We have the right to learn freely. We all have unique talents, passions, and interests. We accept each human for who they are and build a community and environment that makes space for learning by doing and from and with those around us. We do not shame or punish. We provide an environment for people to blossom into the unique humans we are. We support our kids in the way and when they want to learn, without them feeling the need to conform to anyone’s expectations. 

Learning is natural. It is happening everywhere, all the time. We have intentionally woven our program into the fabric of Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca where our cultural and natural landscapes are as much a part of our learning environment as the walls of our physical space. We believe the future of education looks local, community-focused, democratic, nature-inspired, and project/play based. Each day, learners at Explora define what learning means and looks like. 

Learning happens in community. Our community is filled with people who have their own individual interests and find inspiration from various sources. As these inspirations are shared among members, they resonate through the community at large. One member’s curiosity can ignite another’s passion. 

Curiosity is innate and the catalyst for all learning. We empower learners to make their own informed decisions and pursue their individual interests. We trust kids and support their self-direction through an evolving set of agile tools and practices. People are curious and engaged when they are self-directed. Kids are people too. 

Experience is the best teacher. People learn more from their culture and environment than from the material they are taught. At Explora we continuously adapt our tools for communication in order to facilitate the creation of a supportive and inspiring school culture. Our learning environment frees learners to be themselves and to see the world around them for its limitless possibilities. We intentionally open our doors to the community and the world as learners accumulate meaningful experiences to compose their individual journeys.

Happiness is our indicator of success. We strive to create an agile community full of intentional and experiential learning experiences, driven by members. Witnessing playfulness, laughter and joy while this is going on lets us know we’re doing it right and inspires us to keep facilitating opportunities for our members to have fun while learning.

Stress-free living is a catalyst for learning. We are joy seekers, aiming to keep things light and fun and we operate on rhythms outside of stressful, mainstream expectations. We take time and space for dialogue, exploration and meeting our basic human needs. 

Trust is the foundation for free learning. When we know that our instincts, needs and feelings are valuable we trust ourselves and each other and gain the spaciousness to take risks and explore our curiosities and the desire to share our learnings with others. 

Freedom and trust is the catalyst for world change. We believe that by making these shifts towards a more natural and free rhythm of learning in our individual and collective lives, we are moving towards a more harmonious and peaceful way of living, where we value the dignity of every individual, create authentic relationships, strengthen our community and deepen our values, contributing to a positive change in the world.

We cannot truly be free if others are oppressed. We believe that all human rights, freedom and liberation is intertwined. When it comes to equality, there is no hierarchy of oppression and so we value diversity and social justice.