International Democratic Education Conference (IDEC) - 2026

Reflections, wrap up, staying connected.

In this session, we will share the journey of participatory budgeting at Slobodná škola – how it started, evolved, and the lessons learned along the way. We’ll highlight both successes and failures, offering a realistic view of what works and what doesn’t. Participants will explore opportunities for students, teachers, and committees to be involved in shaping the school’s budget, fostering shared responsibility. This session combines storytelling, reflection, and peer discussion, leaving attendees with practical ideas to bring participatory budgeting into their own communities.

Break

In this session, Christopher will share his journey on how he came to develop a portfolio-based, collaborative assessment model with students and offer resources that can help anyone start. Involving students in the development of classroom assessment and giving them agency over their learning can provide the tools the next generation needs to change the world. Working with students under the restrictions of a traditional system, we have created an “ungrading” model using portfolios that shelters students from the negative impact of graded assessments with a focus on self-assessment, growth, and encouraging students to chart their own paths through learning.

Break

This session looks at how democratic schools talk with families. We will explore how to explain that students make their own decisions, handle parents’ expectations and efforts to undesirably interfere, build trust, and involve families in learning without taking control from the student. We will also cover sharing learning challenges, safety and risk, cultural differences, and conflicts in the school community. Through examples and discussion, participants will get practical ideas for clear, honest, and respectful communication that supports both students and families while keeping democratic school values.

IDEC meeting, What's next, etc.

¿Cual seria el impacto de reconocernos como entidades espiritualmente animadas? My purpose is to share experiences which are a results of my long research and observations beyond current educational crisis and also beyond the ideological fighting in both: political and educational field. Hope attendant come away with essential and new questions about the sense of Education after the discussion on the enigmatic nature of humans

Check In, Set Intentions

A chance for impromptu reflection, continuing discussion, etc.

This conversation presents H-B Woodlawn, a 50-year public democratic school outside Washington, D.C., as a case study in Democratic Education for Action and Liberation. The session will examine how daily practices such as freedom of movement, first-name culture, student-led hiring committees, and shared governance through Town Meeting redistribute power and cultivate trust. Participants will explore how democratic structures across the school enable student-centered pedagogy and reciprocal teacher student symmetry. The session invites reflection across contexts while offering concrete examples of how democratic values are enacted through structures, language, and everyday school life.

Break time

La propuesta implica una breve introducción sobre el Colectivo Pluriversidad Latinoamericana. Luego generar una conversación a partir de las preguntas expuestas en el título.

Because Democratic education is purposed to support authentic self and learning rather than to perpetuate the political and economic status quo, there are many connections to be made with indigenous educational paradigms. Making these connections enables learning communities to enrich their own localised curricula and learning context. This focus also gives us the opportunity to intentionally decolonise our pedagogy. We tend to assume that this is not a necessary consideration for democratic educators by virtue of our pedagogy, but I have found that it is!
In this talk, I share how I undertook this process with my democratic school in Aotearoa New Zealand, and what I learned, including how I came to realise that the school needed to make pedagogical and practical changes in order to be inclusive of our indigenous students and their families and more holistically enriching for everyone.

In this session, participants will define what self-directed education is, and identify the 3 components necessary for a successful SDE program, that do not require much funding. Thus, democratic education is accessible to everyone. Common concerns, research, and differences between homeschooling and unschooling methodology will be discussed.

Time to network, meet with groups, etc.

The exercise and the reflection about its outcome open the eyes to the dimensions of discrimination and its normalization. Participants will understand the system behind the different forms of discrimination and how it affects our thinking, feeling, and (not) acting in the context of power relations.
We will start with a full group exercise being followed by smaller groups in break out rooms and a final reflection round with all participants in the end.
It is recommended to attend the session called "Concept of Protecting Against Discrimination" afterwards, also run be Dorothea.

This session will focus on the history of democratic education and where we are now.

This will be a forum to discuss whether democratic education is a political action. Does being a facilitator, participant, or family member involved with SDE also make us into political activists? If so, what is the political utopia we seek? If not, what is the point of SDE?

Check In, set intetions for the rest day

I want to hold a space to learn more about why people wants to start and join a D.E. school/ hub, how do they make it work, how do they make it sustained and what challenges they encounter so as to find out what is the core values hold to run and lead the running of a D.E. school/ hub. This is more on the side of managing a D.E. school / hub. And this will be a merely peer discussion session(s), of course I would share my experience in the beginning to explain why I want to start this.

In this session, we’ll share our experiences at Slobodná škola – how rules are created and how to keep following them, what rules have helped, what hasn’t worked, and the lessons we’ve learned along the way. We want to hear from you: your successes, challenges, and ideas. Through conversation and reflection, participants will leave with new perspectives on creating rules that support trust, collaboration, and shared responsibility in their own communities.

