2023 Australasian Democratic Education Community (ADEC) Conference

Village High School, in South Gippsland, Victoria, is looking forward to hosting the 2023 ADEC Conference being held on 30th Sept / 1st Oct.

We hope as many of you as possible can join us for two days of conversation, connection and learning about democratic education and a multitude of other inspiring topics.

Here are some of the speakers that have been confirmed:

• Lael Stone, speaker, educator (Aware Parenting), author (Raising Resilient and Compassionate Children), school co-founder (Woodline Primary) on the importance of relationship in the work we do.
• Kelly Bettridge, former primary and secondary teacher, practicing psychologist, on supporting neurodivergent children and young people to advocate for themselves in their school and home environments.
• Katherine Phelps, lecturer (LaTrobe Uni), author (Surf’s Up: Internet Australian Style), Systems Analyst with a passion for open source computing and knowledge, now wondering whether AI will be a helpful tool or artificial additive

Here are some of the topics that ADEC members and friends have offered to present on:

• Navigating Autism - as a parent, educator, colleague, individual
• Regenerative Schools - beyond sustainability - what might this look like?
• Small School Finances & Funding - financial statements, budgets, capital works
• ADEC AGM / Strategic Planning - what do ADEC members want us to focus on?

Here are some topics that ADEC members have said they would like to know about:

• Recruitment - attracting, training, retaining educators that match our schools
• Succession Planning - how are other approaching leadership development?
• School start-ups - meeting others on the journey
• Student Agency - what does this look like in your school?
• Enrolment - getting the match right
• Student Feedback - what about, how do you get it, what do you do with it?
• Cross-school activities - camps, sports, drama - who’s interested…?

How does a Democratic Education Conference work?

If you haven’t been to a democratic education conference before, they tend to have a flavour all their own. There is usually a range of speakers organised by the host school and then open space in the schedule for attendees to co-create the program based on what they would like to share and what others would like to learn or be part of.