Our Approach
A Philosophy for Young People
At Damanhur, children are not small adults waiting to grow up — they are sovereign beings arriving with gifts, perspectives, and energies that the community genuinely needs. Our educational philosophy honours this truth.
Rethinking Childhood
Since the earliest days of the Federation, Damanhur has approached child-rearing and education as one of its most important collective responsibilities. The founders recognised that children raised with authentic freedom, genuine respect, and meaningful participation in community life develop into extraordinary human beings.
Our programs are not designed to entertain children or keep them occupied while adults do "real" work. Instead, they invite young people into genuine encounters — with nature, with art, with ancient wisdom, and with a community of adults who take them seriously as spiritual beings.
This philosophy draws from Damanhurian cosmology, which holds that children arrive in each incarnation carrying the accumulated wisdom of their soul's journey. The role of good education is not to fill an empty vessel but to support the emergence of what is already present.
"Children are the greatest teachers in Damanhur. They remind us how to be present, how to wonder, and how to live without the false certainties that adults accumulate."
— Damanhur Elder, Community Education CoordinatorCore Educational Values
Every child's inner life is respected as genuine and important. We listen before we teach.
Children participate in real community decisions that affect them. Their voices shape outcomes.
Curiosity is our most prized quality. Questions are celebrated more than answers.
Relationships between children, elders, animals, plants, and the land are nurtured equally.
Art-making in all forms is considered as important as any academic subject.
Nature as Teacher
The woods, gardens, and wildlife of Damanhur's land are our primary classroom — alive, unpredictable, and endlessly generous.
Art as Language
Before words, there is image, movement, sound, and colour. We give children many languages before we privilege any one.
Community as Family
In a living community, every adult carries some responsibility for every child. This village model produces extraordinary resilience.
Spirit as Reality
Children naturally sense subtle energies, spirit presences, and non-ordinary dimensions. We don't dismiss this — we explore it together.
Story as Wisdom
The ancient tradition of storytelling remains one of our primary pedagogical tools — myths, fairy tales, and personal narratives all teach.
Inquiry as Practice
Good questions are more valuable than received answers. We teach children to question everything, including us.
June – August
Summer Camps at Damanhur
Each summer, Damanhur opens its forests, studios, and ceremonial spaces to children from around the world. Our camps are genuinely different — not because of what we do, but because of how we see the young people in our care.
Little Explorers Camp
The youngest adventurers dive into Damanhur through fairy-tale walks, animal encounters, simple art projects, and gentle introduction to the community's unique world. Every day is a magical unfolding.
- Guided forest exploration with naturalist educators
- Introduction to Damanhur's mythological animals
- Simple mosaic and clay art projects
- Story circles with community elders
- Organic vegetable garden work
- Evening stargazing with telescope
Young Creators Camp
Pre-teens engage with Damanhur at a deeper level — creating real art that will be displayed in community spaces, participating in ecological restoration projects, and beginning to understand what intentional community means.
- Mural painting alongside professional artists
- Synchronic Lines energy mapping exercises
- Permaculture design introduction
- Drumming and music from world traditions
- Community debate and decision-making simulation
- Photography and visual storytelling workshop
Future Builders Camp
Teenagers are treated as the future leaders and change-makers they are. This intensive program engages them with real community challenges, philosophical inquiry, creative leadership, and the skills needed to build a better world.
- Facilitated philosophy seminars on community and utopia
- Real participation in community council sessions
- Mentorship pairing with Damanhur citizens
- Renewable energy and sustainable building tours
- Creative project development and presentation
- Capstone community contribution project
What Makes Our Camps Different
Maximum 16 children per group ensures every child is truly seen and supported. Our 1:4 staff ratio is deliberately generous.
Children aren't visiting a theme park — they interact with a living community of 600+ people going about genuine daily life.
Devices are stored on arrival. The absence of screens typically produces a visible shift in children within 24 hours.
Programs run in Italian, English, and French. Other languages accommodated with advance notice. Language mixing is encouraged.
All meals use produce from Damanhur's certified organic farms and gardens. Dietary requirements are always accommodated.
