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International Democratic Education Conference

IDEC@EUDEC 2025 Belgium

August 1 to 7, 2025

De Kluis, Sint-Joris-Weert, Belgium

Speakers

Belgium

An Piessens & Marie Van Roost

Marie Van Roost studied Early Childhood Education Pedagogy and Education and Training Sciences. She is a researcher at the Research Center Pedagogy in Practice, teacher in the Early Childhood Education Pedagogy program and pluscoach for Mentes in the Mentoring Project. She has worked for the past two years on the GOTALK project and conducted action research with schools on student councils both in primary and secondary education. She also works on research on workplace learning and has a passion for pedagogical documentation.

An Piessens is PhD in Pedagogical Sciences and senior researcher at the Research Center Pedagogy in Practice, lecturer in the course Early Childhood Education Pedagogy and co-creator of the GOTALK research idea and project proposal. She worked on the GOTALK project for the past two years, conducting action research with schools around student councils in primary and secondary education. Other research topics An gets excited about are digital media and young children and action research with children and youth on the run.

Talks & workshops

This workshop will wrap up the results of two years of piloting within six schools and two youth centers and present a refreshing way of looking into and working towards inclusive, sustainable and impactful participation of pupils in schools. Inspired by Simon Sinek’s (2009) golden circle and building on previous research (Lundy, 2007; Stalford, Cairns & Marshall, 2017), a perspective is presented that addresses the organization of a pupil council, the underlying processes and belief systems at schools that either enforce or could undermine a strong method of pupil participation. Besides insights from action research in schools and youth centers, the researchers will offer the participants of the workshop reflective exercises on their own practice and tools to organize and facilitate pupil participation in their organisations.

Workshop

Ireland

John O’Reilly

My research interests to date include science education (with a focus on IBSE, PCK and power relationships), curriculum development (with a focus on negotiated integrated curriculum to empower students and practitioners in the context of Democratic Education), educational technology (with a focus on virtual laboratories) and educational change (with a focus on understanding and realising the aspirations of the junior cycle reforms in Ireland and student and practitioner voice). I am very interested in interdisciplinary approaches to incorporating inquiry orientations across the curriculum and general aspects of teaching, learning and assessment. I am focused on maximising the impact of my efforts in the practice environment (secondary schools to date) in the areas of general teaching and learning, science education and curriculum and policy development.

Currently my efforts are focused on curriculum negotiation to facilitate education through democracy.

Talks & workshops

Workshop

Belgium

Tabatha Carton

Tabatha Carton is a teaching assistant and PhD candidate at the Department of Pedagogy and Social Andragogy (SPAS) within the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences at the University of Mons (UMONS). Her doctoral research, supervised by Willy Lahaye, focuses on how to reconcile educational freedom with societal constraints, based on an in-depth study of democratic schools in Belgium. Her work explores the tensions between pedagogical autonomy, institutional requirements, and social expectations. She is also interested in the specific features of these schools, examining their concrete implementation methods and the variations observed in their practices on the ground.

Talks & workshops

Workshop

Norway

& United Kingdom

Noa Ben-David & Dr Erlend Raa Vågset

Noa belongs to the first cohort of Kehila Democratic School in Tel Aviv, which she attended from age 5 to 17. She is currently pursuing a PhD at University College London on Jewish community rebuilding in Norway after 1945. Noa holds a BA in Viking and Old Norse Studies from University College London, and an MA in History from the University of Bergen.

Erlend is a mathematician lecturing at the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences. He teaches informatics and mentors student-led projects. Living in a small town by the fjord, Erlend works to make higher education more democratic, by facilitating community-governed spaces and voluntary activities for learning.

In their project, Noa and Erlend seek to articulate Democratic Education as a pedagogical paradigm, building a common language and making a community of inquiry possible.

Talks & workshops

If scientists measure the success of Democratic Education by the usual pedagogical conventions, they are going to fail. In this experimental workshop, you are invited to co-create new conventions! Erlend and Noa will explain what a paradigm is, and why they think that establishing Democratic Education as a pedagogical paradigm is key to building a common language, making a community of inquiry possible. Participants are included in shaping this project.

Workshop

England

Naomi Fisher

Dr Naomi Fisher is a clinical psychologist who specialises in trauma, autism and alternatives to school. She is the author of several books, including Changing Our Minds: How children can take control of their own learning, and A Different Way to Learn: Neurodiversity and Self-directed Education. She is the mother of two teenagers who have never been to conventional school and she lives with her family in Devon, England.

Talks & workshops

Children develop very differently, but school expects them to follow a standardised pathway. In self-directed education, there is an opportunity to lean into these differences and for children to take the time that they need to develop and grow.  I’ll explain how self-directed education provides a different way to learn for children who don’t fit the standard mold, and why this is important. 

Talk

United States of America

Don Berg

Don Berg is the host of the Agentic Schools Podcast and the award-winning author of Schooling for Holistic Equity. His latest book is The Agentic Schools Manifesto. The peer-reviewed journals Other Education and The Journal Of The Experimental Analysis Of Behavior have published his research. He has over 20 years of experience leading children in self-directed educational settings. As the Executive Director of Deeper Learning Advocates he is on a mission to embed the psychology of learning in policy so policy stops undermining learning. He has taught psychology at The Village Free School in Portland, Oregon. He has presented his work at conferences in the USA, Canada, Chile, China, England, Japan, Nepal, and the Netherlands. As an entrepreneur he runs Attitutor Media and currently lives at the Joyful Llama Ranch in West Linn, Oregon.

Talks & workshops

Transforming the global systems of schooling requires a story that can bridge the mythical, the scientific, and the historical. A story that can weave together diverse threads of activism, professional practices, cultural preservation, identity, psychology, and more. Come to hear a new take on how all our work comes together with the history of life on earth, the history of humanity, and the history of schooling. Don Berg brings a hopeful tale that puts it all into perspective and calls for strategic coordination of our efforts.

