What is APDEC?

APDEC was born from IDEC（International Democratic Education Conference）. IDEC is the conference where youth and adults concerning to democratic education come together once a year. Participants share their experiences and discuss about the current issues. Through the IDECs, the participants from Asia and Pacific area want to have regional gatherings and more. We share similar situations more less than all the international situations and moreover, we are neighbors.

APDEC Indonesia 2025

18th to 24th July 2025

Get ready—APDEC is your canvas for the future of education! This isn’t just a conference—it’s an invitation to dream, disrupt, and design what’s next. Imagine bold ideas, groundbreaking collaborations, and the freedom to explore education like never before. Connect with visionaries, creators, and changemakers from across the Asia-Pacific and beyond.

At APDEC 2025, we’re breaking barriers, challenging traditions, and crafting a world where learning is limitless. Together, we’ll spark fresh ideas, explore bold solutions, and build an educational future that inspires and empowers all.

inadec.org

HISTORY

IDEC/APDEC 2024 in Taiwan

20th to 28th July 2024

From July 20 to 28, 2024, the International Democratic Education Conference (IDEC2024) was held for the first time in the Chinese-speaking world, with events taking place in both Taipei and Yilan, Taiwan.

In Taipei, a two-day education expo was held under the theme “Building a Sustainable New Generation,” featuring talks and dialogues by over 50 educators and scholars.

In Yilan, more than 300 participants from across Asia, Europe, and Oceania gathered for seven days of learning through Open Space sessions and workshops led by the participants themselves.

twdec.org/en/idec2024

IDEC Nepal 2023

15th to 20th October 2022

APDEC2023 was held in Katmandou, Nepal.
This APDEC was also IDEC2023.

Sri Aurobindo Yoga Mandir is the host of APDEC/IDEC 2023. They are a family of 170 children and 50 adults from different parts of Nepal living together, adhering to the principle “All Life is Yoga”.

APDEC/IDEC　From October 15h to 20th 2023

Himalayan IDEC 2.0　From October 20th to 23rd 2023

idecnepal.org

Summerhill Festival of Childhood/ IDEC2022

5th to 10th of August 2022

Summerhill School is the oldest existing democratic school in the world. This event was going to be held in 2021 as an in person event. Because of the world pandemic of COVID, it is postponed to this year.

People come together from many parts of the world and celebrate 101 year of Summerhill. IDEC and other DECs join this celebration. Of course, APDEC is one of these. We will have the APDEC meeting.

Online Summerhill Festival of Childhood and IDEC2021

30th September to 5th October 2021

To mark Summerhill School’s centenary and to celebrate childhood the online Summerhill Festival of Childhood and IDEC2021 will take place from 30th September to 5th October 2021.
APDEC is one of the contributors.

In the festival, there will be 6 days of workshops, presentations, lectures, art performances, film screenings, interactive games and table discussions.
IDEC 2021 will form part of the Summerhill Festival of Childhood online event.

Web APDEC/IDEC 2020(Nepal)

From October 23rd to November 9th
APDEC2020 was held on the WEB organized by Nepali committee.
This APDEC was also IDEC2020.
They were going to host IDEC/ APDEC 2020 in Nepal. Due to the global pandemic, this event was cancelled. It was scheduled to take place in Ashram in Kathmandu, Nepal.
The participants joined from many parts of the world. The number was estimated to be about 280.

Sydney APDEC(2019)

APDEC2019 was held in Sydney Australia from 15^th till 20^th July. The venue belongs to the national park. We enjoyed lots of conversations and rich nature. We spent two days at Currambena School and Kinma School during conference. All the participants moved to these two schools each day. This year is the special year for Currambena people because of 50 year anniversary. Thank you for great organizers, especially Currambena people.

https://www.apdec2019.org/

INDIA APDEC(2018)

APDEC2018 was held in Bangalore, India. ECC is the name of the conference site. It has rich nature. We enjoy birds singing and pleasant breeze. This APDEC was also IDEC2018. The participants are from many parts of the world.

We could hear the children anytime through the conference. Many children were from India, Nepal, etc.

TOKYO APDEC(2017)

TOKYO APDEC was held in August 2017. Japan Free School Network and Shure University organized TOKYO APDEC. So many people participated this conference from more than 15 countries. We shared regional situation and individual school activities each other.

TAIWAN APDEC(2016)

TAIWAN APDEC was held in July,2016 at Holistic school which is Democratic school in Taiwan. This is the first APDEC. The Graduates of Holistic School organized this conference. We had hart warming meetings and good communication.