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Feature stories from democratic schools

International Democratic Education Conference Comes to Belgium for the First Time!

From August 1 to 7, 2025, Belgium will host the EUDEC (European Democratic Education Community) and IDEC (International Democratic Education Conference) conferences. These annual events, which have been held in various countries across Europe and globally, will take place together in Belgium under the name International Democratic Education Conference, IDEC@EUDEC 2025 Belgium. The EUDEC conference has been organized since 2008, while the IDEC has been held annually since 1993.

The event will take place at Youth Center De Kluis in Sint-Joris-Weert, located in the beautiful Meerdaalwoud forest. It is expected to attract up to 1,000 attendees, including key educational stakeholders, researchers, psychologists, parents, and children from across the globe.

About Democratic Education

While still relatively unknown in Belgium, democratic education has a strong presence in many other countries. This educational model is defined by two core principles:

Self-directed learning: Children and young people take responsibility for their own learning, making decisions about what, how, when, where, and with whom they learn.
Participative school governance: Children and young people have an equal voice in decisions that affect them, in line with Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Although democratic education is new to Belgium, it has proven to be highly effective in other countries. It fosters self-confidence, independence, and life skills in young people, helping them develop a strong sense of direction and the ability to navigate their futures.

This approach offers a promising alternative for addressing many of the current challenges facing traditional education systems. With its “pedagogy of trust,” democratic education fosters a collaborative and supportive environment where students learn to make decisions together and resolve conflicts. This model aligns with the European Commission’s LifeComp Framework, which outlines competencies for personal, social, and learning-to-learn development.

In democratic schools, issues such as school fatigue and bullying are rare, and teacher burnout is minimized. Teachers collaborate with students, providing support when needed and empowering students to take ownership of their learning.

Conference Goals and Opportunities

The International Conference on Democratic Education aims to introduce the concept of democratic education to Belgium and to inspire a new perspective on education and child development. The event will feature a diverse range of activities, including:

Lectures and workshops
Discussion groups
Activities for children and young people
And much more, catering to participants of all ages.

Additionally, attendees will be encouraged to share their knowledge and expertise, turning the conference into a week-long exercise in democratic participation. It promises ample opportunities for discovery, learning, exchange, and personal growth.

Everyone interested in experiencing this inspiring atmosphere and/or deepening their understanding of democratic education is welcome to join for the full week or during the visitor days on the weekend.

For more information, visit: www.eudec2025.org

We are available for interviews.

Contact: info@eudec2025.org

International Democratic Education Conference voor het eerst in België!

Van 1 tot 7 augustus 2025 worden in België de EUDEC-conferentie (European Democratic Education Community) en de IDEC-conferentie (International Democratic Education Conference) gehouden. Deze jaarlijkse conferenties worden afwisselend georganiseerd door verschillende landen in Europa en wereldwijd. De EUDEC-conferentie wordt sinds 2008 jaarlijks gehouden, de IDEC sinds 1993.

Deze zomer vinden beide conferenties voor het eerst plaats in België, onder de naam International Democratic Education Conference, IDEC@EUDEC 2025 Belgium. De locatie van dit grote en belangrijke evenement is jeugdverblijf De Kluis in Sint-Joris-Weert, in het prachtige Meerdaalwoud.

Er worden tot 1000 bezoekers verwacht, waaronder belangrijke stakeholders uit de onderwijswereld, onderwijskundigen, psychologen, ouders, en kinderen uit vele landen.

Democratisch onderwijs is in België nog relatief onbekend, maar in veel andere landen is het al langer een gevestigde praktijk. De twee basisprincipes zijn:

Zelfgestuurd leren: Kinderen en jongeren krijgen de verantwoordelijkheid voor hun eigen leerproces en kiezen zelf wat ze leren, hoe, wanneer, waar en met wie.
Inspraak in de organisatie van de school: Kinderen en jongeren hebben een gelijkwaardige stem in de beslissingen die hen aangaan, wat in lijn is met artikel 12 van het Verdrag inzake de Rechten van het Kind.

Deze onderwijsaanpak wint aan populariteit omdat het succesvol blijkt te zijn. Jongeren die naar democratische scholen gaan, zijn zelfverzekerd en in staat verantwoordelijkheid te nemen voor hun eigen leven. Ze weten vaak precies wat ze willen en hebben de vaardigheden om hun weg in het leven te vinden.

Democratisch onderwijs biedt mogelijk een oplossing voor de huidige onderwijscrisis. Leerlingen op democratische scholen zijn gemotiveerd en, dankzij de pedagogische aanpak – de ‘pedagogie van vertrouwen’ – verloopt de samenwerking tussen leerlingen heel efficiënt. Ze leren samen beslissingen te nemen en conflicten op te lossen. Dit alles is volledig in lijn met het LifeComp Framework van de Europese Commissie: het European Framework for Personal, Social and Learning to Learn Key Competence.

Schoolmoeheid en pesten komen bijna niet voor, en leraren raken niet opgebrand omdat ze samenwerken met de kinderen en niets hoeven aan te bieden wat niet gevraagd wordt.

Het doel van de Internationale Conferentie voor Democratisch Onderwijs is om democratisch onderwijs in België bekend te maken en een transformatie in het denken over onderwijs en ontwikkeling teweeg te brengen.

Iedereen is welkom! Er zullen activiteiten, lezingen, workshops, discussiegroepen en meer zijn, voor jong en oud.

Deelnemers worden bovendien aangemoedigd om zelf hun kennis te delen over allerlei onderwerpen. Zo wordt de conferentie zelf een week van democratische participatie, waarin mensen volop kansen krijgen om te ontdekken, te leren, uit te wisselen en te groeien.

Mensen die deze inspirerende sfeer een dag willen proeven, zijn welkom op de bezoekersdagen in het weekend.

Meer informatie: www.eudec2025.org

We zijn beschikbaar voor interviews.

Contact: info@eudec2025.org