Kortrijk | 5 & 6 September 2024 | Free
For the first time, the Living Summer School will be hosting a conference in parallel to its yearly summer school program. This will bring together European educators & youth workers from the margins of academia to share knowledge, insights and experiences in informal education in all fields of study.
Academia is slowly becoming less accessible to the outside world, and the spaces and practices of knowledge creation and sharing are rapidly changing. Different formats are emerging, mixing education, experimentation and practice across professions and geographies.
From seasonal schools to residencies, hackathons, laboratories, floating universities, construction camps etc. different modes of bringing knowledge sharing to the real world are being explored. Temporary and long lasting initiatives are redefining what it means to be a student and a teacher, and where the class room is in the first place.
05 sept. 2024
- 3 Panel Sessions: 9 am to 5 pm
(These sessions are for all panel authors who have been invited to join the sessions, and guests who have registered in advance)
- Public Forum: 5 pm to 7 pm
(free and open to the public)
- Drinks and Networking: 7 pm to 12 am
06 sept. 2024
- Workshop: 10 am to 15 pm
(For panellists and registered guests)
Join the Public Forum!
5 pm to 7 pm
The public forum will be an important moment to meet a wide range of people interested and envolved in informal education in Flanders and across Europe. We will be presenting the main takeaways from the day-long panel sessions, and the ongoing activities of our students and local partners. We will open conversations relevant to participants, and end on a party to continue exchanging ideas in an informal context.
For more information about this year’s summer school see here.
Save the date for the Living Conference 2024—an event where informal education takes centre stage, and meaningful connections are made. We can't wait to see you there!
Location: Bolwerk, Spinnerijstraat 105, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium
REGISTER HERE!
Call For Abstracts & Participation
Panel Sessions & Workshop
Kortrijk, Belgium | 5 & 6 September 2024
Deadline to apply: 1 May
The Living Summer School is pleased to invite proposals for short papers (max. 3000 words) for a research conference on informal education. We are looking for contributions that would share practices, insights, challenges and opportunities linked to education outside or at the margins of academia. Contributions can cover any field such as architecture, urban planning, social and environmental justice and youth work, innovation, entrepreneurship etc... Authors are asked to bring forth novel ideas and inspirational practices that will be shared and discussed with a range of European and Flemish audiences.
Authors are expected to share their final paper no later than the 19th of August to give all panellists and conference participants time to read through the contributions. The final papers will be published in a conference book shortly after the conference, and made available online on the website of the Living Summer School.
Event Description:
What better way to share knowledge on informal education than through an informal conference?
Participants in the panel sessions will hold their panels in the different partner sites that our Summer School program will be working on in parallel. This will allow participants to discover our summer school program and the inspiring work our local partners are doing. A bus will be organised to transport the entire group from site to site. To learn more about these sites visit the summer school event page.
Each of the 3 panels will bring together researchers, educators, social workers, architects, young entrepreneurs etc. who all share a passion for the conference topic, and will be moderated by members of the LSS team. The panels will be held outdoors, making use of the natural settings of the sites we will be visiting. Panellists will be sorted into their panels by the LSS team depending on the content of their contributions.
The panel sessions will end on a public forum, where the key findings of the day will be shared with a wide public, alongside a keynote presentation and a roundtable session. Finally, the first day will culminate in a party so that participants can continue to exchange informally.
The second day of the conference will focus on a practical hands-on workshop where panellists and guests will be divided into focus groups and lead concrete discussions using design thinking methodologies that will be facilitated by expert facilitators.
Conference theme:
Academia is slowly becoming less accessible to the outside world, and the spaces and practices of knowledge sharing are rapidly changing. Different formats are emerging, mixing education, experimentation and practice across professions and geographies. From seasonal schools such as spring or winter schools to residencies, hackathons, laboratories, floating universities, construction camps etc. different modes of bringing knowledge sharing to the real world are being explored. Temporary and long lasting initiatives are redefining what it means to be a student and a teacher, and where the class room is in the first place.
We invite you to take a step back on your own practices or experiences in informal education and question methodologies, values, success stories, failures, challenges, opportunities in informal education. We also welcome historical and prospective insights, ongoing research projects as well as non-formal non-academic contributions.
Selection Process:
Selection for participation in the conference will occur throughout the month of May. The process will be a collaborative effort involving the Living Summer School team, along with our local site partners Bolwerk, Heerlikheid Van Heule, and Wilderbras, as well as our esteemed education partners Constructlab, Fablab Torino, and Forecast.
In evaluating submissions, we will consider the ideas presented in the texts, assessing their alignment with the conference program and their potential contribution to the broader discussion at hand. The LSS team will design the panel sessions by grouping together relevant speakers.
