Our Guiding Statements
Our Mission
“…to make known the gifts of people with intellectual disabilities revealed through mutually transforming relationships.”
– L’Arche Identity and Mission Statement
Our Vision
We seek to create a compassionate world where people with and without disabilities are valued and welcomed, are connected to relationships and resources that satisfy their needs and are included in communities where they can belong.
What is L’Arche?
L’Arche /lahrsh/ n.
- a community of people with and without intellectual disabilities who share life together
- a guiding insight that mutual relationships make us better by revealing the value of every person
- a set of core values that include: the dignity of every person, the need for insights, gifts and leadership of people with intellectual disabilities, the sharing of life together across differences, the responsibility to care for the earth and each other, and the search for meaning, rooted in lived experience.
- a set of core practices that include: creating places, times and spaces to share and celebrate life together, making decisions based on listening and inclusion, sharing learning and knowing each other truthfully so that our values and practices express our spirituality and search for meaning.
- An international community of communities with shared values and practices that are expressed in different cultures and are integrated into local settings.
- A commitment to building relationships across differences and living in ways that contribute to a more loving and sustainable world.
A Community of Communities
L’Arche Internationale is our global community. To learn more, please visit: www.larche.org
L’Arche USA is our national community. To learn more, please visit: www.larcheusa.org
L’Arche Northern Colorado is a new community bringing the mission, vision, values and practices of L’Arche to Front Range communities in Larimer, Weld and Boulder counties.
Our Network
L’Arche Northern Colorado is accountable to the high standards of L’Arche USA and L’Arche International.
L’Arche Northern Colorado is a part of L’Arche USA which is a part of L’Arche International. L’Arche communities in the United States provide homes and workplaces where people with and without intellectual disabilities live and work together as peers; create inclusive communities of faith and friendship; and transform society through relationships that cross social boundaries.
L’Arche is a world-wide social movement, bringing individuals with a disabilities into the hearts of their societies, making their voice heard, providing a true home and the opportunity to develop their unique gifts to the fullest. Today, there are 159 communities of L’Arche in 38 countries. They are united by a common vision and a shared mission expressed in the official Charter of L’Arche.
The Federation seeks to foster solidarity among communities, ensure unity in diversity, establish the conditions for membership, and to create conditions for trust, service, dialogue, and mutual support.