Talk

Education is a field notoriously resistant to reform. According to historian Larry Cuban’s books How Teachers Taught and Confessions of a School Reformer the mainstream American school system has not substantively changed since 1890. As he put it in 2021, “…the age-graded school and the grammar of schooling remain secure.” This seeming imperviousness to change can breed cynicism, but examining the historical record for changes to other large-scale systems can give us both hope and clues to the formulation of better strategies. Don Berg will briefly share a developmental model derived from the history of changes from miasma theory to germ theory in medicine and from frontier economics to deep ecology in natural resource management. Applying the model to education will illuminate where we are and what we should be doing to address the current state of the field.

Talk

South Korea

Jeon Jeong-il

Jeon Jeong-il is an alternative education practitioner, author, and former principal of Malkunsem School in South Korea — a community-rooted democratic school that he led for over 18 years. Guided by a belief in learning through nature, play, and relationships, he has devoted his career to creating educational spaces that honor children’s autonomy and curiosity, weaving together ecological transition, poetic expression, and village-based education.
He formerly served as Chairman of PSAE (People’s Solidarity of Alternative Education in South Korea), the nation’s leading alliance of alternative schools, and he currently sits on the board of the Teacher’s College for Life, a grassroots institute for transformative teacher training.

Now on a year-long educational journey around the world, Jeon is visiting democratic schools and grassroots initiatives to listen, share, and dream together. He has presented his work at international conferences including APDEC, IDEC and continues to explore how education can foster freedom, community, and joy.

Talks & workshops

Two Decades of Innovation: Malgeunsaem School’s Journey and Future Vision in Education

Talk

Belgium

Steven Cnudde & Lien Van Laere

Rethinking and reforming the existing educational systems is an important part of Steven Cnudde’s life’s mission. Over the past 25 years, he taught in a wide variety of educational settings and was a pioneer and cofounder at many radically innovative learning initiatives, both subsidized and unsubsidized. The first democratic school in Belgium grew its roots in his own living room.
After years of trial and error, searching and finding, he distilled what the essence of true education can be. Together with his wife, Lien Van Laere, an author and storyteller who was also trained as an educational psychologist, he built ‘Wonderwijs’, an online experience-based platform on heart-based education. Together, Steven and Lien give lectures and workshops for both youngsters and adults, on freeing our minds and voices, sharing our stories and navigating the adventurous journey from the old paradigm to the new.

Talks & workshops

In times of uncertainty, isolation—not change—is our greatest threat. Democratic education shows us that strong communities don’t just survive—We live in liminal times: the old story around education is no longer viable; the new story is still writing itself. As pioneers, we are all the authors of this new story. We are the ones who can help shape a much-needed paradigm shift. In this experiential lecture we will dive into the possibilities and challenges of transforming the field of education into a democratic/sociocratic-inspired field full of life-giving potential. We will also zoom in on the inner attitude that is required of us as co-creators to successfully bring about this exciting transformation.

Workshop

The hero’s journey teaches us about the journey we all face when we hear the call to let go of the familiar and make room for the new that longs to be born. In this interactive deep-dive workshop, we will each explore our own hero’s journey around rewriting the story on education. What is our call and unique contribution? What are the challenges and trials we face? Who are our helpers? What do we need to return home? And how can we truly enrich each other and our communities at home with our newfound treasures and wisdom?

Workshop

Belgium

Aurélie Manneback

Aurélie Manneback, author of “A School to Follow Your Inner Spark! Living Democratic Education at Les Herbes Hautes” (2025), is a former teacher and worked at the Bureau International Jeunesse supporting European projects (Erasmus+). Passionate about non-formal education, intercultural exchanges, and meaningful collective experiences, she is now a facilitator in collective intelligence and co-develops the democratic school Les Herbes Hautes and the eco-community Les Passerelles.


Talks & workshops

An invitation to start from children’s passions and impulses to build a daily life full of discovery, joy, and learning.

This workshop invites you to explore this idea through movement, play, sharing, and reflection. How can we, as adults, reconnect with this purpose? How can we unlearn old habits and break down internal barriers? We have so much to learn from the children around us—and from the child we once were.

This participatory and playful workshop offers space to imagine new possibilities and to discover the daily life of a democratic school based in the south of Belgium.

Workshop

Belgium

Raphaël Mellado

Raphaël Mellado, author of “Trust and Initiative in School: The Meaning of Authority and Risk-Taking in Our Children’s Lives” (2025), is the former director of La Ferme des Enfants middle school. Today, he supports educational projects across Europe. Deeply interested in the transmission of knowledge and the role of constraint in education, he seeks new ways and postures to connect with the living world.

Talks & workshops

An invitation to start from children’s passions and impulses to build a daily life full of discovery, joy, and learning.

This workshop invites you to explore this idea through movement, play, sharing, and reflection. How can we, as adults, reconnect with this purpose? How can we unlearn old habits and break down internal barriers? We have so much to learn from the children around us—and from the child we once were.

This participatory and playful workshop offers space to imagine new possibilities and to discover the daily life of a democratic school based in the south of Belgium.

Workshop

This presentation will be in French and English.

Workshop

This presentation will be in French and English.

Talk

Isabel Dennis

Isabel is a lifelong learner and educator who is driven to create a safe and just world in community with others. Drawing from her family’s tradition of alternative education, her PhD research explores indigenous Caribbean learning systems. Through Learning to Live Knowledge Hub, she designs interactive workshops that challenge the status quo using play and conversations. Isabel has traveled to Nepal, Puerto Rico, England, Mexico, Cuba, and the Caribbean, facilitating experiences that help people understand themselves and each other and learn to live in a world shaped by colonization. Her goal? To create meaningful change, one experience at a time.

Talks & workshops

In times of uncertainty, isolation—not change—is our greatest threat. Democratic education shows us that strong communities don’t just survive—they lead the way forward. But how do we turn this ideal into practice? How do we create spaces where every student, teacher, and parent truly belongs—even with limited resources?
This session introduces P.L.A.Y.—a research-backed framework blending ancient wisdom with modern insights. Focusing on Power, Love, Awareness, and Yield, we’ll explore how these principles guide how we organize, build relationships, and lead in schools, homes, and communities. We’ll show how P.L.A.Y. strengthens our democratic education tradition and creates real connections.
Join us to discover how play can help us move from theory to practice, and how centering play in our daily lives can transform our schools into thriving communities that extend beyond the classroom walls. This is how we thrive—together.