Non-standardised non-academic contributions such as image essays, poems, narratives etc. are all welcome!
Eligibility:
Everyone is welcome to apply!
We welcome persons of all ages, professional and academic backgrounds, and fields of study. This will be a pluridisciplinary event, sharing knowledge across fields such as architecture, art, tech, music, urban planning, design, social work, academia, youth work, entrepreneurship etc.
Participants need to have hands-on experience in organising or participating in informal education initiatives and present compelling insights.
The papers and panel sessions will be in English.
Costs & Expenses:
The entire conference is free!
Housing: The conference will be held in Kortrijk, Belgium, and the Living summer school will cover all housing costs in a hotel room for two nights for contributing panellists. The hotel location will be communicated soon.
Travel: The LSS will provide panel authors with financial assistance covering parts or the whole of travel expenses for European destinations. The final ammount of financial assistance will be confirmed when participants are notified of their acceptance.
Food: We will cover all food and beverages for the days of the 5th and 6th for panellists and guests.
Participants will have access to Bolwerk’s pool, swimming suits are highly recommended!
Application Requirements:
- Bio. This will help us present final panellists in the conference book. PDF, 250 words, max 10 MB.
- Abstract of Paper. The Abstract needs to summarise the key ideas of your contribution. PDF, 500 words, max 10 MB. Only English abstracts will be accepted.
- 5 Keywords.
Deadlines and submission process:
- Registration open: 1 March
- Deadline to submit abstract: 1 May
- Acceptance notification: 15 June
- Final Program Communication: 25 August
- Submission of Final Paper: 19 August
- Arrival in Kortrijk: 4 September (free check in at hotel)
- Conference: 5 & 6 September
- Departure from Kortrijk: 6 september after 15:00
Conference Planning:
05 sept. 2024
- 3 Panel Sessions: 9 am to 5 pm
(These sessions are for all panel authors who have been invited to join the sessions, and guests who have registered in advance)
- Public Forum: 5 pm to 7 pm
(free and open to the public)
- Open Party: 7 pm to 12 am
06 sept. 2024
- Workshop: 10 am to 15 pm
(For panellists and registered guests)
The final program will be communicated in June.
Submit your 500 word abstract by the 1st of May!
Full Scholarship
Informal education for Palestine.
The Living Summer School (LSS) stands against the
ongoing,
unjust and unlawful violence against Palestinians. We believe education is one of the most important means to build sustainable peace across all conflict areas in the world. As an Erasmus+ project, we welcome knowledge sharing between all European based communities, to support all types of education initiatives in vulnerable geographies.
As such, we are looking to involve a panellist with experience in informal education in Palestine, or within the Palestinian diaspora in Europe. The panellists will share insights on their experience, and can meet other European practitioners and researchers to expand their network and knowledge.
In addition to the eligibility criteria mentioned above, the applicants are required to be involved in organising or participating in informal education initiatives in Palestine or within the European Palestinian diaspora. The panellists must be travelling from Europe. Unfortunately the summer school is not in a position to provide applicants with Visas to travel to Europe.
In addition to the financial aid that applies to all panellists, recipients of the scholarship will have full coverage of their transport fees, and one extra night in a hotel.
In addition to the calender for the general panel sessions, receipients of the scholarship are invited to join us in Kortrijk one day earlier to spend the day with us across the different sites.
Arrival in Kortrijk: 3 september 2024
In addition to all the specifications above, Scholarship recipients are requested to mention that they are applying for the scholarship in the application form. A short motivation letter is required of max. 250 is also requested.
As such, we are looking to involve a panellist with experience in informal education in Palestine, or within the Palestinian diaspora in Europe. The panellists will share insights on their experience, and can meet other European practitioners and researchers to expand their network and knowledge.
Eligibility:
In addition to the eligibility criteria mentioned above, the applicants are required to be involved in organising or participating in informal education initiatives in Palestine or within the European Palestinian diaspora. The panellists must be travelling from Europe. Unfortunately the summer school is not in a position to provide applicants with Visas to travel to Europe.
Costs & Expenses:
In addition to the financial aid that applies to all panellists, recipients of the scholarship will have full coverage of their transport fees, and one extra night in a hotel.
Calendar:
In addition to the calender for the general panel sessions, receipients of the scholarship are invited to join us in Kortrijk one day earlier to spend the day with us across the different sites.
Arrival in Kortrijk: 3 september 2024
Application Requirements:
In addition to all the specifications above, Scholarship recipients are requested to mention that they are applying for the scholarship in the application form. A short motivation letter is required of max. 250 is also requested.
