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Our foundational values are to cultivate a small group environment of play, respect, enthusiastic learning, mindfulness & compassionate communication.
Our Work
Our collective at Holistic Global Education Center aims to mobilize our community resources to conditions that support our children's well-being in their educational journey and their life's joy.
From Current Conditions We Mobilize Towards
1. From occupying large-scale institutional buildings with materials that feel cold and impersonal
2. From systems of Othering by age segregation, separation from families and breeding conflict and competition
3. From adultism in power-over oppressive systems
4. From adhering to arbitrary curriculums, with rigid timelines presented from a skewed point of view
5. From education being commodified, in service of capitalism, and void of joy & soul
towards occupying places of flow, with materials and scale that bring us in connection with ourself, earth & nature.
towards conditions that provide ease of connection with mixed ages, welcoming family inclusion, and sense of Belonging.
to mutually respectful relationships flowing between youth and adults embracing consent and kindness.
to spacious learning that is interesting, experiential, balanced, and informs us of planetary, global, and local sustainability.
to self-determined learning that is relatable, fun, and satisfies personal goals that enrich and enliven us.
Meet the Team
Our on-site facilitators supporting youth members.
Facilitators Fall 2024
The program is deeply indebted to our incredible facilitators who choose to spend their time and passion with our youth members and adult overlaps with each other.
Facilitators 2023-2024
Program Director
Power, Privilege and Trauma-Informed Lens
Carisa Socco, lifelong learner
Carisa enjoyed unschooling her two children from birth. She is a compassionate activist challenging folks to open their hearts to humanity and our four-legged companions in the animal kingdom. She holds a B.A. in English from the University of Houston.
Carisa loves intentional living. She is fond of riding her bike and hiking in nature. She can be found with her organizer, taking notes, following up, listening with care, and presenting ways youth members can expand their learning around community impact.
Carisa's son attends HGEC, and her daughter has transitioned to an HISD Middle School this year.
Founder & Operations Director
Sabrina Sharma Mahmood, needs analyst/ solution focused
History
As my daughter approached Kindergarten, I went looking for an elementary school in Houston that was much like her preschool, from the ease of attendance to its foundation of kindness and respect that was in the soul of the school, infused through its director and teachers. At 20 hours/ week the preschool allowed a life-balance while cultivating a community of children with loving adults at school, and the pleasure of relaxed family time at home.
The unsuccessful search for a similar Kindergarten instead led me to learn about various other education models: homeschooling, unschooling (a form of homeschooling), democratic (free) schools, Liberated Learners, micro-schools, Reggio Emilio, the success of Finland, Agile Learning Centers, Acton Academy, Forrest schools, Waldorf, Montessori education, Project-based learning and more.
I came across influences such as Parenting for a Peaceful World by Robin Grille, The Significance of Education by Jiddu Krishnamurti, Free at Last: Sudbury Valley School, Everyday Blessings by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Thich Nhat Hanh, Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg, and Minimalism. I intersected with mindfulness in a retreat by Jon Kabat-Zinn in 2008, and learned of Nonviolent Communication in 2015. Mindfulness, as secular with Buddhism roots, and NVC, with heart-consciousness are infused in my essence. Minimalism could be seen as a tangible outcome of mindful living and informs me in the choice to create an environment that supports my focus on the important few rather than the many distractions of modern life.
In the absence of a school that meets my ideals, I moved our family towards homeschooling in 2015. Homeschooling, like most things in life, is a mixed experience and is sometimes chosen not with intention of going towards the model, but instead of simply trying to move away from the available choices. We found ourselves struggling as my daughter was reluctant to "show up" for traditional academics in 2nd and 3rd grade, there was always a bike to ride or dog to play with instead.
In January 2019 we left the individual homeschooling mindset for parent-led co-learning environment. In January 2020, this model shifted to youth-led, interest-driven learning in community where children and adults have equal power and respect. Of all the education pedagogy, the hybrid of ALC and Liberated Learners models appealed to me the most. I also taught a few semesters of a senior-level construction management course at the University of Houston (UH) as an Adjunct Lecturer till 2020. Learnings from the UH experience and connection with students continue to inform and impact HGEC.
Sabrina
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