As executive director of Rainbow Community School (RCS), Renee Owen has witnessed the miracle of an education that embeds secular spiritual practices in children’s daily lives – something RCS has been doing throughout its rich 40 year history. Rainbow Community School, located in West Asheville, was founded by international leaders in the Sufi movement, including Aostre Johnson (author, Educating from the Heart) and other educational and child development experts, with the belief that an education based on love lays a foundation for thriving humans and a healthy world. Renee is also co-founder and CEO of Rainbow Institute, the new holistic adult education organization dedicated to training teachers, parents, and professionals on how to include mindfulness and other secular spiritual practices into their classrooms, workplaces, and lives. She is a doctoral candidate at Columbia University Teachers College, and her research is on secular spirituality in education and spiritual development from childhood through adulthood.
Angela Moore is wildly passionate about community and empowerment. And there’s nothing they feel more passionate about than empowering children with the tools to find meaning and wonder in their world every single day. Angela believes in the power of theater and dance as tools for social justice and personal transformation. Here at Rainbow they’ve shared their love of applied theater through a “Theater of the Oppressed” elective with our Omega students. As a story-teller, Angela has also dived into creating social media narratives that highlight Rainbow’s unique position as a national leader in holistic education. Angela is so grateful to work within such an inclusive, mindful, and compassionate community. They are inspired everyday by the administration’s and teachers’ heart-centered approach to education, community building, and social change.
Enjoy this one-hour Living Well where Renee and Ange share about the value of mindfulness and spirituality in education and their upcoming “More than Mindfulness” Conference happening October 6th and 7th at Rainbow Community School.
Living Well with Renee Owen and Ange Moore on AshevilleFM, September 25, 2017
