Waldorf celebrates community through diversity

Late in October, Waldorf School Windhoek held a Cultural Festival featuring homemade African and German food, traditional African clothing, festive music, a craft market, and fun and entertainment for the children. The festival was the drawcard to attract a large audience to the school’s public information day where specific information was made available on its programme of Basic Vocational Education & Training, and its centre for the Training of Teachers, Trainees and Instructors. Both these functionalities are new initiatives that add to the school’s focus on preparing youth to be successful in life.
On this day, Waldorf schools around the world gathered children, families, and friends to celebrate the season’s change and to celebrate community. These trimester festivals tighten the bond of the school communities along with students, teachers, and family members providing a unified environment for students to learn and grow  The basis of the Waldorf curriculum is the developing human being and the aim is to prepare children for life. “We believe that Waldorf Education can awaken abilities that students will need for the rest of their lives to work in their community and to have a livelihood that will sustain them. Many different competencies are needed for the individual to thrive in the world today and in Namibia of tomorrow” said the school’s director.

To highlight the BVET programme, Waldorf invited Dr. Reinhold Würth, founder and CEO of the Würth Corporation to emphasize the importance of vocational training. Dr Würth inherited a wholesale company for nuts and screws with two employees in 1954. With visionary thinking he developed a lasting and growing family business. All employees are asked to contribute ideas and creativity. Performance is firmly embedded in Würth’s corporate culture. Working together in the spirit of optimism, responsibility and mutual respect are not only words, but fulfilled every day. With this vision a small company grew to over 30,000 permanent employees today working in 400 outlets worldwide. Dr Würth emphasized the importance of learning to do quality work, not quantity work, which has brought his company enormous success.
The Waldorf School Windhoek has nearly 300 learners from kindergarten to Grade 13, including NSSC. The school has been in existence for over 14 years and is internationally accredited as a Waldorf School of which there are more than one thousand worldwide.