Workshop

India

Mohini & Laya

We are Mohini and Laya, from Auroville India. We attended a democratic school, based on the principles of self-directed and community-based learning. Last year, we set ourselves a goal to attend the EUDEC in the Netherlands, in a search to discover the vast range of alternative education resources available, and bring them home to India.

We are very excited to be presenting our work at this year’s IDEC@EUDEC conference in Belgium. At present, we are conducting a research project exploring the lived experiences of alumni of our school. We are gathering the voices and experiences of students, and putting together a booklet that reveals how democratic education has shaped their life paths.

Talks & workshops

In our presentation, we’ll share the early stages of our research. We hope to create a space where we can collectively reflect on the impact of democratic education—not just in our context, but in yours as well. What does it really take to support a learner? What challenges surface when stepping outside these systems? And how might we, together, imagine new ways forward for alternative education that are both grounded and adaptable?

Workshop

Turkey

Abdulvahap Yorgun

Dr. Yorgun is a therapist and counselor working with students and adults, in İzmir, Turkey.

Since 2020, he has conducted research on math anxiety and developed a 10-session psycho-education program to help students overcome it. He has also organized seminars and workshops for parents and teachers to build safe math learning places.

Talks & workshops

Social emotional learning includes specific skills related to those areas: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, effective decision making and relationship building skills.

These skills are needed to become an effective person and problem solver and may be developed or gained through experiences. Moreover, to become a master of these skills, repeated daily applications is the mission to be done. Therefore, family context and parenting has a unique potential to provide real life opportunities in which the children may observe and try these skills by modelling others, namely parents. This workshop will focus on these processes using scenarios, dramas and role-plays.

Workshop

Turkey, 1 of 3 students experiencing anxiety and fear during mathematics with various degrees from low to strong. These feelings may prevent students from learning math and becoming successful. As a result, they may develop a sense of helplessness and not being intelligent enough. Mathematical resilience model (Sue Johnston and Clare Lee, University of Warwick) aims to help students keep calm and strong when facing a difficulty during learning math. MR

Model includes four dimensions to be mathematically resilient: value, struggle, growth, emotion regulation.

Workshop

United Kingdom

Chloe Duff

Chloe has been active in democratic education for many years, as both a student and staff member. She served on the EUDEC Council, coordinated the IDEC@EUDEC Conference 2011 in the UK, and later became EUDEC’s Coordinator. Chloe now contributes to the IDEC Inclusion and Diversity Committee. Based in Bristol, UK, she runs a charity supporting families affected by drug and alcohol use, is involved with a local school, and is the proud mum of two.

Talks & workshops

How political can IDEC be when facing the erosion of democracy in society locally and globally? IDEC has traditionally taken an apolitical stance but is this still something we should be doing now? Do we, as the IDEC community, want to address the division in society and the rise of the far right?
Is it possible to separate politics from a movement trying to support and promote communities based on the principles of democracy, equality, and equity? As IDEC what can we do, what should we do, and how could we do it

Workshop

Germany

Dorothea Schütze

Dorothea is head of the Institute for the Development of Democracy (I.D.E) in Germany and always connects her work and activities with anti-discrimination and a critical look at power relations. Her professional focus is organizational development of educational institutions, mainly public schools. She facilitates Democratic School Development processes with staff, students, parents, and all other people involved.
Dorothea is a member of the IDEC Inclusion and Diversity Committee. She lives in an intentional community with 18 adults and 14 children near Berlin and volunteers to develop democracy in her neighborhood.

Talks & workshops

How political can IDEC be when facing the erosion of democracy in society locally and globally? IDEC has traditionally taken an apolitical stance but is this still something we should be doing now? Do we, as the IDEC community, want to address the division in society and the rise of the far right?
Is it possible to separate politics from a movement trying to support and promote communities based on the principles of democracy, equality, and equity? As IDEC what can we do, what should we do, and how could we do it

Workshop

Germany

Andreas Hinz & Ines Boban

We work for 40 years in the field of inclusive education, first practically and theoretically in Hamburg, since 1999 at Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg in the east part of Germany. Since the EUDEC 2008 in Leipzig, we have had our most massive professional irritation and have been ‘inflamed’ for democratic education ever since. So, we joined lots of IDECs and EUDECs. With our faculty, we initiated a five-years cooperation project with the Institute for Democratic Education at Kibbuzim College in Tel Aviv, including students and lecturers exchange. For us, democratic and inclusive education are not dividable, one without the other isn’t really democratic and/or inclusive.

Talks & workshops

In this talk, we will present the “all means all” open resource book, which resulted from an Erasmus+ project and focuses on topics which are often underrepresented in initial teacher education. In addition, this project represents an intersectional understanding of inclusive education, which is quite close to democratic education. Following a holistic approach, it can be seen as a gold mine – and as one example of materials for promoting ‘our topics’ worldwide.

Talk

Italy

Chiara Paganuzzi

I’m an educator, activist, and consultant with a deep passion for children’s rights, citizenship education, and making sure young people have a voice in both formal and non-formal education. I teach philosophy, and citizenship education in secondary schools, while also leading projects that empower students to be active citizens. Since 2009, I’ve been working as an independent expert with NGOs, European institutions, and international organizations like Save the Children, UNICEF and the Council of Europe, helping shape inclusive education policies, participation and non-discrimination practices. I’ve conducted research, trained professionals, and developed programs to engage youth, migrants, and Roma minorities. With a background in Education, Social Anthropology, and Philosophy, I write about education and human rights. Right now, I’m diving deeper into these topics through a PhD in democratic education.

Talks & workshops

The talk aims to present a reflection on democratic education in the Italian public school system through the analysis of a case study – a violent student protest that resulted in significant damage and legal proceedings. Through this case, we will discuss how the weakening of democratic practices in the public education system can exacerbate conflict and student disengagement, and ultimately affect learning and well-being. By critically assessing the failure to integrate student voices, this presentation will explore both the strategies and challenges of embedding democratic educational practices in mainstream schooling. These reflections will be informed, inter alia, by the principles of democratic schools, and will provide insights into how highly participatory approaches can be adapted to public education.