I want to hold a space to learn more about why people wants to start and join a D.E. school/ hub, how do they make it work, how do they make it sustained and what challenges they encounter so as to find out what is the core values hold to run and lead the running of a D.E. school/ hub. This is more on the side of managing a D.E. school / hub. And this will be a merely peer discussion session(s), of course I would share my experience in the beginning to explain why I want to start this.

Break

First Japanese democratic schools were founded in 1985. Since then, it has been the big theme for graduates and the students who think their future, how do they live after the graduation of the democratic schools. The situations changed since the bbeginning. In this session, these chages and present situation of Japan will be shared.

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Democracy requires citizens who can think, not just students who can repeat. In this hands-on workshop, Personal Interest Projects (PIPs) will be described as a vital tool for liberation. You will learn about best practices to facilitate PIPs and try some activities that stimulate creativity and project design. We will explore how to integrate PIPs onto your school's reality. You will leave with some PIP tools, strategies for building radical trust with learners, and the confidence to let student curiosity drive the curriculum.

Famli, developed by Zahra Lightway, M.Ed., is a family practice of consent-based democracy designed to help children and adults share voice, claim agency, responsibility, and decision-making through three circle practices: Heart Circle for connection, Spark Circle for learning and ideas, and Wisdom Circle for family agreements.

Through these simple structures, families cultivate connection and harmony while developing emotional intelligence, communication skills, collaborative problem-solving, and a deep sense of shared responsibility.

In this interactive workshop, participants will experience a Famli circle and use signal cards and feelings cards to create space for equal voice, respectful listening, and family harmony.

After the experience, we’ll reflect on what participants noticed and explore how these practices can support democratic culture in families, classrooms, and learning communities

Time for networking, meeting in groups, fun activities

Break

We will present the Worldschooling Hub in Eastern Slovakia, a new space for homeschoolers, communities and families to connect, share experiences, and explore self-directed learning opportunities. The session will introduce the hub’s activities, resources, and community initiatives, and invite participants to join, contribute, and engage. Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of what the hub offers, ways to get involved, and inspiration to connect with other families and learners across the region, creating a supportive network for curiosity, creativity, and learning without borders.

Opening, connections & logistics

In 2023, two nonprofit organizations based in New Jersey implemented the second iteration of the “Leadership for Educational Liberation,” a paid virtual program with 19 primarily BBIPOC students across the state to learn strategies and cultivate dialogue about meaningful school integration. This presentation will provide an overview of the collaborative, participatory nature of the LEL program as a unique model to empower students from both urban and rural areas to learn, engage, and build relationships across space in the context of building more inclusive and equitable schools for all.

The goal is to collectively explore the possibilities and challenges of implementing dem edu in conventional learning environments. Participants are encouraged to bring up their experiences and concerns, as together we look for ways to advance on democratising learning.

The short film “The Unseen Chains: Mental Colonization in Education” explores how education has been used to erase local identities and re-educate generations on the dominant cultures. Through a deep, critical lens, the film denounces the invisible chains imposed by an educational system that limits creativity and individuality. The session includes film screening and participatory dialogue to move from awareness to action.

En esta sesión realizaremos un ejercicio horizontal y dinámico entre participantes y presentadores para dialogar sobre juventudes que diseñan espacios para juventudes. Reflexionaremos sobre el rol de jóvenes y jóvenes adultos como facilitadores y protagonistas en la propuesta, planificación y diseño de espacios de aprendizaje formales e informales. Nos centraremos en la pregunta: ¿qué hace que un espacio sea verdaderamente centrado en la juventud, democrático y descolonizador? Exploraremos participación significativa, corresponsabilidad, cocreación, autonomía, aprendizaje colaborativo, el juego como herramienta de aprendizaje y prácticas que cuestionen estructuras tradicionales de poder y conocimiento. Al finalizar, los participantes habrán reflexionado sobre cómo construir espacios inclusivos, participativos y transformadores para las juventudes.

Do you KNOW MY NAME - Education as Women’s Work?Women in Democratic Education & IDEC .Updated by Olivia Loria & Cecelia Bradley (2026)

In recent years, in the world of the arts, there has been a project called Know My Name. This is a timely and much needed effort to reveal and raise the profile of artists who are women. We need something similar in democratic education

Joann and Angela grew up in democratic education settings in Taiwan. In this session, they will share how their experiences shaped their views on education, relationships, and community. Drawing on their book and interviews with educators in different countries, they will reflect on relational democracy, inclusion, and contemporary democratic education across Eastern and Western contexts.

This session begins with a short film exploring why Democratic Education matters deeply in Thailand and the wider Southeast Asian region—where education has long been shaped by hierarchy, compliance, and separation from life. From there, I will introduce Binsi as a living experiment of liberating learning, living, and love, where education is not a system but a shared way of being.
The session will also reflect on why Sustainability and Democratic Education must be intertwined—not as parallel ideals, but as inseparable practices for cultivating agency, care, and collective responsibility in a time of ecological and social uncertainty.

