IDEC 2009 KOREA Managerial Committee
B1 1344-1 Seocho-Dong, Seoul, Korea
Telephone/Fax: +82 70 7655 6060
Idec2009@gmail.com
http://2009.e-idec.org
Dear Fellow Students, Educators, Parents, and Scholars,
We would like to invite you to an international conference, called IDEC, and we write this letter with much enthusiasm. IDEC has been held every year since 1995 in places, such as Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, UK, Ukraine, and USA. And, at last, in 2009, the conference will be held in South Korea.
IDEC stands for International Democratic Education Conference. The conference seeks to uphold and share the ideas of democratic education, which envisions teachers and students to share an equal standing in the matters of education. We believe that students own the rights to decide how, when, what, where, and with whom they learn. Moreover, they also hold an equal power in contributing to the decision-making of how their organizations are to be run. All this is founded on the bedrock that youths are responsible beings, with concern for others and sound judgements for themselves – qualities that are inhibited when values are superimposed.
Few of the past conferences have been student-run, and in 2009 IDEC, we also aspire a student-run conference. It is supported by a strong national network of Korean alternative educations (PSAE, KPAAE, and SALCN), and, last but not least, its associated schools and learning centres. In 2009 IDEC, we hope to review the current improvements and situations of Korean alternative schools and other countries’ alternative schools. It would be a place for an open discussion concerning the future directions of democratic education, while also addressing the current and future challenges. We endeavour to provide a conference for sharing philosophies, experiences, and practices to bring schools, educators, students, parents, and scholars together as a cohesive community.
Past conferences have attracted over three hundred participants from seven seas. The autonomy of the IDEC organizing committee has made an interesting variety every year, and we wish that you join us in this magnificent event. For the participants, we do provide accommodation and financial assistance. Furthermore, if you choose to stay longer in Korea after the conference, some of our Korean alternative schools may provide accommodation. If you require any of these, please let us know in advance. Furthermore, if you wish to participate, please visit our website, 2009.e-idec.org/en, for the participation form. More details concerning the programs and the organizations are also provided there, but please note that it is still under construction. If you have further enquiries and desire further information, do not hesitate to contact us via email or phone. It would be an honour to have you in the conference to increase empathy among individuals and change the community for the betterment of our students and the society as a whole.
Managerial Committee. IDEC 2009 KOREA
