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Puerto Rico Mango, found only in the mountains of Puerto Rico’s El Yunque National Forest
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Have you registered yet?
You had until today, Three King’s Day (January 6th), to take advantage of our Early Bird Special and save $200 off your registration fees!
However, as the Puerto Rican holidays extend 8 more days after the arrival of the Three Kings, in a celebration called “Octavitas” (it is said that Puerto Rican holidays are the longest ones worldwide), we are offering an additional time frame for you to take advantage of the special. You now have until January 14. Hurry up, register for IDEC 2012!
* From January 15 to February 14, fees will be $350.00/$200.00 (adult/student) as a love and friendship present.
* After February 15 and until March 8, they will be $400.00/$250.00, in celebration of International Workers Women Day.
* After March 8, we will only offer our regular fees of $500.00/$300.00.
Hurry up! We want you to join the conversation at IDEC 2012. See you soon!
Find more about all the registration options and rates here.
Questions? Ask register@idec2012.org
Who’s coming to IDEC? 28 Countries are already represented–is yours?
Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Bolivia, Canada, China, Congo, Ecuador, England, Germany, Ghana, Haiti, Holland, India, Indonesia, Israel, Mexico, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, South Africa, Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States.
“The idea of liberation and democratic education is directly tied with the future of Puerto Rico.” -Scott Nine, Executive Director of IDEA
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Scott Nine (right) with Lourdes Aponte of the Alliance for Alternative Education, Mayor Torres of the host city of Caguas, and Justo Méndez Arámburu of Nuestra Escuela.
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It’s hard not to be inspired by the beauty and warmth of Puerto Rico. Undoubtedly, for international participants, these are two good reasons to come to the Island for the International Democratic Education Conference in March 2012. But, that is very far from everything Puerto Rico has to offer IDEC.
Scott Nine has been living in Puerto Rico with his family since September and he believes the IDEC offers an “opportunity to change the conversation” about education in a country hosting the conference for the first time. Nine is the Executive Director of IDEA and is helping in the organization of the Conference. He sat down for an interview to discuss his thoughts on what the IDEC can mean for Puerto Rico.
“It’s a very uncertain time,” says Nine. “This conference has the opportunity to change the conversation, establish a new level of discussion. In many senses, this might be the perfect place. The political and historical situation of Puerto Rico, its political dynamics… being part of the United States, and at the same time a country in its own right, Puerto Rico creates a connection between North American and Latin American countries. It is a bridge. Besides, the idea of liberation and democratic education is directly tied with the future of Puerto Rico, regardless of whether you’re pro-statehood or pro-independence for the island. The conflicts on the island provoke an awakening, provokes change. As Paulo Freire said, ‘conflict is the midwife of consciousness’. It is very possible that the conference itself will offer something for Puerto Rico”.
In the case of the Puerto Rican archipelago, remembers Nine, the analysis of its centralized learning system is also interesting. “Here, you have only one school board for almost a million students and 4 million citizens. There are big disconnects between the values of Puertoriquenos for self-governance and the almost non-existent interactions they have with the school system. And there are also huge cultural differences between what the US Department of Education evaluates as successful learning and what is relevant to the lives of Puerto Ricans.”
Asked about what democratic education has to offer the situation, Nine says, “Democratic education is a conversation that has deep history and is also just getting started. There is not a final definition – and that is good because inherent in its ethos is the idea of evolution and relevance. But, if democratic education is about learning that matters in the daily lives of youth, learning that can liberate students and families from violence, and learning that is alignmed with the day to day governance of cities – then Puerto Rico is as powerful a place for it flourish as any I’ve seen with my own eyes.”
“In my time in Caguas and across Puerto Rico, I see deep connections being made between democratic education, human rights, local and sustainable economic development, and youth and community organizing. I hope that people who attend the IDEC are able to capture a snapshot of what is happening here and make a contribution to a powerful conversation that can have real impact even after participants return home.”
Group Rates
Want to come to IDEC 2012 in good company? Now you can enjoy a 10% discount if you register as a group of 5 persons or more.
Take advantage before this special ends. Sign up now, here.
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