All staff are first-aid trained. Medical support is available 24/7. Parents receive daily updates and can call anytime.
Year-Round Programs
School Holiday Programs
Throughout the school year, Damanhur offers shorter programs timed to school holidays. These range from single days to week-long intensives, designed for different ages and interests.
| Program | Ages | Duration | When | Focus | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Solstice Children's Circle | 5–12 | 2 days | December | Ceremony, storytelling, light | €95 |
| Spring Awakening Nature Days | 7–14 | 3 days | Easter break | Ecology, planting, animal care | €145 |
| All Saints Journey | 8–16 | 3 days | November | Ancestors, memory, ritual | €155 |
| Carnival of Colours | 6–14 | 1 day | February | Art, costume, celebration | €45 |
| Harvest Festival Helpers | 6–15 | 1 weekend | October | Food, farming, community | €75 |
| Autumn Deep Dive | 12–18 | 5 days | October break | Philosophy, leadership, art | €390 |
Day Programs (9am–5pm)
Families living within driving distance can participate in single-day programs that don't require overnight stays. These run approximately 30 days per year and cover themes from wilderness skills to mosaic art to community cooking.
Day programs include lunch from the community kitchen and all materials. They follow the same philosophy and quality standards as residential programs.
View Day Program CalendarSchool Group Visits
Damanhur welcomes school groups throughout the year. We design bespoke educational programs aligned with school curriculum requirements in ecology, social studies, art, and ethics.
Programs run from half-day visits (€15/student) to three-day residentials (€85/student). All programs include educator briefings and post-visit resources for continued classroom learning.
Request School Group InfoCome Together
Family Visit Packages
Some experiences are best shared across generations. Damanhur's family visit packages are designed so that adults and children have meaningful experiences simultaneously — and come together around the dinner table with different but complementary stories to share.
Family Weekend Immersion
- 2 nights in community guesthouse accommodation
- Separate morning programs for adults and children
- Joint afternoon family activities (nature walk, art project)
- Community dinner with a resident family
- Children's evening story circle
- Adult evening talk with a senior community member
- Sunday guided Temple exterior visit
- Welcome gift for each child
Deep Family Experience
- 5 nights in community accommodation
- Full program for children daily (age-appropriate)
- Full adult program including esoteric school introduction
- Temple interior visit (adults)
- Sacred Woods walk for all ages
- Community work participation (gardening, kitchen, art)
- One-to-one family consultation with an elder
- Ceremonial fire circle for all family members
- Damanhur Library access and book selection
Summer Family Camp
- Whole family attends simultaneously in July/August
- Children in age-appropriate camp groups all day
- Adults in parallel retreat or work-exchange program
- Family reunion for all meals and evening activities
- Weekend family excursions to local sites
- Final day joint family presentation of the week's creations
- Minimum age 4 years
Grandparent & Grandchild Visit
- Specially designed for grandparent–grandchild pairs
- 3-day program exploring wisdom and wonder together
- Storytelling sessions bridging generations
- Shared craft project to bring home
- Community elder conversations
- Accessible pace with gentle schedule
- Ages: child 7+, no upper age limit
"We arrived as a family who happened to travel together. We left as a family who actually knew each other again. Three days in this place did what years of normal holidays never managed."
— Family from Bristol, UK, August 2024
The Living Classroom
Nature Education Days
Damanhur's land comprises over 400 hectares of forests, meadows, streams, and cultivated gardens. For children, this is not scenery — it is a living curriculum in ecology, survival, beauty, and belonging.
Forest Tracking
Learn to read the forest like a book — animal tracks, tree communications, seasonal changes, and the language of birds.
Herb Identification
Walking the hedgerows and meadows with experienced herbalists who teach edible and medicinal plant knowledge.
Beekeeper for a Day
Work alongside Damanhur's certified beekeepers, learning the sacred relationship between bees and human communities.
Seed to Table
Plant seeds in the morning, harvest what's ready, cook a simple lunch from the garden, and share it together.
