As Alex Busch prepares to step down from his role as Executive Director at Camphill School Aberdeen (CSA) after 21 years with the charity, he says seeing the small everyday changes that add up to big transformations in the lives of the children and young people is what he’ll miss the most.
The father of four, whose wife also holds a senior role at CSA, oversaw a far-reaching restructuring of the organisation to help safeguard its future and was at the helm of the charity when most residents and staff lived and worked together during Covid.
His connection to Camphill began long before his career. Born at a Camphill community in Bristol, where his parents were volunteers, he later grew up in a similar setting in the Netherlands. After studying and briefly practising commercial law, he began to reassess his path and returned to Camphill in Bristol, focusing on education and social care. It was there that his interest deepened, eventually drawing him to Aberdeen, the birthplace of the global movement.
“I knew even on that first night in Aberdeen that this was somewhere I would really enjoy being,” he recalls.
Alex began his career at CSA working in residential houses and across the Murtle Estate, gaining hands-on experience in care, farming and workshops. Over time, his legal background led him into organisational and contractual work. In 2016, he became Deputy Executive Director, before stepping into the Executive Director role in 2018.
It was a role that saw Alex hit the ground running – and he hasn’t stopped since.
“Almost as soon as I became Executive Director, we began a period of major change at Camphill. I’ve always been a big believer in change and modernising.
“We had to make the far-reaching change from being a community where everyone was a volunteer and the structure was more horizontal, to everyone becoming a member or staff with much clearer and more stringent ways of doing things.
“It took about 18 months to finalise the new structure. It was quite unsettling for some, but it was necessary to modernise and secure our future,” he says.
The Covid pandemic marked another pivotal chapter. Despite its challenges, Alex remembers the slower pace and sense of calm it brought for many young people, while also highlighting the wider crisis in care facing families across the UK.
Among his proudest achievements is the development of major projects on the Murtle Estate. These include Murtle Market, a social enterprise that has quickly grown in visibility and success, and Linden House, an 11-bedroom residential facility. A new sensory playpark is also set to open to the public.
“I’ve always been a big believer in making Camphill much more visible. The fundraising for Linden House started that and Murtle Market is probably now the most visible part of what we do. The store has doubled its turnover in its first year and I’m really proud of that,” he said
For Alex, however, the most meaningful moments have been personal. He recalls forming close bonds with young people, including taking one on a five-day road trip to Inverness, and shared breaks in Stonehaven where staff and residents could step away from routine and enjoy time by the sea.
He will remain connected to the organisation in his new role as Chief Development Officer at Camphill Estates, focusing on strengthening partnerships and promoting its work.
Alex is clear that his journey has been a collective effort. “Without the young people, their families and the teams around me, none of this would have been possible,” he says.
After 21 years, Alex says the sense of warmth and community at CSA remains as strong as ever. He hopes more people will come to see and understand the unique environment that helps transform the lives of young people with complex additional support needs.
“If you come on site and see the work that’s going on, you’ll see that it’s very unique. It’s like a cozy blanket, and we need to share that with many people,” he says.