De Amsterdamse MAVO, in short DAM, is a regular secondary school (ages 12-16) with a humanistic approach. Our students can either continue their education at an upper secondary school or vocational education. DAM is a small scale school. We think personal attention and student guidance are essential. Every student counts; every student is “seen”.

We want to create a safe, positive and stimulating learning environment where students are free to be themselves and valued for who they are. At DAM, we work hard and encourage everyone to achieve their best possible in the cognitive field, but certainly also in the field of personal development. In short, we want them to flourish.

Humanism is based on human dignity and human capabilities. For us, the aim of humanistic education is, among other things, that students get involved in the world around them, that they feel valued as part of society and that they contribute to it; citizenship and participation are fundamental. Therefore we encourage our students to view the world with an open mind and to adopt an active stand in and outside the school.

Humanistic education is more than just qualification. Together with the students, the school is at the heart of society and actively participates in this through our participation projects. Students receive knowledge, acquire skills, and develop attitudes necessary to play an active role in their living environment and society. If we want our students to participate actively in our society, we must teach them how to. This is not only possible with theoretical knowledge; doing and experiencing it yourself is also essential. We, therefore, call ourselves a citizenship and participation school. We based our pedagogical philosophy on our five humanistic values: equality, active tolerance, responsibility, self-development and self-determination.

Three current humanistic themes that are prominent in our curriculum are:

• Democracy;
• Human Rights;
• Participation

We’re currently developing an International Humanistic Educational Network (IHEN). If you are interested in what we are doing, feel free to contact Anne Puck de Boer: a.deboer@deamsterdamsemavo.nl

The Amsterdamse MAVO’s motto is

                                                                         “think for yourself, learn together”.