See the most recent photos.   

Co-Founder, Debora Prieto,
teaching 3-2-1 Shadow to
the Philosophy Classes.





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Michael 'Mugaku' Zimmerman
skypes in for a class on Zen
with one of our classes here
in Guatemala.

Articles on Integral Theory: 
(1) (2)
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Other related articles:
Spiral Dynamics
The Big Mind Process



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Parents who do not see the value
of education let their kids work...

An aspect of education here in
Guatemala is to show parents
the value of education.
When education is valued, then 
the girl in the photo above could
go to school instead of just 
collecting firewood to sell.




Critical-Thinking Program

Since its inception in 2012, our Critical-Thinking classes have been attended
by over 4,000 sponsored and non-sponsored students aged between
13 and 21 years old from impoverished towns and villages in Guatemala.

The Isa Fund provided us with a 3-year grant (2014-2016) to place six of our top students in a fulltime Teacher-Training Program. Some of these students have been attending our Critical-Thinking Program since 2010. 

Education is the heart of our work. The Critical-Thinking
/ Advanced Functioning
Skills Program for teenagers is about changing culture from the inside out. We
are working towards this goal, not by teaching our students what to think, but
by teaching them how to think for themselves.  

While the concept of critical-thinking may seem simple to someone in a developed
country, in Guatemala children are taught by their parents that their futures will be
a carbon copy of all previous generations; a life of hardship full of tough manual
labor and physical, emotional, and psychological suffering. IHF teaches them that
this is simply not true, and that they are capable of rising above this insidious cycle.


See the most recent photos.  
Become a Sustaining Sponsor  using


Sponsors the 
youngest children in
our programs and
provides their
families with a
monthly food basket


Sponsors a high-
school student
in our CTIED Program
for one month and
provides a family
food basket


Sponsors a senior
student in our CTIED
Program for one
month and to
attend a university
of their choice

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As part of this program, we also host guest lecturers, in-person and by video-Skype
to work with our classes. See photos and video and read more; Wisdom Speakers

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integral guatemala.jpg (78073 bytes)    
Click to see the most recent photos of this program.   

Research shows that children who are taught morals, ethics, and philosophy retain these valuable beliefs and ideas through adulthood, leading to a life of greater awareness, tolerance, and overall success. In Guatemala, most teenagers are not given the opportunity to learn about these mind-expanding concepts, as the circumstances they were born into force them into a life of menial labor and extreme hardship.

The Integral Heart Foundation offers an opportunity for children to expand their minds and greatly increase their chances of breaking free from the cycle of poverty. The goal of this program, which began in 2010, is to create conscious leaders through an advanced educational program, which includes the development of mind, body, spirit, and emotions to deliver long-term sustainable solutions in the resource-poor environments in which they work. 

The Topics:
In this program each adolescent will be introduced to the following:

  - Emotional Management / Concepts in Empathy
  - Concepts of classic philosophy, such as Plato & Descartes
  - Meditation, both the posture, practice, and application
  - Awareness and appreciation of world religions

  - Sexuality and appreciation of sexual preferences
  - Ego and Shadow and anger management
 -  Potential, self-esteem and self-love
  - Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to reduce depression

  - Morals and ethics
  - Human evolution and evolution of consciousness
  - Existentialism, Pragmatism, and Fallibilism
  - Values, value hierarchies, and decision making
  - Integral Theory / AQAL and the ability to take multiple perspectives
  -
The Big Mind Process and Zen

IHF founders, teachers, and authors Mick Quinn and Debora Prieto teach multiple Integral Philosophy / Critical-Thinking classes several times per week to boys and girls ages 13-20, many of whom are also sponsored through the IHF Sponsorship Program. In addition to these children receiving an education of this kind (many
for the first time in their lives), they are simultaneously learning how to think
about the world and their experiences in completely new ways.

Measuring Impact:
I
n order to measure the impact of the Integral Education Program, they collect data at three different levels; student, classroom and management, all of whom operate in a resource-poor context. In addition to the positive feedback Mick and Debora receive during these classes themselves, they have also tested the teenagers on how they think about the world and their place in it before the classes have begun,
and again once they have completed each year of classes.

For more on how we measure results please visit our impact page.

