My time in Ourika Valley, Morocco, was one of the most frustrating, chaotic, and frankly unsafe experiences I’ve ever had.
Underneath all the dysfunction, there were tiny glimpses of what could have been something truly special if the place had been run with even a shred of organization.
We stayed at Madrasa Dunya, a so-called ‘world-schooling hub’ that marketed itself as a creative, hands-on learning environment. In theory, the idea of bringing kids together from different backgrounds to work on projects in nature sounded amazing. In practice, it was a disaster. Projects like building fish traps and constructing a fish pond could have been fun and educational — if anyone had taken the time to plan properly, offer guidance, or even show basic respect for the kids’ work. After hours of digging and shaping the pond, an adult carelessly destroyed it, leaving us all wondering why we bothered at all.
The lack of structure was bad enough, but the real danger came from the people in charge. One supervisor was not just unhelpful — he was reckless to the point of being dangerous. One moment, which still sticks with me, was when I was clinging to a 30-foot overhang, and instead of offering support, the supervisor actually pried my fingers off the wall, deliberately putting me in danger.
When my mum confronted him he said he did it ‘as a joke’ and ‘to teach me a lesson’! It wasn’t funny. It wasn’t a “lesson.” It was scary, dangerous, and completely unnecessary. This same supervisor also crashed an e-bike with me on the back, in Marrakech traffic, because he was riding recklessly and too fast. He also hurt multiple kids by tackling too hard during football. By the end, none of us felt very safe to be around him.
One of the most confusing and unsettling moments involved another kid I had actually been hanging out with. We were playing together, having fun, and even came up with a little game where my friend and I pointed a rubber band at him, pretending to be playful spies, and said “Put your hands up!” He laughed and played along — or so I thought. A little while later, out of nowhere, his whole mood shifted. He got angry, threw something at me, and looked like he was going to hurt me. Instinctively, I grabbed him to stop him, and that’s when he bit me — three times. A supervisor finally stepped in, pulled him away, and they went off to talk. But the whole thing left me shaken. There was no real explanation, no follow-up, no consequences, and no sense of accountability. That kids mom said I was bullying him, even after adult witnesses said it wasn’t my fault. The owner was friends with this mum, and so she didn’t handle the situation at all. It felt like the adults were just as out of control as the kids. Here are a couple photos of my bite marks
What makes all of this even more frustrating is that the Ourika Valley was actually really beautiful. The area itself was stunning, and most of the people who worked at the hub were kind, welcoming, and full of warmth. The other families who were staying there were lovely, although most of them left early because of how badly run it was.
The potential for this place to be a hub of creativity, learning, and cross-cultural connection was right there — but Madrasa Dunya itself was a chaotic mess. The lack of leadership, organization, safety, and respect wasted every bit of that potential. Instead of being inspired, I left feeling unsafe, uncared for, and honestly lucky to have gotten out without serious injury.
If places like Madrasa Dunya want to thrive, they need to understand that world-schooling only works when you respect both the environment and the people in it. Kids deserve to feel safe, heard, and valued — not left to fend for themselves in a chaotic free-for-all disguised as “world-schooling”. With proper care, structure, and respect, it could have been something magical — but as it was, it’s an experience I wouldn’t wish on anyone.
For anyone who would like to end this post by watching something more positive, I also made this post in Morocco, showing my experience learning to fillet a tuna!!
https://peakd.com/hive-181335/@thebombkids/okfdohwb#comments
Or this post about my experience skateboarding the skate parks of Rabat, Morocco!
https://peakd.com/hive-173115/@thebombkids/never-bored-boarding
What a beautiful place! It's a shame your experience was marred by faulty, reckless adults. I guess it's easy for some people to get away with bad behavior under the guise of "alternative" living (which brings a bad reputation to the rest of us in the alternative learning community, doesn't it?). Still, it sounds like you managed to make the best of a less-than-great situation, so cheers to you for that! Also, you are a great writer! I really enjoyed reading about your experiences. :)
yes, It really was a beautiful place, I don’t think they wanted to do a bad hub, but they were just so disorganized. i’m actually at another world’s schooling hub right now,and it is really good, very well organized, and it’s a skiing hub so a lot of fun.⛷️
What a terrible experience! 😧 I hope your future adventures will be good ones! 🙂
Yeah, I’m actually at another world schooling hub now and it’s really good. I’m skiing in Bulgaria.🙏
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