Talk

Workshop

Estonia – Colombia

Charlie Moreno-Romero

Originally from Colombia but residing in Estonia, I’m very interested and supportive of innovate educational practices that actively involve young people in their learning. My academic journey spans across disciplines; philology for my bachelor’s, anthropology for my master’s, and a doctorate in education (democratic education and education for social justice and inclusion). 

My research and practical expertise relates to democratic education, self-directed learning, language acquisition, media literacy, and fostering social justice through education. Within the realm of social sciences, my curiosity extends to culture, history, media analysis, leisure and identity dynamics, political anthropology, and ethnographic methodologies. I communicate freely in English, Italian and Spanish and possess a proficiency in Estonian and French as well. Currently, I serve as a council member for the European Democratic Education Community (www.eudec.org) and a founding member for the Right-Centric Education Network.

Talks & workshops

Charlie Moreno-Romero gives this workshop together with Silvia Mcclanahan.

In this workshop, some basic approaches to decolonial theory will be introduced, followed y reflections by presenters and participants on why and how to practically implement them in learning environments that incorporate children’s rights and democratic principles.

Workshop

United Kingdom

Derry Hannam

Derry worked for 25 years in three English secondary schools from class teacher to vice-principal always looking for opportunities to introduce self-directed learning in democratic and rights respecting contexts. He is the author of “Another Way Is Possible: Becoming a democratic teacher in a state school.” He then became a school inspector and adviser to the English government and the Council for Europe on Education for Democratic Citizenship arguing that if you want young people to understand democracy they need to actually experience it in school and not just listen to teachers talk about it.

He is now campaigning for all schools to allocate 20% of curriculum time to the concerns, questions, interests, passions and talents of the students/young people.

The 20% Project for Schools – A Modest Proposal, by Derry Hannam

Talks & workshops

Talk

the Netherlands

Dorianne De Groot

Democratic School De Ruimte Soest

Dorianne is a co-founders of De Ruimte in Soest in the Netherlands. She has implemented sociocracy right from the start of their endeavour in 2002. With more than 20 years of experience she love to share and introduce this to other people and especially people that are committed to create more democratic schools and more democracy in education.

Talks & workshops

Dorianne De Groot gives this workshop together with Ruud Van Middelaar.

Sociocracy was invented by the Quakers in the 17th century. They were committed to create ‘the democratic ideal’ and worked out the sociocracy into a system and procedures where equivalence is the standard. All participants join in the decision making and all votes have an equal value. Decisions are made on the principal of ‘consent’, which means that there is nobody present with a reasoned objection. The effect is that everybody takes this decision and will carry it forward.

The mechanics of sociocracy are surprisingly easy but profound. The change of mind for all the participants and the rules of the game may be less easy and will need at least some practice. Once you have experienced it, it will prove its effectiveness to you and make you want to never do without, for sure. The change of mind means that mostly from our upbringing we think that decisions are based in discussion and debate. In a standard democracy we take decisions by majority vote and have a discussion beforehand to prove the others opinion wrong, so your opinion is proven right. So, your mind is controlled by your opinion and has no interest in changing, rather to fix it by bringing supporting arguments into the discussion. In the sociocracy however, you share viewpoints on the question at hand. You listen to other viewpoints, you allow yourself to look at it from other viewpoints and then the magic happens, because sometimes your mind is changing by itself. You were very sure about what the best way forward would be and then, without warning, you have a different viewpoint. On the other hand, sometimes it doesn’t change your mind when listening to other viewpoints but is does make you appreciate and understand why someone would look at it that way. Then you can agree to the proposal which would not be your proposal and you will say ‘I have no reasoned objection’

Workshop

New Zealand

Eve Tonkin

Timatanga Community School

Eve has been the principal of Timatanga Community School, a Democratic school in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand, for the past thirteen years. She has just left and is now beginning new adventures in democratic education.

Talks & workshops

Is the European democratic education model a ‘perfect fit’ in post-colonial countries?
In what ways might traditional democratic education be challenged by indigenous perspectives on reality, and how might our learning communities benefit from these
perspectives?

Eve Tonkin will offer a talk on her experience of creating a decolonised school curriculum for her democratic school in Aotearoa New Zealand, sharing the reasons behind the work that she undertook, the democratic processes used, the challenges that came up, the changes that were made, and the work still to be done.

Talk

Eve will facilitate a Council circle for participants to connect and share their experiences of the journey of decolonising education, including sharing challenges, wonderings and stories of powerful moments.

Workshop

Germany

Gabriel Groiss

Democratic School founder and EUDEC Council Member. 

Pedagogical Director of a Nature Kindergarden in Berlin (Germany).

Father of two teen-agers.

Talks & workshops

Democratic Education often refers to schooling practice from 6 years on, and many times the question comes up, if the widely free but highly complex setting of a democratic school is really the best fitting environment for the development needs of the youngest (let’s say up to 8, 9, or maybe even 10 years age). Especially when in many cases children don’t come from good quality Kindergardens…

In this meeting we want to share different experiences around early ages in Democratic Education: Do many democratic schools include early ages? How do they organise the highly different needs of a 3 years old and a 15 year old teenager? And how do/could Democratic Kindergardens look like?

Let’s focus on a field that often seems not to be part of the conversations around Democratic Education, but is fundamental to it.

Talk

Germany – Philippines

Gladys Schich

Democratic School FLeKS

Gladys Schich is a member of Democratic School FLeKS in Hamburg. She is an empowerment trainer, social worker and occupational therapist. Her work focuses on transgenerational learning and community building. At collectively operating Democratic School FLeKS, she invigorates anti-discrimination into school administration, personnel matters and school community. Beside her paid job, she searches for indigenous wisdom from her philippine origin, pours hopes of intergenerational healing into music and raises two kids.

Talks & workshops

A school that follows the idea of anti-discrimination and inclusive practice, should be aware of the many different layers in which discrimination probably occurs. This workshop aims to bring participants closer to sensitization for experiences of discrimination in the context of democratic education. We will review our daily practice and discover the extent of possibilities to encounter danger and risks of (unwillingly) reproducing discrimination – personally and institutionally likewise.