The Basis:
The classes at the Integral School Guatemala are based on the lifework of Ken Wilber, American author and philosopher whose work formulates Integral Theory. Ken Wilber has written over 25 books that have been translated into about 57 languages. 

Integral Theory shows the students how to deal with challenges in a fresh and new way, how to be open minded to different cultures and religions, and also alternative strategies to violence and crime.
Integral Theory begins with the current level of understanding of the class and then supplements current beliefs and understandings. It builds upon that which already exists, without denying or degrading any of the systems of thought or belief that have taken the students to where they are today.

Integral Theory teaches individual competency and social skills, and encourages taking responsibility, not only for the self but also for other people. 

The goal of the Integral Education Program is to end poverty through advanced education. By using Integral Theory we are broadening the perspective of the individual to embrace the global issues that are facing all of us.

Program Objectives:
Strategic Objective 1: Increase and improve value, moral and ethical knowledge amongst young people aged between 13 and 20 years living in 4 communities in the department of Sacatepéquez.  

Strategic Objective 2:
Increase and improve knowledge of holistic concepts of tolerance, conscientiousness and compassion amongst young people aged between 13 and 20 years living in 3 communities in the department of Sacatepéquez.

Strategic Objective 3: Increase and improve the emotional control abilities amongst young people aged between 13 and 20 years living in 4 communities in the department of Sacatepéquez.

On-Going Program Goals:
Development of a curriculum suitable for the Guatemalan culture, based on the Integral Theory developed by the American philosopher, Ken Wilber.

Introduction and implementation of first quadrant of curriculum (Individual Interior the ‘I’) which covers the concepts of Big Mind, Philosophy, Spiral Dynamics, Zen Meditation, Shadow, Morals, Perspectives, and Values. Teaching methods is very interactive, including dynamic exercises and group work, with a focus on sharing experiences, ideas and thoughts.

Review of first quadrant of curriculum before implementation of second quadrant of curriculum.

Introduction and implementation of second quadrant of curriculum (Collective Interior, the ‘We’) which covers the concepts of Ethics, Religions, Sexual Relationships, Integral Parenting, Work Relationships, and our Relationships with different Species. Teaching methods is very interactive, including dynamic exercises and group work, with a focus on sharing experiences, ideas and thoughts.

Review of second quadrant of curriculum before implementation of third quadrant of curriculum.  

Introduction and implementation of third quadrant of curriculum (Individual Exterior, the’ It’) which covers the concepts of Martial Arts, Diet, Dreams, Sciences, Energy, Exercise, and Behaviors. Teaching methods is very interactive, including dynamic exercises and group work, with a focus on sharing experiences, ideas and thoughts.

Review of third quadrant of curriculum before implementation of fourth quadrant of curriculum.

Introduction and implementation of fourth quadrant of curriculum (Collective Exterior, the ‘Its’) which covers the concepts of Economics/Money, Law, Family, Social Structures, Health Systems, Governments, Education, and Anthropology. Teaching methods is very interactive, including dynamic exercises and group work, with a focus on sharing experiences, ideas and thoughts.

Review of all curriculum.

Projected Results:
Overall leads young people to learn about their self worth and value to society, based on morals, values and ethics and the implementation of
these in their daily lives, and through their own actions encourage and teach others within their family, community and society.

Short term result: provision of the opportunity for young people participating in the Philosophical and Critical Thinking Program to learn about critical life changing concepts.

Midterm result: development of young people’s abilities to identify, assess, and control their own emotions, and manage their responses to the shifting emotional states of other individuals and groups.    

Long term result: implementation of the Philosophical and Critical Thinking concepts learned as part of daily activities in all stages of life, therefore giving others the opportunity to develop and learn the same concepts.


More about Integral:
You can see Curriculum Maps here.


About Guatemala:
Guatemala is a republic. It is 108,890 square kilometers (42,042 square miles),
that is about the size of Virginia, half the size of the UK and a little bigger than
Ireland. Guatemala is the next country south of Mexico and with a population
of 14 million people, it is the second most densely populated country in
Central America.



Please support our work and education programs by making a donation below:
The Integral Heart Foundation is a U.S. Registered 501(c)3 non-profit.