In a rapidly changing world, it's more important than ever that children and young people are equipped with the tools necessary for navigating the demands of a shared democratic life.  In response to this demand, for the last several decades practitioners of 'Philosophy with Children' (PwC) have stressed the essential role that opportunities for dialogue, critical reasoning, and empathetic understanding play in empowering young minds and fostering the emotional intelligence needed to live a flourishing life with others.  Despite demand from educators, however, opportunities for philosophical education within NI remain limited.

By bringing together world-class academic researchers on philosophical education, (primary and secondary) educators, school leaders, PwC facilitators, NGOs, and policymakers, this Conference aims to showcase the benefits of philosophical education and to explore the potential role it might play in shaping pedagogical practice in the region.  During this event, you will hear from experts who have researched the effects of philosophical education for children, as well as educators and trained facilitators who have success in bringing philosophy to their classrooms.

The event may be of particular interest to those who work in areas of religious, PDMU, citizenship, and critical thinking education, or who work on projects relating to shared, integrated, and post-conflict education. 

Confirmed speakers

Dr Laura D'Olimpio (University of Birmingham)

Kevin McArevey (Holy Cross Boys' Primary School, Belfast)

Professor Nadia Siddiqui (Durham University)

Dr Jane Gatley (Swansea University)

We will also hear from the creators of documentary Young Plato about their project with Thinking Changes. 

This event is co-hosted by The Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice and the School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics, Queen's University Belfast.

The featured image has been used courtesy of 愚木混株 cdd20, Unsplash.