The Angel Project proposal for a social venture partnership to create the first ‘Homeschooling Houses’
for those who do not resonate with the traditional education system

by John Campbell

Why be involved?

Since the turn of this millennium, there has been a universal shift in consciousness from the old Piscean ways of human behaviour - characterised by competition, separateness, domination and greed - to the Aquarian age of co-operation, inclusiveness, equality and sharing.

Individuals all over the world are beginning to ask the questions "Who am I and why am I here?" It's as though they are realising that there must be some deeper meaning to their lives and that they are starting to feel that something is 'missing' despite many of them having all the material and personal comforts available in our modern world.

People are finding common answers to these questions by getting into some kind of 'service' orientated pursuit. The common denominators in all of these pursuits are a desire to feel better about themselves, and a desire to connect with a deeper, more meaningful, purpose in life and the world around them.

We are now witnessing this same shift in consciousness in many corporate organisations. This is not surprising since companies consist of large numbers of individuals who are already experiencing this shift at a personal level.

Traditionally, the corporate organisational model has been one where the primary 'purpose' of the business is to make profit through a redistribution of resources that are shared among the owners of the business. As a result of this shift in awareness and consciousness, many companies are now starting to experience the same feeling of "there must be more to it than this - do we have a greater purpose?"

Often this results in employees finding an inexplicable desire to leave their traditional work after many years for no apparent reason. This can create instability in the company structure and can have a knock-on effect, with others in the company following suit.

We believe that it is not necessary for people to leave a company in order to find this missing part of their lives, if a conscious decision is made at the highest levels of the organisation to adopt a social purpose, which then becomes the primary reason for the business.

Personal friends of mine, the author Neil Crofts and Kat Byles of Authentic PR, have researched this phenomenon, and Neil has written two books: "Authentic - How To Make A Living By Being Yourself" and "Authentic Business - How To Create And Run Your Perfect Business."

He asked some simple questions about what it would be like to work in a business where...
 * Everyone felt profoundly motivated
 * Decision-making was a joy and always seemed to work out for the best
 * There was little need to manage because everyone was clear in their task and got on with it
 * Customers, suppliers and staff all cared for the business and wanted to see it flourish because they were all aligned to the purpose

These businesses do exist, and they are called Authentic Businesses. In all cases these businesses have:
 * A clearly stated, profoundly held purpose beyond profit
 * A purpose that is socially and/or environmentally positive
 * Integrity between communication and action
 * Respect for themselves, each other and all those with whom they come into contact such as suppliers and customers
 * A distinct and unique business personality

Company directors who have already made this decision have had incredibly positive results, including but not limited to:
 * Increased profits
 * Reduced inter-personal conflicts
 * Reduced employee turnover
 * Reduced sickness and accidents
 * Reduced advertising and recruitment costs
 * Reduced use of alcohol and other self-harming practices by staff
 * Greater harmony and co-operation within the workforce

This is not to say that these companies are becoming charities, or do not have the desire to make profit: they are very much still successful businesses. What it does mean is that they now have a stated and passionate purpose for the business which is shared by all those in the company. This shared purpose thus becomes the primary reason for the business and profit becomes a natural and unavoidable result of this. Profit, then, is analogous to 'breathing.' We all have to breathe - but it's not what makes us get out of bed in the morning! Many companies all over the world are starting to ask the same question: "What can be our purpose?"

My Vision:

I have spent nine years researching educational systems around the world, and have confirmed my lifelong belief that preparing children for adulthood is the single most important responsibility of society. If we want to change the world, we have to start with education, as our individual and collective self-esteem is determined at a young age.

When human beings have high self-esteem, which I define as a deep and secure sense of being innately lovable and capable, they have no desire to hurt themselves or others. They have a sense of belonging to a greater society and are not driven to compete and succeed at all costs including the demise of their fellow beings. They understand there is enough for everyone, and live their lives in a far more serene and balanced manner than those with low self-esteem.

The need for a more evolved educational system which mirrors the highly evolved and sensitive children who are coming into our world makes the need for a radical new approach to education even more urgent.

Imagine your business sponsoring such an important 'cog in the wheel' of this new consciousness. The Angel Project's 'Angel Houses' foster this new approach to educating children. There is an awareness that every child has an innate desire to learn. In these houses, the children learn what they want to learn, when they want to learn and they have fun while they‘re doing it!