Workshop

India

Gnanasekar Dhanapal

Children Parliament Network (CPN)

Gnanasekar Dhanapal serves as the Global Director of the Children Parliament Network (CPN), an initiative that has successfully expanded to 37 countries. His primary mission is to promote children’s participatory governance, empowering young leaders to engage in decision-making processes at local, national, and international levels.
His work has gained recognition from governments, international organizations, and funding agencies, making him a sought-after trainer for bureaucrats, policymakers, politicians, diplomats, and INGOs. His expertise in governance, leadership development, and policy advocacy has influenced numerous child rights and participatory governance policies worldwide.
Beyond his leadership role at CPN, he is an Advisor to the CERV Project of the European Union, where he provides strategic insights and recommendations on human rights and child rights projects across 21+ countries.

Talks & workshops

How can children participate in decision-making processes that shape their lives? This session explores the transformative power of Children’s Parliaments, where young people learn leadership, governance, and active citizenship. Using Sociocracy as a framework, we’ll discuss real-world implementations, success stories, and how this model is shaping the next generation of changemakers. The workshop will include interactive discussions and practical steps for starting or enhancing a Children’s Parliament.

Workshop

United States

Griffin Toffler

From ages 15 to 18, Griffin attended an alternative democratic school, which rescued her from a public school that was literally killing her. As an adult in the 1970s and 1980s, she immersed herself in the anti-imperialist movement, the Black Power movement, the Women’s Liberation and the Gay Liberation movements. Later, she got her master’s degree in Clinical Psychology. She is currently seeking a publisher for her book, I Hate School: The Brain-Under-Attack Rescue Guide.

Talks & workshops

Let’s share our thoughts about what it takes personally and politically to free ourselves from the colonial mindset that allows for exploitation of the masses by the wealthy few. The intent is to create a non-blaming and critical look at how we live in the world. I will provide a printout of resources. If you have up to 3 relevant resources you want to add to the list, please email me at popsierose@gmail.com before 29 June.

Workshop

United Kingdom

Ian Cunningham

My day job is as a dancer (I am 82, by the way). I also help to run the Centre for Self Managed Learning and within it the Self Managed Learning community. I live in Brighton on the south coast of England. I also write books and articles, I cycle and I spend time with my grandchildren, children and friends. In the past I have been a professor, the Chief Executive of a business school and a chaired an international learning and development consultancy.

Talks & workshops

Collectively humans have become averse to learning that equips us to deal with the modern world. Schools, universities, and other institutions have colluded to keep out any attention to important missed learning.

For instance, the moral dimension of our uses of what is learned is missed. As a former research chemist I am clear that chemists have neglected the moral choices in creating new chemicals.

Schooling has separated learning into subjects – which are an invention of teachers. There are no subjects in the world. Holistic systemic learning is being neglected.

There is a way forward if people will listen.

Talk

Workshop

Belgium

Julischka Fell

For six years as a primary school teacher in an ordinary school in East Belgium, I was able to give the children courage, hand them tools, show them possibilities and awaken unexpected superpowers. I was able to accompany the children on their way to becoming a person who takes responsibility for their feelings, their wishes and their actions. The school was a second home for me and for the children. In 2023 I retired from teaching. It was time to break new ground and contribute to a major change in the school system. So I founded my own start-up. My aim: Making change possible in the classrooms of this world. Over the past few months, I have researched, tinkered & tried out how I can achieve this. The result is MISSION POSSIBLE, the game. A game for teachers who want more impact. But not by working even harder, but by doing things differently…

#letshackthesystem

Talks & workshops

With all the questions about school, education & the future. With all the tried and tested concepts, exciting tools and new ideas that you will discover here over the next few days, I invite you to simply take a step out for a moment. School or not, this workshop is all about you. Who are you and who do you want to be? 

Let’s dream big together and then get started right away… 

It will be colourful, it will be concrete and it will be inspiring. (Duration, approx. 2 hours) 

When I know who I want to have been 

and when I have my dreams clearly in front of my eyes again, 

then I can set off & courageously help shape the big wide world on a small scale; 

then my vision will become the North Star in these turbulent times, for me & others.

Workshop

Germany

Karl Geller

Karl is a founder-to-be of a Democratic School in Augsburg (South Germany). He is currently fighting for it in court. Meanwhile he works full-time as an arborist and part-time as a facilitator in the Democratic School Vrije Ruimte in Den Hague.

He studied teaching for higher education (Sport, Maths, Politics), wrote a book about the history of Democratic Schools, is a founding-trainer for school start-ups in Germany, likes to motivate you to write a Wikipedia Article “Democratic School” in your language and wants to sing the IDEC song “We are from Democratic School” with you.

Talks & workshops

104 years. HUNDREDS of schools, THOUSANDS of teachers, TENS OF THOUSANDS of students, a MILLION reasons to keep going and the absolute guarantee to NOT BE ALONE with this crazy idea of raising humans in democracy and freedom.
The history of democratic schools is vast — and probably a lot bigger than you think.

• Revolutionaries like Francisco Ferrer, falsely accused and executed by the state in retaliation for an anarchist uprising.
• Leo Tolstoy, a Russian nobleman who freed his serfs and founded a free school to educate them in freedom – preparing the anarchist-utopic society.
• A professor at Sudbury Valley who established the first formal committee structure.
• Janusz Korczak, a pediatrician who gave up medicine to become an educator, believing that only through education could children truly heal — and who ultimately died in a concentration camp with the children he cared for.
• Christians who believe that every person is sacred — and therefore consensus is the only truly sacred way of making decisions.
• Israelis who launched the IDEC Conference, giving the global movement for democratic schools a major boost.
• Greek students who occupied 2,000 schools — 60% of all Greek schools — for weeks in protest.
• German pupils founding their own school in the aftermath of 1968.
• Agile Learning Centers, adopting learning and organizational methods inspired by Silicon Valley.
At the end of this talk, we’ll explore what we can learn from this history — how to stay on the right path, and how to avoid repeating the same mistakes.

Talk

Karl Geller gives this talk together with Olivia Grégoire.

