Good Examples - THE CARe NETWORK

Nei Skoen Recovery Learning Community

This is a stigma free meeting place where everybody is welcome.

Nei Skoen uses the CARe Approach.

Location: Helmond, The Netherlands

Nei Skoen (Helmond, the Netherlands) is a Recovery Learning Community.

What does this mean?

A Recovery Learning Community has 2 aspects:

It is a sanctuary. This means everybody is welcome, no one is excluded. When you enter Nei Skoen the only thing you need to give is your first name. Everything else is left behind on the coat rack (see the picture). There are no house rules, there are traditions which explain how we interact with each other and with the environment. See below.
It is a learning community: a place where everybody can work with his passion, no matter what it is. Everything that happens in Nei Skoen can be used to learn from. When we get visitors, participants will always be involved because this will bring new experiences.

And of course, there are Training Programs like Recovery Do It yourself, and How to tell my Recovery Story. And participants can learn how to do administration, work with the website, clean the place, paint, make music etc. etch. We never say no: if a participant wants to do something, we go for it. For instance, if someone plays guitar and wants to make a record we go and make a record

Nei Skoen is based on two pillars”

Self-help principles and the traditions that go with them
The CARe approach: a recovery and strengths-oriented methodology to support people in their recovery process

Some basic Nei Skoen principles:

Everybody is welcome. Not only people with vulnerabilities but also the neighbors, our family, children and grandchildren and everybody who wants to participate. Zero exclusion.
Everything is for free: meals, coffee, materials to work with and lessons
Anonymity is a core principle. Nei Skoen only wants to know your first name. And no information will ever be shared with others.
Autonomy: Nei Skoen is completely autonomous. If we get funds (for instance from the municipality) we don’t sell our principles
We are of equal value. Regardless of titles, diagnoses and other labels

NEI SKOEN Traditions

The traditions of Nei Skoen are based on the self-help traditions, and applied to Nei Skoen as a Community for learning and development and recovery:

1. Our wellbeing comes first: Personal Recovery and development can only thrive in a safe and pleasant environment where you know there are people to support you

2. The Nei Skoen Recovery Learning Community has one goal: create a sanctuary / free space where people can be who they want to be and work on their passion

3. The only thing that is needed to be a participant of Nei Skoen is the desire to work with your passion and the willingness to use your possibilities to help others

4. Nei Skoen has no leaders. Our ‘leaders’ work based on trust that participants put in them and they do not govern.

5. Nei Skoen is completely autonomous and the same goes for the self-help groups we host: they are their own boss.

6. The Recovery Learning Community does not finance other facilities; problems with money or property will not keep us from working on our main goals

7. The Recovery Learning Community is completely self-supporting. During activities a 7 tradition jar is presented and everyone can contribute to their possibilities

8. The self-help principles will always come first in the Recovery Learning Community. It will stay completely ‘non professional’, although the possibility exist of creating paid jobs

9. Nei Skoen does not engage in public debates outside Nei Skoen so we will not get involved in public division

10. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions; this will remind us of putting traditions above personalities