The Global Association of Neohumanist Educators held an international conference July 11-16th on the theme “Neohumanism in Action: Inspiring Wisdom, Courage and Love” in Sinaia Romania with 93 participants representing 27 countries. The conference bought together representatives from universities, ministries of education, important NGOs and many experienced practitioners of Neohumanist education, environmental education and futures studies.
The conference began with an eloquent elaboration of the cosmic story – a new narrative for designing education based on neohumanist perspectives by Professor Kathleen Kesson. It was followed by Eric Jacobson’s presentation on translating that neohumanist vision into reality.
There were initiatives from all over the world displayed in the showcases and practical workshops in the afternoons further amplified the hands-on applications of neohumanism.
The presentations of all the speakers at the morning plenaries gave fresh visions for moving into a future reflecting neohumanist consciousness. Many of the relevant issues facing humanity on the ecological level, how to appropriately harness the potentials of emerging technologies and how to create pathways towards a hopeful future depend on this shift of mindset.
There was a rich exchange and networking between Neohumanist and other practitioners and scholars, exploring possibilities for cooperation and mutual learning. Topics discussed include: macro and micro research studies on the impact of neohumanist education; teacher preparation programs in different regions of the globe; exploring the ways to scale up future conferences to reach a wider audience; strengthening regional hubs of Gurukula network; explaining thematic events on bio-psychology, microvita, prabhata samgiita, education for sustainability and other such areas; and, creating and supporting a platform for younger participants who are imbued with passion for transforming society.
The greatest achievement of the conference was to enhance sweet bonds of friendship among participants, uniting inspiration and energy towards furthering the evolution of neohumanist consciousness on the planet earth.
PROCEEDINGS, VIDEOS, PHOTOS
In the coming weeks, proceedings, video and photos from the conference will be posted.
Those already posted can be identified by looking for the video icon in the schedule.
