Background
K.R.Ä.T.Z.Ä.
The KinderRÄchTsZÄnker are a Berlin youth group dedicated to equal rights for children and adults. They point out that human rights are valid for every human being, regardless of age. They demand that children should have the right to vote, and oppose authoritarian parenting but above all they want a voluntary school system, in which children will enjoy learning.In their search for existing alternatives they have visited democratic schools around the world. In the summer of 2005 K.R.Ä.T.Z.Ä. organised the 13th IDEC, in Berlin. K.R.Ä.T.Z.Ä.
IDEC - International Democratic Education Conference
The interviews in this film took place at the 2005 International Democratic Education Conference (IDEC) in Berlin. There have been IDECs every year since 1993, dedicated to schools which are organised in a totally democratic way, schools where the students decide individually what, when, how and with whom they will learn, and joint decisions are made on the principle of "one person, one vote". There are already schools like this in many different countries, and most of them are very success-ful. After the IDECS in Japan, Israel, New Zealand, the United States and India, IDEC 2005 took place in Berlin. More than 200 young people, staff members and other experts came from 28 different countries. In the film these people talk about their experiences and express their opinions. IDEC 2005 Berlin
Næstved Fri Skole
Næstved Fri Skole was founded in 1998 by a group of parents wanting an alternative to the traditional Danish schoolsystem. It functions under the Danish free school law and is mainly statefunded.
Today it has 84 students and has a steady growth.
The basic idea and structure of the school were modelled after the Sudbury Valley School in Massachusetts, U.S.A.
We call our school a School on Purpose and it´s based on the following principles
- People learn best when they do so on purpose.
- Mutual freedom is an absolute condition of a genuine community.
- People that experience respect for being who they are, can relate respectfully to others.
- Man has a fundamental desire to be part of a community.
- Kids are all little geniuses with each their talents and they do not all need to learn the same.
- A democratic structure has so far shown to be the best structure to deal with freedom.
As adults we work on maintaining a community to allow for the following processes to take place:
- Obtaining a good understanding of own needs, wants and wishes.
- Obtaining a good understanding of demands and expectations of the school community and the society at large.
- Obtaininge the established feeling of safety that allows you to have faith and see the meaning of the school community and the society at large.
- Obtaining autonomy allowing you to make experiences with the free will and the limitations of the school community and the society at large.
More information
For more information please visit the following websites.
AERO - The website of the Alternative Education Ressource Organisation
IDE - The Institute for Democratic Education in Israel
Sudbury-Schulen - Sudbury-Schools in Germany
BVNL - Bundesverband Natürlich Lernen e.V.