Unto Dawn
Visions of a Better Future
Aurelia seeks to manifest a new world through faith and education, one in which families are born of happy marriages and thrive with no need to fall in debt for the land they own, the food they grow, or the children they raise; a world of clean rivers and golden fields, of bullet trains and earthen homesteads powered by the sun; a world of diverse communities, independent yet interrelated, built by local artisans, fed by local farmers, led by men grown from the lands they lead, through night unto a brighter dawn.
Roots in the Soil
From Rod Dreher’s The Benedict Option:
“Stability. Along those lines, a tree that is repeatedly uprooted and transplanted will be hard pressed to produce healthy fruit. So it is with people [and their spiritual lives].
“If you are going to put down spiritual roots, taught St. Benedict, you need to stay in one place long enough for them to go deep. The Rule requires monks to take a vow of ‘stability’—meaning that barring unusual circumstances, including being sent out as a missionary, the monk will remain for the rest of his life in the monastery where he took his vows.”
In the face of Modernity’s global reach, which homogenizes all who partake in international trade, finance, culture, and education, the ability for communities to retain local youth, wealth, and culture has become urgent. Thus, Aurelia seeks to embed students in an intellectual tradition and fulfilling career at home rather than “abroad”. When healthy communities begin to develop around these, Aurelia will have satisfied its purpose. For, like a graft over healing wounds, Aurelia will ultimately become the very thing it seeks to save.
Our Solution
Community Dissolution through Education
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Unaccountable Bureacracies
Public school administrations grew 88% from 2000-19, compared to 8% student growth and 9% teacher growth (link)
Society now reflects the opaque hierarchies of academia as graduates replicate the model that raised them, from cradle to grave -
Aging Infrastructure
Over half of districts admit to the need of multiple building systems; 40% don't have a plan for long-term maintenance (link)
Aging facilities reflect eroding standards in and out of the classroom, demoralizing workers to merely manage the decline -
Intellectual Stagnation
About half of students began 2022-23 behind grade level in at least one subject, up from 39% before the pandemic (link)
Mass schooling once trained factory workers; with many careers now obsolete, students learn opinions rather than life-giving skills -
Population Decline
Idealizing career over family formation by ways of education, over 25 societies will halve in population by 2100 (link)
Schools separate children from families, socializing them to prioritize material success over personal and cultural health
Our Solution
Community Development as Education
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R.O.O.T.
Restoration of Organized Trades
To restore the health of local communities, R.O.O.T. seeks to develop a network of public and private institutions to provide the education, mentorship, and careers necessary for a thriving regional economy. -
B.A.S.E.
Building Autonomy through Skills and Experience
To restore the health of local communities, B.A.S.E. seeks to develop a network of friends, mentors, parents, and students to provide crucial life skills in the same vein as the nearly defunct Eagle Scouts. -
T.R.U.N.C.
Treatment and Rehabilitation of Underrepresented and Neglected Communities
Authentic, Volunteering Education in Community Development