Talk

Estonia

Kiti Põld

Kiti Põld is an Estonian mother, who embarked on a unique experiment: in the spring of 2020 she began documenting her three children’s natural inner impulses — the spontaneous urges to act, create, explore, and engage. Every day, she carefully recorded only those impulses that clearly came from within the child, free from adult instruction or school-imposed tasks. The result was a vivid and moving diary that offers a rare glimpse into how children’s genuine interests and talents unfold — when given time, freedom, and trust. Alongside this, the diary also paints an honest picture of everyday family life in Estonia during the COVID lockdown.

Kiti is also the author of Our Recycling. The Trash Can Does Not Exist! (2023), where she shares her family’s creative reuse practices and collects inspiring recycling stories from around the globe. She has always been devoted to volunteering in environmental and community projects, advocating for sustainable living and stronger neighborhood connections. In 2023, she was honored as Volunteer of the Year by the Network of Estonian Nonprofit Organizations. With a background in theatre studies, Kiti has worked as a dramaturg and playwright — another thread in her lifelong engagement with human stories, creativity, and transformation.

Talks & workshops

In the presentation Kiti tells about her empirical research. For three months, she recorded the inner impulses of three children every day. Let’s see whether and what kind of conclusions can be drawn from this. What should true education and the freedom to learn look like? The book “Learning for Real: An Unschooling Diary”, newly published in 2025, is a compelling testimony to the power of self-directed learning.

Book Presentation

Belgium – Colombia

Liliana Carrillo

CollectiveUP

Liliana Carrillo is a Colombian-Spanish professional, playful mother to two teenagers—a daughter (18) and a son (16)—and wife to her Belgian partner. She has lived in Belgium for 13 years, building a career in research and innovation. With a background in computer science, artificial intelligence, and business, Liliana seamlessly integrates her expertise with her passions for education and societal impact. In 2021, she founded CollectiveUP, through which she leads various EU-funded projects, including initiatives focused on Self-Directed Agile Education and other transformative endeavours.

Talks & workshops

As we grow, our cultures and media deeply shape the biases we carry—often unconsciously. These biases influence how we navigate life and, critically, how educational environments are structured. In this interactive session, participants will uncover their own unconscious biases and examine their impact on learning spaces and society. Together, we will explore the concept of deschooling—what it is, when and where it can be applied, and how it challenges entrenched thought patterns. By learning to question assumptions and foster personal transformation, we can collectively reimagine a more equitable and inclusive society through the lens of education.

Talk

Spain

Luz Olid & David Caballero

Evolving Education

Luz Olid and David Caballero are the founders of Evolving Education, whose mission is to democratize educational practices for learner and community-center education. To do this, they research what already works in the most progressive learning centers in the planet and democratize its access, leveraging digital technologies, through: awareness campaigns (ex. short films, webinars), training programs, and communities of education change-makers.

Talks & workshops

Luz and David, founders of Evolving Education, lost their home in a fire last year. This experience brought them into a deep connection with foundational elements to reimagine education that they had been working on, such as wellbeing, community support and life-long learning. Each step to rise up from the ashes led them to question and face challenges that go beyond reconstruction, such as their deepest fears, their limiting beliefs and the relationship between the individual and the community. Join for a 2h interactive session that combines audiovisual storytelling, mind-body practices, and personal growth.

Workshop

Join us for a 1.5-hour experiential session around the in-person premier of the short documentary film “Human Learning”. The film challenges traditional schooling and explores how real learning happens through experience, curiosity, and connection. Featuring education projects from the USA, Spain, Mexico, and Colombia, the film contrasts rigid, standardized education with dynamic, learner-centered approaches. Developed by Evolving Education in collaboration with Ecoversities Alliance, it invites us to rethink education and reclaim learning as a lifelong, human process.

Workshop

This is the first ever in-person reunion of Evolving Education Alumni Network and extended community. At the core of this community is a strong respect for diversity, seeing it both as a source of inspiration to transform education, and the essence of resilient communities. As a result, our mentor network, alumni network and mastermind community expand 5 continents. This is a chance to play, dance and hug each other.

Activity

Belgium

Marie Pons

Orvita

Marie is co-founder of Orvita and co-organizer of the IDEC@EUDEC 2025. She worked with Children in a democratic school and still works with them in democratic camps. Orvita wants to restart the school. Orvita works with non violent communication as a basis. Marie is a trainer for self-direction and NVC with children. She is also a therapist, working with the inner children of adults.

Talks & workshops

Society is structured according to a power system, where some have more say and more privileges than others. Schools are typically institutions that educate us to fit into this system. Power systems are based on trauma and perpetuate trauma. How does that work? Democratic schools aim to create a culture of equality, which is crucial if we want to build a society where people can be more themselves, stand in their power, and live in harmony with their environment. However, humanity has lived within power systems for thousands of years, and we are deeply immersed in them. Whether we are aware of it or not, it lives in each of us, and sooner or later, it will surface. How can we work with this within ourselves so that we pass it on less and less to the children?

Talk

Bulgaria

Magi Blagoeva

I am a free spirit, books and dance lover, passionate about humanism, human potential, life in harmony and radical unconditional acceptance and honesty, and all beings’ rights for choice and expression. In the world of formal labels, I am a psychologist, teacher, mentor, university lecturer, therapist, researcher, Dance Movement Facilitator, Life Worth Living Facilitator and founder of the Democratic school in Sofia, Bulgaria.
My main expertise are in Self-directed learning, Nonviolent communication, Developmental Psychology and therapeutic use of movement.
I am currently a Doctoral student in Social Pedagogy, exploring the impact of mentoring on students’ psychological health, well-being and personal potential.

Talks & workshops

When we think in terms of learning and education, during human history so far, the humanity has relied either on intuition and “how it comes naturally by itself” (in the first eras of human history) or on someone’s interest (military or industrial) as to what needs to be learnt and how.

Today, when we have science and the scientific approach, we have much more reliable tools in terms of what is effective learning, how it happens and what are the conditions and factors that support it or disrupt it. 

Today we have science and many opportunities to examine and explore learning and education from a science point of view.

We know that human beings are natural learners and learning is an innate ability integrated in their system. And we also know that there are conditions and factors that can disrupt it and prevent it from happening as well as such that can help it and support it.