Bird Language
The ancient art of reading bird behaviour — alarm calls, territory songs, and the deep baseline of a healthy ecosystem.
Water Systems
Explore Damanhur's springs, streams, and water management systems while learning about the vital role of water in community life.
Fungi Exploration
Autumn forays into the mycological world — identifying species, understanding mycelium networks, and the wood-wide web.
Night Nature
After-dark walks to discover the nocturnal world — owls, bats, insects, stars — with an experienced naturalist guide.
The Damanhur Nature Education Approach
Our nature education draws from multiple traditions: the deep-nature awareness practices of Tom Brown Jr. and Jon Young, the permaculture design principles of Bill Mollison, Waldorf education's seasonal rhythms, and Damanhur's own understanding of the living intelligence of nature.
Children who complete our nature programs regularly report a fundamental shift in how they experience outdoor environments. The forest is no longer background — it becomes foreground, rich with relationship, meaning, and invitation to deeper attention.
We work with the concept of "sit spot" — each child identifies a single location in the woods they will return to each day, building an intimate relationship with one specific place. Over even three days, the transformation in a child's capacity for presence and observation is remarkable.
Nature education at Damanhur also includes the community's unique understanding of plant communication and the intelligence of the natural world — perspectives that enrich conventional ecology with a dimension of wonder and dialogue.
Creative Expression
Art & Creativity Camps
Damanhur is a living artwork — the Temples of Humankind alone represent the largest work of art created by a spiritual community in the 20th century. This artistic culture permeates everything, including how we engage with children's creativity.
Mosaic Masters
Learn the same mosaic techniques used in the Temples of Humankind. Children design and create their own mosaic panel to take home — a genuine piece of art made with professional materials under artist guidance.
Painting the Sacred
Using pigments, oils, and mixed media inspired by Damanhurian sacred art traditions, children explore how to paint symbols, energies, and inner visions. The Temple murals serve as living inspiration throughout.
Clay & Sculpture
Working with local clay, children create three-dimensional forms inspired by Damanhur's mythological beings, natural forms, and their own imaginations. Pieces are kiln-fired and can be glazed and taken home.
Music & Rhythm Circle
Drawing from African drumming, Brazilian percussion, and Damanhurian music traditions, this program builds rhythm, listening, ensemble playing, and the profound experience of making music together in community.
Story & Performance
Children collaboratively write, rehearse, and perform a short play inspired by Damanhurian mythology and their own stories. The performance on the final evening is open to the whole community.
Sacred Geometry & Design
An introduction to the mathematical principles underlying natural forms and Damanhur's sacred art. Children learn to construct geometric patterns, spirals, and mandalas using traditional tools and digital methods.
Multi-Day Art Intensives
For children who want to go deeper, our week-long art intensives combine two disciplines — typically visual art and performance, or music and craft — creating a rich cross-media experience. These run in July and August with specialist visiting artists joining Damanhur's own art educators.
Prices for week-long art intensives range from €480–€580 depending on materials-intensity. Bursary places are available for families with financial constraints — please contact us to discuss.
Reserve Your Place
Book for Children & Families
Programs fill quickly — especially summer camps and holiday programs. We recommend booking at least 8 weeks in advance. For school groups, contact us 3+ months ahead to ensure program design time.
Enquiry Form
Important Information
- All staff working with children are DBS/CRB checked and first-aid trained
- A 30% deposit secures your place; balance due 4 weeks before arrival
- Full refund available up to 6 weeks before program start
- Damanhur is situated in the Valchiusella valley, approx 50km from Turin airport
- Airport shuttle available on request (€35/person each way)
- All programs include organic meals prepared by community kitchen
- Medical support available 24/7 during residential programs
- Parents receive daily photo updates during children's programs
Contact the Children's Team
Email: children@damanhur.org
Phone: +39 0125 71 9220
Our children's team responds within 24 hours, Monday to Saturday. Video call consultations are available for families who'd like to learn more before booking.
"My son arrived shy and anxious. He left confident, sunburned, and asking when we could come back. This place does something to children that I can't fully explain."
— Parent review, Summer Camp 2024