What We Value
Community
We create this through...
Personal Development
Interest-based exploration guided by curiosity, self-awareness, problem-solving, and growing from mistakes by leaning into difficult conversations when needed.
Collective Capacity
Honoring each other’s boundaries and bodily autonomy when making decisions about what
and how we learn.
Sharing Power
Creating community practices and making decisions with learners through the Sociocratic process.
Wild Roots co-creators model this process in their own consent-based decision making.
Empowerment
We create this through...
Natural Learning
Our learners are encouraged to explore as many interests as they see fit and to spend as much time as they feel they need in order to master their skills. They are not required to be graded, take standardized tests, or follow a specific curriculum.
Access And Opportunity
When it comes to learning, we as facilitators work to make things possible for our learners, rather than making sure. We enable learners by giving them support and by helping them navigate problems as they explore their interests.
Decentralizing Knowledge
​We encourage learners, mentors, family members, and neighbors to participate in the learning experience at Wild Roots. Anyone can opt to set up a class or workshop to teach others about their interests or things they are good at.
Responsibility
We create this through...
Reciprocity
We organize service-based projects that recognize the needs of our local communities. Learners of all ages are invited to participate in making the community better.
Collective Responsibility
All members participate in CAM (Community Awareness Meetings) that govern our learning community, Culture Committee that encourages restoration in cases of conflict, and Contribution to clean up our shared space.
Cultivating Ethics
Helping one another to recognize what has been good, true, and beautiful in societies over time, and learning to apply these principles. We also teach living ethics by acknowledging that just because something can be done, doesn’t mean it should be.
Social Ecology
We create this through...
Being In The Natural World
Learners have many opportunities to be outside as often as they like, and are encouraged to learn about sustainable environmental practices.
Stewardship
We cultivate experience with the land around us and a deep sense of respect in regard to the role we as humans play in the preservation of the Earth we depend on.
Governance And Nature
Acknowledging and understanding how all life is interconnected, and naturally adapts as needs emerge. By pursuing our passions intentionally in our community, we naturally meet the needs of each other and serve the whole.
Solidarity
We create this through...
Offering Support
Supporting the establishment of similar self-directed spaces and other cooperatives. Encouraging gift economies, time banking, and other ways to bring people together.
Fostering Exploration
Cultivating learners who desire to explore the world around them through international internships, world-traveling experiences as we grow, exploring different cultures, etc.
Internationalism
Sharing information, skills, moral support, and material support with other learning communities and cooperative projects around the world.