worldwide movement of vibrant communities that provide a unique lifesharing model of care for persons with special needs. The Camphill movement was inspired by the principles of anthroposophy, offering a model of renewal for the wider society. Learn more about the Camphill movement and Camphill communities in North America at the Camphill Association of North America’s website at www.camphill.org. 

About the International Communal Studies Association

The International Communal Studies Association (ICSA) is a forum for exchanging scholarship, information, ideas, and experiences on intentional community. Its purpose is to provide a common framework for a scholarly exchange of information regarding communal life, communes, intentional communities, kibbutzim, and other collective communities throughout the world. Visit www.communa.org.il/icsa/ for details.

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