Reimagining Education — Connecting Children to Themselves, Others, and the World
Every child arrives at school with curiosity. A desire to understand the world… and to discover what lights them up. Yet for many, that natural spark gradually fades over time.
Today, many parents express deep concerns. They speak about:
• academic pressure
• fear of making mistakes
• feeling unseen or unheard
• a gradual loss of confidence
• declining motivation, joy, and desire to learn
At the same time, many teachers are deeply committed, yet often work within systems that do not always allow them to fully meet the needs of their students.
In recent months, many families in the region have shared their concerns. One message has come through clearly: the need for a more human environment. A place where children are encouraged, respected, and truly listened to. Where curiosity is nurtured. And where mistakes are seen as part of learning.
What families are looking for:
• a respectful and attentive environment
• meaningful human relationships
• a climate of trust and encouragement
• learning that feels purposeful
• an environment that protects the joy of learning
Beyond academic results, many parents want their children to grow in confidence, connect with themselves and others, and better understand the world they live in.
An Educational Approach That Gives Meaning to Learning
OUR VISION
To create a human-centered school where each child’s development — their confidence, self-awareness, and relationship with others — matters as much as academic learning.
A school rooted in its local community and open to the world.
A place where learning has meaning. Where relationships matter as much as results. Where every child is welcomed without judgment.
WHAT WE WANT TO HELP CHILDREN DEVELOP
Beyond academics, the ambition is to help children:
• understand themselves and what motivates them
• build healthy self-confidence and self-worth
• learn to collaborate, communicate, and interact respectfully
• develop emotional intelligence
• cultivate nuanced and critical thinking
• navigate a complex world without binary thinking
• use technology and artificial intelligence consciously and responsibly
• develop a sense of responsibility and ethics
The goal is not only what they learn. It is who they become… and how they relate to the world.
Over time, we hope they become young people who can make conscious choices, express themselves clearly, and find their place in the world without losing themselves in the process.
This foundation allows them to learn, contribute, and engage with awareness.
A STRUCTURED EDUCATIONAL FRAMEWORK
The project is built on a structured approach centered on exploration, inquiry, and openness to the world, within a supportive and well-designed framework.
Academic quality remains essential, supported by an educational philosophy inspired by the principles of the International Baccalaureate (IB), enriched through meaningful real-life learning experiences.
Learning is organised through projects. Students explore, question, and gradually build their own understanding.
Mathematics, science, languages, and humanities all hold a central place — taught in a living, connected, real-world way.
For example, a theme such as water can become a common thread: students explore the water cycle through science, understand its role in climate and resources, develop language and expression skills, approach it through geography and artistic forms, and integrate mathematics through measurement, conversions, and volume.
As children grow, the methods evolve — while the connections between disciplines remain alive and coherent.
LEARNING AND SELF-DISCOVERY THROUGH EXPERIENCE
In this environment, children also learn:
• self-awareness
• open and nuanced critical thinking
• collaboration
• communication
This growth also happens through varied experiences: sport, arts, nature, animals, and spaces to reflect, feel, and discover themselves differently.
👉 Connecting academic learning with real and meaningful experiences.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROJECT
The school will first open for younger children, allowing a strong educational culture to grow from the beginning. The first classes will welcome children aged 3 to 7, and the school will gradually grow with them over the years.
WHY A FOUNDATION?
The project is based on the creation of a foundation in order to give it a true social mission. It will allow us to:
• establish an ethical and sustainable framework
• encourage greater social diversity
• support an accessible and responsible educational model
Bringing This Vision to Life — Together
Today, the first decisive step is to make this project real.
It already builds on concrete conversations with families in the region, as well as the commitment of passionate early contributors ready to bring this vision to life for children.
🎯 GOAL: CHF 30,000
Building solid foundations to make the project concrete and credible
• Create professional materials (videos, detailed presentation, visual assets) → to clearly communicate the project and attract educational partners, companies, and philanthropic supporters
• Raise awareness of the project among educational partners, families, and engaged stakeholders → to initiate the first meaningful collaborations
• Conduct in-depth consultations with children, parents, and teachers → to refine and strengthen the project based on real needs from the field
• Develop and consolidate the educational approach → by integrating multiple dimensions (body, emotions, expression, nature…) within a strong academic framework
• Launch the first training dynamics → to ensure a consistent, high-quality approach among future contributors
• Lay the groundwork for the future foundation → enabling, in the long term, the creation of scholarships and broader accessibility
👉 A crucial first step to make the project tangible and set it in motion.
IF WE GO FURTHER…
🎯 GOAL: CHF 40,000
Bringing the project to life for children and families
• Deploy the first pilot workshops → designed and delivered with specialized facilitators, to support children in their relationship to themselves, others, and the world
• Welcome children and families into their first lived experiences → allowing them to engage directly with the approach in a tangible and meaningful way
• Make the project visible → through a dedicated website and communication materials that share the vision and ongoing actions
👉 The project becomes a first lived reality.
🎯 GOAL: CHF 50,000
Giving the educational project a clear, structured, and sustainable form
• Design the daily experience of children aged 3 to 7 → by structuring their days and weeks around learning, expression, movement, and relationships
• Build the foundations of the educational pathway → inspired by the philosophy of the International Baccalaureate (IB), while adapting and enriching it with a strong focus on self-expression, connection to the living world, and relationships with oneself and others
• Prepare the implementation of a scholarship system → to make the project accessible to a broader and more diverse community
• Lay the foundations of the future foundation → to sustainably support the project’s accessibility and its social mission
👉 The project becomes structured, credible, and ready to grow.
🧭 PROJECT ROADMAP
1️⃣ This campaign: building the foundations and creating visibility
2️⃣ Educational development → defining the framework, the children’s daily experience, and the learning pathway
3️⃣ Team building → bringing together the right people to carry the vision
4️⃣ Foundation creation → to fund scholarships and ensure long-term accessibility
5️⃣ Securing a location
6️⃣ Planned opening: August 2027 (ages 3–7)
WHO IS BEHIND THIS PROJECT?
This project is led by Elke Dervin, ICF PCC certified professional coach and trainer, with more than 20 years of experience supporting individuals, teams, and life pathways.
As the mother of two teenagers, she also understands firsthand the realities many young people and parents face today.
👉 This project was born from a deep conviction: the school years profoundly shape self-confidence, relationships, and the way a child enters life.
TOGETHER
By supporting this project, you help bring forward another way of learning and growing.
Every contribution matters. You can support, share, or simply speak about it.
Because what children experience today deeply shapes the adults they will become… and the world they will build.
Thank you for being part of this journey.