Education field is where effective learning is supposed to happen, which is why it is essential to explore what science has already discovered and told us about how humans learn and what needs to be done.

In other words – what is a science-based education – education, backed up with the discoveries of science as to how we learn best and what we need to do to support and not prevent learning.

Talk

Nepal

Meeta Rai

Student / Youth social campaigner

As an orphan child, I grew up and was educated in the shelter of Raksha Nepal (a charity NGO). As a privileged child of Raksha Nepal, I learned music, martial art, vocational education and training under the guidance of our mother, the chairman of Raksha Nepal, Menuka Thapa. I have a deep interest in working for women who have survived violence.

A law degree and women empowerment could be an instrument to cope with them. So, I’ve selected law as a major subject and I am currently pursuing a degree (10+2) in law at Heartland Academy (Democratic School) Kathmandu. I am deeply concerned with the social issues of Nepal that I’ve witnessed every day. I am deeply motivated by the life and toils of legendary figures like Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Oprah Winfrey and many more who chose the path of social welfare and justice. Studying law can create meaningful changes in society.

I strongly believe in the power of education. Harmful social taboos can be changed with empowerment of women (girls) to combat serious issues such as human trafficking. As a youth leader, I am committed to promoting equality, access to justice and education for all.

I am actively participating in various national and international initiatives, including Days for Girls, One Billion Rising, Women’s Day events, Space for Girls, the Power Project,  Boxology,  and I’ve participated in The International Democratic Education Conference (IDEC) held in Nepal in (2023) and in Taiwan (2024). These experiences strengthened my dream and choice. I am committed to bring positive change to my community and beyond.

Talks & workshops

I try  to  explore the alarming rate of girls trafficking in Nepal and examine how the lack of education—especially among girls in rural and marginalized communities—serves as a major driving factor. With thousands of Nepali girls trafficked each year for exploitation and forced labor, it is crucial to address the root causes behind their vulnerability. One of the most powerful solutions lies in democratic education—an approach that emphasizes critical thinking, awareness of rights, gender equality, and active participation in society. I will discuss how implementing democratic education can empower girls, prevent trafficking, and help reclaim their dignity and future.

Talk

Sri Lanka

Nuwan Dissanayaka

I have been involved in democratic education since 2015 and was the main organizer for SLDEC 2018 in Sri Lanka and main organizer for Most innovative Teacher of the year award ceremony. Moreover, I have achieved following national and international awards for my work. Global Teacher of The Year 2019, Gold Award for Outstanding Contribution for Sri Lankan Education in 2020, Best Educational Research 2018 at the World Conference on Education.

Talks & workshops

Democracy is not a fixed ideal—it evolves with time, culture, and revolutions. What we call liberal democracy today emerged after WWII and the Industrial Revolution, but it is now slowly becoming outdated, following the Polybius cycle of civilization. The system we see is more of a guided illusion than true democracy for our time.

It is time for the next generation to redefine democracy—one that reflects their era, values, and aspirations. How can we support this transformation? Join me as I uncover the realities of modern democracy and explore the path toward its next evolution.

Talk

France

Olivia Grégoire

For the past five years, Olivia has been teaching in a democratic school, where she helps nurture not only knowledge but also empathy, autonomy, and collaboration. With a Master’s in Education and a background in Sociology and Philosophy, she try to bring a systemic and critical perspective to the way we design and experience education.

Trained in Nonviolent Communication, she embodies and shares its values — fostering connection and dialogue in the school and beyond. Her travels across several countries to explore alternative educational models have deepened her conviction that education can and should empower individuals and transform societies.

She is passionate about bringing these ideas into the public and political sphere, working to reimagine education as a force for equity, freedom, and collective well-being.

Talks & workshops

Olivia Grégoire gives this talk together with Karl Geller.

Talk

Uganda

Olivia Nannono

Olivia is the Founder of Enhance Humanity Uganda. She has over 10 years experience working with families, children and young individuals in underserved and marginalized settings. She has a diploma in law and is currently majoring in Family Studies at Brigham Young University Utah. She is an ardent believer in impactful lifelong learning and holistic evolving educating. A gifted artist who uses her music to heal and transform Humanity.

Talks & workshops

Talk

Czech Republic

Pavel Kraemer

I am a teacher, school mentor and father of 5 children. I was born in Prague, learned Maths, History and Methodology of Science and a couple of languages. I have taught and helped in developing schools in different countries, exploring varieties of school cultures and alternative educational philosophies. Always comparing theory with practice, school policy with school reality. Striving to grasp the spiritual foundations of diverse educational streams. Recently, I have been trying to bring  in fresh questions and topics into the democratic  school movement. They are connected to a deep paradigm shift that is happening right now across countries and educational streams, which brings me joy and great hope for the future.

Talks & workshops

How to strike a dynamic balance between too much rules and too much chaos? Too much authority and too much freedom? The key is to observe the interplay of emotional life of the student and the teacher/parent. We come to the crucial role of the self-development of the teacher or parent.

Talk

How to build bridges in our hearts and minds?  What can we learn from waldorf or montessori or traditional schools? How can we explain democratic educational so that people of other streams get inspired?

How can we meet people with hostile opinions?

Talk

What makes a flourishing democratic and alternative school landscape? How to build networks and networks of networks supporting both schools and individuals? How to become strong in face of the authorities?  30 years of experience in the Czech Republic.

Talk

I have traveled widely in India and visited over 40 schools, many of them highly inspiring. Some very democratic in character. Others having a warm homely atmosphere. Or achieving academic excellence. Or helping the local population. I will show photographs as many of the schools are in a splendid natural setting…

Talk

Teaching maths (and often science, too) usually proceeds in a mechanical and antidemocratic way. Even in democratic schools. Textbooks and videos tend to be dogmatic, turning maths and science into an anti-democratic system. Letting students freely learn from internet does not solve the problem, either. I claim the reason is the missing link to emotional life. I will show an alternative engaging the whole body and the whole personality.

Workshop

The dynamic world of play, with rules changing with time and circumstances, switching phases of utter chaos and beautiful order. Different emotions coming and going, as we struggle through the difficult, boring or near-impossible.

