Open Space Magic at IDEC@EUDEC 2025

Imagine arriving each day at an open-air gathering space alive with possibility, murmurs of fresh ideas, groups clustering around to co-create and connect. This is the heart of the Open Space experience at IDEC@EUDEC 2025, where 300+ participants steer the rhythm of learning, collaboration, and growth.

Imagine a conference where teens lead neuroscience workshops, grandmothers facilitate decolonization conversations, and forest clearings transform into debate chambers.

🌱 The Open Space Alchemy

Four core principles shaped this learning revolution:

1. "Whoever comes are the right people" → No VIPs, only equals
2. "Whatever happens is the only thing that could have" → Emergence over control
3. "When it starts, it starts" → Liberation from clocks
4. "When it’s over, it’s over" → Respect for organic flow

The entire schedule emerges spontaneously. This Open Space is Europe’s most dynamic democratic education gathering until now!. Here’s what unfolded across seven revolutionary days:

Friday, August 1 – Kickoff & Volunteer Spark

The opening day is charged with energy. After the welcoming assembly in the Big Tent, the community gathered to set the tone for a participatory event. A Volunteer Team meeting in the afternoon energized helpers and hosts behind the scenes, painting a picture of care and shared ownership.

As evening drew in, the Opening Ceremony rallied all attendees around shared intentions and anticipation for what lay ahead.  Participants programmed the schedule on paper in the site or online.

See the online Program schedule - International Democratic Education Conference, IDEC@EUDEC 2025, Belgium

Saturday, August 2 – Dialogues, Workshops & Folk Dance

On Saturday, the spaces buzzed with a rich tapestry of formats: presentations, discussions, workshops, and games.

At 10:00 AM, Derry Hannam spoke on “A Democratic Teacher,” while Sebastian Deichmann explored AI’s sweeping changes—which included collaborative preparations and tools for tomorrow’s classrooms.

Midday transitions led to immersive workshops: Bus Travel as Learning with Giulia Magno, curriculum decolonizing sessions with Eve Tonkin, and community-building discussions held all around.

The afternoon extended the conversations further: from “What Is a Democratic School?” by Karl Geller and Olivia Grégoire, to playful creative experiences like Korean craft with Goyang Free School, dynamic working sessions on educational equity, and an inclusive “Offers & Needs Market” with Will Gowen.

As dusk settled, storytelling around campfires took the main stage: That Time We Made Decisions Together by Will Gowen wove tales of collective wisdom, followed by a vibrant evening of Bal Folk dancing by a Folk Dance Group, embodying joy and communal rhythm in Belgian style.

Sunday, August 3 – Rights, Empathy & Creative Play

Sunday carried a spirit of inclusion, empathy, and creative learning. The day began with an Academic Panel by QUEST and a sweet communal pause for Taiwanese Breakfast facilitated by TNNA Taiwan.

A variety of discussions and workshops followed: exploring freedom of education with Katy ALLI, structural dialogues from EUDEC, insights on democratic education from Pavel Kraemer and Ruud van Middelaar, and empathy-based sessions with Walid Malik.

The afternoon brought co-creative magic - Steven Cnudde & Lien Van Laere led a session on co-creating a new story for learning; financial conversations on network scalability with EUDEC; artistic expression in arts & crafts with Silvia McClanahan; and Will Gowen’s community marketplace.

Later, workshop experiences continued with Walid Malik’s empathy dialogue, Griffin Toffler’s decolonizing the mind session, plus storytelling theater and arts through Common Ground. As night fell, Kernel of Fun: Student Exchange Speed Dating led by Sebastian Deichmann and an inspiring Blueprint #2 planning discussion with Juraj Mazak continued the energy into the evening.

Concert vibes carried late with music from Deaf Cat, making for a memorable close to a moving day.

Monday, August 4 – Inquiry, Inclusion, and Future Dialogues

Monday opened with workshops like Reinventing Democracy by Nuwan Dissanayaka; Math Resilience with Abdulvahap Yorgun; and explorations into AI Tools in Democratic Education by Sebastian Deichmann—showing how technology and pedagogy intersect.

Creative flow followed in visual arts, theater, storytelling, and research dialogues: from Bruno Ortiz Kessels’ call to engage in future research to Common Ground’s forum theater, and a clay storytelling session with Marie Pons.

Afternoon highlights included a Student Panel & Policymaker Round Table via YOUDEX, presentations dissecting inclusion and trauma in schooling, and talks on empowering young voices with Gnanasekar Dhanapal. Cultural expressions like Hangeul art with Goyang Free School added soulful interludes.

As evening approached: Panel discussions on democracy’s future, IDEC storyboarding on organizational strategy, and workshops led by Dorothea Schütze, Fanny Matheusen, Olga Kulesza, among others, all cultivated deep debate on system transformation. A volunteer meeting rounded off the night, followed by film sessions including Invisible Nation, a powerful documentary showing the struggles of Taiwan to preserve its democracy, autonomy and freedom.

