Coming 2024: The Twelfth Section of the School of Spiritual Science at the Goetheanum

We are pleased to also share here the following announcement from the Goetheanum leadership regarding the future development of our field of work within the School of Spiritual Science. We will provide information on the next steps here in the course of the coming year as well.

Anthroposophical social therapy, curative education, assistance for people with support needs, and inclusive social development have been represented by the Anthroposophic Council for Inclusive Social Development (until 2018 Curative Education and Social Therapy Council), affiliated with the Medical Section, since 1979.

The Council works closely with the worldwide network of anthroposophical organizations and colleagues in the field. Approaching the centenary of anthroposophical curative education and social therapy, the Goetheanum leadership and those responsible for this field of work agreed in the fall of 2022 to work toward the founding of a dedicated (twelfth) Section in 2024. This decision was made at the summer retreat of the Goetheanum leadership. This twelfth independent field of anthroposophical work will bear the name “Section for Inclusive Social Development”, and in German: “Sektion für Heilpädagogik und inklusive soziale Entwicklung”.

With this name, the responsible stakeholders are linking to the professional profile of “Heilpädagogik” established in Central Europe while taking into account the interdisciplinary breadth of the field of work. It unites pedagogical, social, therapeutic, artistic and other professional approaches that are committed to creating participatory and inclusive social spaces. What makes the choice of name challenging is that these fields of work are understood and referred to in many different ways internationally. The current leadership team of the Anthroposophic Council for Inclusive Social Development, consisting of Jan Göschel, Bart Vanmechelen, and Sonja Zausch, will continue to be responsible for the work of the Section as the leading Section Collegium. Jan Göschel was appointed as future Head of Section and member of the Goetheanum leadership. The actual founding of the Section is planned to take place during the international conference in October 2024 together with colleagues from all over the world.

Original publication: Das Goetheanum, 17. August 2023