The short film “The Unseen Chains: Mental Colonization in Education” explores how education has been used to erase local identities and re-educate generations on the dominant cultures. Through a deep, critical lens, the film denounces the invisible chains imposed by an educational system that limits creativity and individuality. The session includes film screening and participatory dialogue to move from awareness to action.

We will share our experience of sustaining a democratic community in the context of war and present key insights into what helped the school endure and enabled the team to launch more than 10 other socially important projects. Similar approaches can be applied in other, perhaps less extreme but still challenging, circumstances.

We will invite the community to share their own cases of overcoming difficult external challenges and will respond to questions.

This conversation presents H-B Woodlawn, a 50-year public democratic school outside Washington, D.C., as a case study in Democratic Education for Action and Liberation. The session will examine how daily practices such as freedom of movement, first-name culture, student-led hiring committees, and shared governance through Town Meeting redistribute power and cultivate trust. Participants will explore how democratic structures across the school enable student-centered pedagogy and reciprocal teacher student symmetry. The session invites reflection across contexts while offering concrete examples of how democratic values are enacted through structures, language, and everyday school life.

In this session, participants will define what self-directed education is, and identify the 3 components necessary for a successful SDE program, that do not require much funding. Thus, democratic education is accessible to everyone. Common concerns, research, and differences between homeschooling and unschooling methodology will be discussed.

¿Cómo generar redes entre diversos territorios para enriquecernos mutuamente? ¿Y cuáles podrían ser los aportes de Latinoamérica a la Educación Democrática? - La propuesta implica una breve introducción sobre el Colectivo Pluriversidad Latinoamericana. Luego generar una conversación a partir de las preguntas expuestas en el título.

Move beyond the label of Pathological Demand Avoidance and discover the nervous system's role in the pervasive desire for autonomy. We will explore how honoring this intense need for agency naturally aligns with the foundations of democratic and self-directed education.

By the end of this session, participants will leave with:
- A fresh Polyvagal perspective on PDA that illustrates how establishing "felt safety" and prioritizing relationship is the vital first step for self-directed learning to naturally unfold.
- A strength-based framework that bridges the PDA profile's deep need for autonomy with the core tenets of democratic education, honoring their unique, outside-of-the-box way of being.
- Actionable insights for customizing consent-based environments that remove the traditional borders around learning, protect a young person's agency, and nurture the innate curiosity that drives authentic learning.
- Collaborative practices to shift from directing to guiding, helping us let go of the traditional adult agenda so we can truly partner with young people and spark a lifelong love of learning on their own terms.

During this hands-on session, participants will learn about Restorative Practices in Education by experiencing a process known as Circle. Structural elements of Circle – such as the talking piece, personal check-in round, and decision making by consensus – are designed to give everyone an equal voice and agency over the process. After co-creating a set of Community Agreements, we will brainstorm ways that Circles can be used to cultivate inclusive, engaging, and democratic learning spaces.

The session will provide evidence that conventional schooling violates international human rights law and make the case that adopting more democratic approaches to education is essential both for respecting the human rights of children as well as for a democratic way of life for society at large.

but chances may be low. - I will propose some issues that could be addressed. But we have to get real - the world - and especially the educational establishment globally - is not geared to changing. How do we deal with this? Are we prepare to take what looks like big risks? But not to act is the biggest risk.

This session explores how experimental democratic schools can influence formal education systems. We focus on creating conflict-resolution procedures, participatory governance models, and methods for experimentally testing innovative practices. Participants will learn strategies for scaling successful approaches while navigating legal requirements, ensuring that student autonomy, democratic principles, and evidence-based innovations are preserved within broader educational policies.

How do we capture the academics and skills embedded in a child's self-directed interests—and communicate them to the outside world? Too often, learners and families retrofit years of authentic experience into traditional transcripts after the fact. This session explores both the practice of documentation in learner-centered environments and Prism, a tool designed to streamline this process through ongoing observation and reflection. Beyond the practical, we'll discuss how better documentation can strengthen individual confidence in choosing self-directed paths and build broader understanding of its efficacy.

Creating a Self-Sufficient Community Where People of All Ages Can Enjoy the Same Freedom We Give Our Kids - I will be sharing my vision for a self-sufficient community that is to people of all ages what a democratic school is to kids. Then I will open the floor for discussion. Participants can choose to stay connected after the conference and work on making this vision a reality, or simply treat the session as a thought experiment to share and discuss ideas, thoughts, and insights.

Belonging is often viewed as an outcome of democratic education, but what if it is one of the conditions that makes democratic education possible? This interactive session invites participants to explore the Prevention Through Belonging framework through reflection, dialogue, and collaborative problem-solving. Together, we will examine how the conditions of being safe, seen, connected, empowered, and purposeful influence learner agency and participation. Participants will explore a practical Belonging Audit, learn from one another's experiences across diverse educational settings, and leave with ideas they can immediately adapt to strengthen democratic learning communities.