Who is this?
We, Aishlinn and Kati, met in our local “non-schooling group” and soon felt big affinity for each other. We are both emigrated single moms that are dedicated to provide our kids lives as free as possible.
We are accompanying our 4 children in their own path to discover the world and who they want to be in it. All while balancing between daily necessities and spending as much time as possible with our kids. In this ever changing world we try to provide them anchors to hold on to if the storms of life pass by.
Since the start of “Free Kids Alpujarra” our friendship and respect for each other only grew. We are enjoying to share this journey and feel that the support we are giving each other is already the first benefit from this project. But there is much more to us than that.
Values
We both come from a background of always having strong values and putting effort in following them. Living the lives we have is like a natural consequence of following our believes. Believes about how the world should look like but also about how we want our chlidren to grow up.
Because we have similar values for our kids and our lives we decided to found “Free Kids Alpujarra” together. A place where we put our believes out in the world to share with other people, especially kids.
Where is all this happening?
We live there where others enjoy their holidays.
So cheesy no? But its true. The Alpujarras are a lush but hot area in the mountains of South Spain. There is melt water greening the lands and the beaches (that are not part of the Alpujarras) are not far out of reach.
Since many years, more and more foreigners are settling in the area and together with the locals keep this beautiful white villages from having the same destiny of being unpopulated, as so many mountain villages. The combination is not always smooth and its not fairy land. But it provides a rich ground to live our best lives.
Aishlinn
Kati about Aishlinn:
“i rarely met such a strong woman. aishlinn is truly settled in herself and her connection to nature is visible in all her being. the way she manages the storms of live is absolutly admirable and inspiring. the children relax in her calm but fully aware presence. i am very gratefull to be on this journey with her.”
Aishlinn about Aishlinn:
“I grew up in the countryside in Ireland, where I always felt a strong connection to nature. Roaming the fields as a child and making many a friend with the local animals.
After school I lived in London. Where I studied mental health and worked in the community supporting people in their homes. Then I began to travel, visiting many different continents, exploring many landscapes and cultures. Always drawn to the wild places.
I became a mum in my thirties, one of the most important roles of my life. I am a solo mother to three amazing daughters. Two of whom are teenagers now.
I studied permaculture, green building and trained as a Doula whilst raising my kids and living a nomadic life.
Learning new skills alongside my kids and sharing them as I travelled. Holding workshops for all ages.
I have a great love for ceremony, creating them as a way in which we can honour nature and ourselves.
After moving to the Alpujarras, I continued to offer small workshops, whilst working with the land and the people of this area.
Our children are our future, guiding them, holding space for them is hugely important to me. That is why I am excited to be a part of Free Kids Alpujarra with Kati.”
Kati
Kati about Kati:
“growing up in the hills of east switzerland, i was surrounded by nature all my childhood. as a young adult, my believes and values were the driving force to discover cities by travelling around europe and being part of the political squatting scene. in these times i learned a diverse set of skills, be it typical workspace ones, handcrafting or even more so, social understanding. at 30 i became a mom and was pretty much from the beginning completely alone responsible for this being. eventhough this was (and sometimes is) hard, it was always clear for me, that i want this child to grow up as free as possible, choosing “radical unschooling” (link to a text i like in german) as a way to go. when she was 4 we started travelling, first in a camper, then in a car. we visited many communities around italy, portugal and spain, hoping to find our dream living place, where our values and the daily life can be shared. although Órgiva is more of a village community, we fell in love with it and stayed. we live fully here since september 2024 and keep on discovering more and more reasons to stay.
free kids alpujarra is born out of the desire to join my love for adventures with children with the very material need of earning money. i love to be on this journey together with aishlinn. a journey on which i hope to accompany many children and learn from them. to keep a space where they continue to follow their curiosity, their learning, their creativity, their very own journey.”
Aishlinn about Kati:
“Kati, is one of the most hard working and motivated people I have met. She is multi skilled and so generous with her time and energy.
I have watched her give so much, without expecting anything in return.
The kids in our project listen and respect her. She has so much to offer them and all who come into her path. I am so happy that she approached me with the idea of collaborating together to create Free Kids Alpujarra. I could not imagine doing it with anyone else and I have no doubt that we will do wonderful things together”