Tuesday, August 5 – Systems, Pedagogies & Visionary Design

On Tuesday, dynamic change continued through hands-on workshops and strategic dialogues. Sessions like “The Anti-Learning Culture” by Ian Cunningham and “Decolonial Pedagogy” with Charlie Moreno-Romero & Silvia McClanahan began the day with provocative reflection.

Discussions advanced with presentations on alternative education models by Jeon Jeong-il; research calls by Bruno Ortiz Kessels; playful learning with Pavel Kraemer; and critical insights from Chiara Paganuzzi and Juraj Mazak about measuring democratic education.

Later, talks on global democratic trends featured Kateryna Botvinnik, while participants shaped future directions via participatory working groups and design experiments with Noa Ben-David and Erlend Raa Vågset. Sessions on inclusive councils, working groups on policy, storytelling clay arts, and creative play with Goyang Free School rounded out the vibrant afternoon‑to‑evening rhythm.

The day’s evening closed with campfire storytelling—That Time We Made Decisions Together by Will Gowen—embodying the Open Space ethos. A volunteer chat led into inspiring workshops and presentations on global education reform by Anne Dolores Marcélis and Don Berg, with evening film screenings capping off the gathering in reflective mode.

Wednesday, August 6 – Community, Creativity & Self-Governance

As momentum reached its stride, Wednesday emphasized self-organization, reflective storytelling, and intergenerational engagement. Workshops such as “Me, Myself and I” and creative listening fostered deep presence. The day featured strategic design sessions like YOUDEX’s Vision Board for the Future, theatre-based exploration with Common Ground, and spontaneous arts practice. A 5 PM volunteer gathering carried the community rhythm, and nightfall brought sound journeys, dialogue circles, and campfire stories by Will Gowen. A celebratory evening Talent Show & Auctions closed the day.

Thursday, August 7 – Harvesting, Celebrating & Looking Ahead

The final day of IDEC@EUDEC 2025 was a beautiful convergence of reflection and anticipation. From 10 AM to 12 PM, the Closing Ceremony brought everyone together in a joyful celebration of all that had been co-created. It was a moment to honour friendships formed, ideas exchanged, laughter shared—and to carry the spirit of the gathering forward.

Looking ahead, the community mapped out the next steps for our global movement. IDEC2026 will first take place online, hosted by AERO (Alternative Education Resource Organization) in the United States. The in-person IDEC2026 gathering will follow in January 2027, hosted in Thailand to benefit from the better weather. This event will also include the APDEC 2026 conference, merging global and Asia-Pacific voices in democratic education.

Excitingly, IDEC2027 will be hosted in Korea, continuing the movement's vibrant presence in East Asia. Meanwhile, EUDEC2026 will either take place in Slovakia or be held in a hybrid format coordinated through EUDEC’s headquarters in Germany.

The journey doesn’t end—it evolves. And as we closed this chapter, we opened the door to many more.

✨ Why It Matters

What makes IDEC@EUDEC 2025 more than just a conference is its radical invitation to participate. Every attendee steps in not as a passive listener, but as a co-designer of the experience—moving fluidly from thought-provoking forums to hands-on craft sessions, from expert panels to spontaneous music circles. The Open Space breathes with the energy of those who shape it.

Inclusivity isn’t a slogan here—it’s alive in every interaction. Whether through empathy circles, multilingual workshops, or vibrant youth exchanges, voices from all generations, cultures, and backgrounds are not only welcomed but placed at the center. Young people stand beside educators, parents, and pioneers in mutual respect and learning.

This space thrives on a magical mix of inquiry and play. Academic rigor meets dancing feet. Critical conversations are held side by side with laughter-filled theatre games and deep storytelling. It’s a rare balance, where intellect and emotion, structure and spontaneity, coexist and strengthen one another.

Yet, beneath the joyous chaos, everything is deeply grounded in purpose. Around every campfire, within each working group, and through every performance echoes a commitment to democratic values, educational freedom, and societal transformation. This is a community deeply connected to its why.

Each day is an act of collective co-creation. Participants don’t simply show up—they initiate, host, shape, and respond to what’s alive in the moment. The program is a living organism, responsive and emergent, built not by a few, but by everyone.

Cross-horizonal dialogue fuels the space. Youth converse with policymakers, artists challenge educators, and seasoned facilitators hold space for new voices to rise. The boundaries between “expert” and “learner” blur, creating a fertile ground for shared insight.

And perhaps most uniquely, there’s depth through play. The theatre, storytelling, crafts, music, and dance are not entertainment—they are tools of transformation. They bring meaning alive in embodied, memorable ways.

In the end, every moment leads back to something bigger: a democratic purpose. Inclusion, equity, liberation, joy—these aren’t abstract values here. They are practiced, questioned, and lived—together.

“The Open Space at IDEC@EUDEC 2025 wasn’t a schedule—it was a living organism, shaped by curiosity, courage, and communal trust.”

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Words by CollectiveUP’s founder Liliana Carrillo, co-organizer of the IDEC@EUDEC2025 conference.

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