ALFA Project is a unique secondary education project based  in the community of East Clare, Ireland: ALFA is an acronym for Active Learning For Adolescents – our approach is to engage the whole person in their education through multidisciplinary project based learning. Over the past 9 years ALFA has provided full time secondary education based on the Steiner/Waldorf curriculum, - an international education movement with 800 schools in 20 + countries and covering the full range of subject areas. The students' ages range from 12 – 17 years and each group or class covers a 2 year age range.

ALFA offers  full time education for 13 – 16 year olds in Active Learning with a strong environmental and practical base. In addition, for the past two years ALFA pioneered 4th and 5thyear with students aged 15-17 years – these students completed a range of projects in IT, Communications as well Arts and Crafts  for FETAC certification at levels 4 & 5 which will lead them directly into Higher Education.

Full time Programme for 13-16 year olds.

Alfa aims to support the emerging individual through their early adolescence__ a time when questions of identity are central.  Alfa has created a curriculum that supports the developing capacities in each individual-the artist, intellectual, social and practical abilities.  We provide Fetac level 4 modules to students in Biology, Irish, Maths, Drawing and Painting, Communications, French.

• Science based projects done outdoors without a laboratory to learn about: the carbon cycle – making charcoal and studying photosynthesis; the lime cycle by building a lime kiln to calcine limestone; the water cycle from springs to oceans and weather – building a hydraulic ram pump; plant chemistry (organic chemistry); Soap making.

• Craft projects such as green wood working – making a chair, blacksmithing – to make tools, ceramics/building a kiln to make pots, cooking outdoors/building a clay bread and pizza oven. These are all projects that have been tried and tested over the years at ALFA. The craft programme using natural materials sourced in nature, by the participants, can be offered over the winter months, working with raw wool, cooking and preserving, bread making,

• Arts projects sourcing the materials in nature or using recycled materials - making and performing with puppets, art history project from cave painting to Renaissance- making pigments and paints, charcoal to draw and paint, make frescoes, mosaics, tempura paints, to create pieces of art as they were done in their time.

The objectives of the courses are:

1. To teach valuable skills and knowledge about natural ecosystems and how to live and care for them in a sustainable way.

2. To bring a lively approach to learning that leads to a real understanding of how mankind has transformed raw materials from the natural world and has shaped them into tools, food, clothing, art, furniture etc.

3. To help young people cope with the uncertain future by giving them confidence that they can turn their hands to many things from growing and cooking their own food, to making their own tools, to making something useful to sell.

Highlights of the year 2010

Raheen Wood Alfa A new and stronger venture, this year we are running a programme adjacent to Raheen Wood Steiner School giving us the benefit of purpose built premises in a woodland setting which will inspire us all.
Research on Active Learning – ALFA was funded to commission 2 researchers to research the benefits of an Active Learning education at primary and secondary level both internationally and in Ireland with our ex students. The research will be ready in September 2010 for dissemination