IDEA Annual Conference 2026
Education for Liberation: GCE in an Age of Crisis
Date: Wednesday, 24 June, 10.00am - 5.30pm
Location: The Grand Hotel Malahide, K36XT6
Download the full Conference Programme here
This year, IDEA's Annual Conference will take us back to our roots while also looking forward to renewed purpose. Drawing on the radical traditions of Development Education and the legacy of Paulo Freire and other educators, we will be exploring the foundations of education for liberation in the context of our world today.
The conference programme will bring these ideas to life through a diverse range of voices, experiences, and active participation from attendees. Participants will hear a message from Brazilian education leader Madza Ednir and a keynote address from Ukrainian educator Zoryana Pshyk, alongside the panel conversation, Voices for Liberation: Perspectives on Education in an Age of Crisis. The programme will feature music by Palestinian musician Aziz Abushark, a special conversation on love and radical hope with award-winning journalist and author Sally Hayden, and a closing ceremony with contributions from Aziz Abushark and Nima Ashour, with the Blanket for Palestine.
Lunch and refreshments will be provided throughout the day, creating additional opportunities for conversation, reflection, and connection.
Interactive workshops will provide opportunities to explore liberating approaches to Global Citizenship Education in practice. Sessions include Using Drama Methodologies to Facilitate Liberating GCE; Nurturing Educator Reflexivity through Gestalt Theatre; Who in this World Has Access to Pleasure? Emotion and Motivation: Capturing Energy - The Genius of Freire; From Conscientisation to Collective Action: Freirean Dialogues Across Africa and the Diaspora; and South African Singing with African Queens.
We will also host a member social gathering afterwards for those who wish to continue the discussions informally.
Registration 2026
This year's event will be an exciting opportunity for you to connect with others interested in this area and to explore how you can increase the impact of Global Citizenship Education through innovation.
If you have any questions about registration or if, in lieu of payment, you would like to make a contribution by volunteering around the conference, contact us.
- IDEA Member Organisation Ticket - €55.00
- Individual IDEA member - €30.00
- Non IDEA member ticket - €110.00
- Unwaged/student ticket - €5.00
- IDEA member 3 for 2 -
€110.00
Biographies 2026
Keynote Speaker
Zoryana Pshyk
We are delighted to announce Zoryana Pshyk as the keynote speaker for
IDEA Conference 2026, taking place
on Wednesday, 24 June at The Grand Hotel Malahide, Co. Dublin. This year’s theme,
Education for Liberation: GCE in an Age of Crisis, draws directly on Paulo Freire’s legacy to explore the role of Global Citizenship Education in today’s world.
Find out more about Zoryana’s work here:
- ORCID Profile: ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-0252-7020
- International TOGETHERNESS project with TU Dublin
- Author of
A Story from the Margin published in The Adult Learner journal.
Agenda 2026
Workshops 2026
Emotion and Motivation: Capturing Energy – The Genius of Freire
This interactive workshop introduces participants to some of Paulo Freire's most influential ideas, including listening, generative themes, coding and facilitating reflection that leads to action. Drawing on approaches from Training for Transformation, participants will experience practical tools for fostering dialogue, collective learning and grassroots leadership in educational and community settings.
Facilitator:
Peter Dorman has worked in community development and education for over 40 years and has been involved with Partners Training for Transformation for four decades.