Workshop

Workshop

the Netherlands

Ruud Van Middelaar

Democratic School De Ruimte Soest

Ruud is a co-founders of De Ruimte in Soest in the Netherlands. He has implemented sociocracy right from the start of their endeavour in 2002. With more than 20 years of experience he love to share and introduce this to other people and especially people that are committed to create more democratic schools and more democracy in education.

Talks & workshops

For anything to become successful it helps to communicate why, how and what you are doing or planning to do. In this talk, using isights from great philosophers and pedagogues, I want to make a point for the importance of democratic education, where we are now and how to move forward.

  • Democratic education, why is it important to have in the world now? I want talk about the era we are in and what change in education is needed now.
  • Democratic education, how does that work, what are the principles that drive it and make it work.
  • Democratic education, what does it look like; its organization; the people, the way they work together. How is this an innovative innovation?

Talk

Ruud Van Middelaar gives this workshop together with Dorianne De Groot.

Sociocracy was invented by the Quakers in the 17th century. They were committed to create ‘the democratic ideal’ and worked out the sociocracy into a system and procedures where equivalence is the standard. All participants join in the decision making and all votes have an equal value. Decisions are made on the principal of ‘consent’, which means that there is nobody present with a reasoned objection. The effect is that everybody takes this decision and will carry it forward.

The mechanics of sociocracy are surprisingly easy but profound. The change of mind for all the participants and the rules of the game may be less easy and will need at least some practice. Once you have experienced it, it will prove its effectiveness to you and make you want to never do without, for sure. The change of mind means that mostly from our upbringing we think that decisions are based in discussion and debate. In a standard democracy we take decisions by majority vote and have a discussion beforehand to prove the others opinion wrong, so your opinion is proven right. So, your mind is controlled by your opinion and has no interest in changing, rather to fix it by bringing supporting arguments into the discussion. In the sociocracy however, you share viewpoints on the question at hand. You listen to other viewpoints, you allow yourself to look at it from other viewpoints and then the magic happens, because sometimes your mind is changing by itself. You were very sure about what the best way forward would be and then, without warning, you have a different viewpoint. On the other hand, sometimes it doesn’t change your mind when listening to other viewpoints but is does make you appreciate and understand why someone would look at it that way. Then you can agree to the proposal which would not be your proposal and you will say ‘I have no reasoned objection’

Workshop

Sri Lanka

Sifaan Zavahir

Sifaan is the co-founder of Kinder Republic, Sri Lanka’s first Democratic School, and was one of the authors of the IDEC 2023 Resolution on Compulsory Education, which was instrumental in the formation of the Rights-Centric Education Network, where he is a Founding Member.

Sifaan’s interests include Human Rights, Restorative and Transformative Justice, and dismantling systems of oppression, especially capitalism, neo-colonialism, patriarchy, ableism and credentialism.

Talks & workshops

Democratic forms of schooling are more than a century old, the IDEC community is more than 3 decades old, and yet Democratic Education around the world remains marginalized as an “alternative”. Meanwhile, mainstream education systems are becoming increasingly authoritarian and un-democratic.

How can we bring democratic education to the mainstream? To gain state recognition and support for existing democratic schools, and to progressively introduce democratic practices in mainstream schools?

In my talk, I will demonstrate how we can, and should, use International Human Rights Law for this purpose. This is also an invitation to build on the work of previous conferences (the Resolution on Compulsory Education at IDEC 2023, and the sessions on Human Rights/Child Rights at EUDEC 2024) to work together to build a Quality Assurance System that will support all education environments (democratic schools, mainstream schools, family-based education) to become more democratic.

Talk

In-person workshops to develop the Quality Assurance System will be added to the agenda closer to the conference. If you would like to contribute to the virtual work before the conference, see here.

Workshop

Germany

Silvia Mcclanahan

Silvi has a background in art education and in social and cultural anthropology in which she was particularly interested in ways of knowing and learning within/for social/ecological justices and activisms. Exploring possibilities of sharing democratic living and learning spaces with young people she stumbled across EUDEC in 2018.

Talks & workshops

Silvia Mcclanahan gives this workshop together with Charlie Moreno-Romero.

In this workshop, some basic approaches to decolonial theory will be introduced, followed y reflections by presenters and participants on why and how to practically implement them in learning environments that incorporate children’s rights and democratic principles.

Workshop

Germany

Walid Malik

Walid Malik is a human rights advocate specializing in children’s and youth rights, with a strong focus on combating discrimination, antisemitism, and racism. He works as a trainer in historical and political education, delivering workshops that inspire critical thinking and promote social justice. Walid’s expertise lies in empowering individuals and fostering inclusive environments. Through his work, he connects historical contexts with current challenges, encouraging reflection and action. His passion for equality drives his dedication to education, advocacy, and meaningful dialogue

Talks & workshops

The indivisibility of suffering and empathy is a cornerstone of human dignity, particularly in schools navigating the complexities of the Middle East conflict. These environments often reflect societal challenges, including discrimination, antisemitism, and anti-Muslim racism, which deeply affect both students and educators. By addressing these issues openly, schools can foster critical thinking and cultivate empathy as a tool for dismantling discrimination. Education must serve as a platform for understanding diverse perspectives while reinforcing the shared value of human dignity. This keynote emphasizes the transformative role of empathy and inclusive education in challenging discrimination and building bridges in polarized times.

Talk

Participants will engage with topics like discrimination, antisemitism, and anti-Muslim racism, reflecting on how these issues impact educational spaces. Together, we will discuss strategies to foster empathy, challenge discrimination, and create inclusive environments where human dignity is upheld. This interactive session aims to equip educators with tools to address complex societal challenges within their classrooms.

Workshop

Sri Lanka

Yasodhara Pathanjali

Independent Collective School Sri Lanka

Talks & workshops

Following on from Yasodhara Pathanjali’s talk on mitigating parent fears on the run up to launching Sri Lanka’s first formal Democratic school during IDEC Nepal 2023, hear about the huge learnings,innovations and journey that Independent Collective School has gone through in its first year. A story of student empowerment in Sri Lanka creating a unique learning space in Colombo.

Online talk