The Future of Bildung in the Nordics

March 6-7, 2025, på Nordiska Folkhögskolan i Kungälv,
just north of Gothenburg, Sverige

For nordiske undervisere, policy makers, forskere og andre, der arbejder med bildning / bildung / dannelse.

Från vuggestue og dagis til erhvervsskoler, universitet, livslångt lärande och professionel træning på arbejdspladsen; sivistys från vagga til grav.

The conference will be in Scandinavian and English. Preliminary program below.

The Future of Bildung in the Nordics: Serien Online

Hvis du ikke kan vente til marts, er der online-møder i november, januar og februar – mere info om Nordic Bildung Network og vores program her: https://www.globalbildung.net/nordic-bildung-network/

Du finder også Nordic Bildung Network her.


Preliminärt Program Kungälv 6-7 Mars

More details below


Torsdag, 6 mars


10:00-11:45 Pre-Conference bildung opportunities

Please write us at if you would like to present your work in a 45-minute session.

12:00-13:00 Lunch

13:00-14:30 Official opening of the conference:
The Future of Bildung in the Nordics

Welcome by the organizers: Lauri Tuomi (FI), Lene Rachel Andersen (DK), Ludvig Claeson (NO), Kim Hjerrild (DK)

Vem är du och varför är du här? 30 sekunder til alle!

Five short presentations diagnosing Nordic education:

  • Education and AI (speaker TBA)
  • Teens, screens, and well-being (speaker TBA)
  • Lärarrollen och en ny generation av lärare (speaker TBA)
  • Likhet, ulikhet og pedagogikk: Anne Greve (NO)
  • Klimat, hållbarhet och gamla läroplaner (speaker TBA)

14:30-15:00 Fika

15:00-17:30 Keynotes & Conversations

A mix of presentations and group discussion

How could the Nordics benefit from strengthening ’dannelse / bildning / bildung / sivistys in our education systems?
Technology meets The Nordic Secret
Lene Rachel Andersen (DK)

Bildung when the planet is fundamentally changing
Speaker TBA

Is geopolitics any business of ours:
What to make of bildung, education, and democracy in the US?
Speaker TBA

Should we have a Nordic Year of Sivistys?
Highlights from the Finnish Year of Sivistys
Lauri Tuomi (FI)

18:00 Light Dinner

19:00 Fireside Chat & Debate

Frontlines and dilemmas in today’s discussion about dannelse / bildning / bildung
Stefan Hermann (DK)
More speakers TBA

20:00-23:00 Evening Bildungtainment

Drinks, snacks, fællessang, hygge og godnathistorie


Fredag, 7 mars


8:30 Morning Assembly

Coffee, song, and some words about Nordiska Folkhögskolan from headmaster Jonatan Rask (SE)

A update on the survey about the perceived status of bildung in the Nordics. Kim Hjerrild (DK)

9:00-10:00 Parallel Group Discussions 1

Vilken bildning behövs om vi ska stoppa rekryteringen till kriminella gäng?
Speaker TBA

Bildung, eco-bildung and eco-social bildung – Young views on bildung and education for climate action
ReGeneration2030 (Åland)

Bildung across sectors: Hur kan vi samarbeta kring bildning från vagga till grav?
Björn Wallén (FI)

10:00 Fika

10:20-11:20 Parallel Group Discussions 2

The pedagogics of ‘Folkbildung’ in primary and secondary schools
Louis Mogensen (DK)

Adult bildung in the 21st century: Do we all need an upgrade?
Speaker TBA

How to communicate about and grow the Nordic Bildung network
Ludvig Claeson (NO)

11:20 Fika

11:40-12:30 Plenary: Results from the group discussions

Hovedkonklusionerne fra de seks diskussioner

12:30-13:30 Lunch

13:30-15:00 Concluding Session & Constituent
assembly of the Nordic Bildung Network

Discussing the next steps and making a decision about how to organize the Nordic Bildung Network and what kind of activities to have in the coming year.


Tickets

Early Bird full conference package: SEK 3.390,- / € 299,-

Incl. conference, all meals, and accommodation in single room Thursday to Friday; normal price SEK 3.799,- / € 329,-
Same room 1 extra night Wednesday to Thursday or per night over the weekend: SEK 999,- / € 89,-

Early Bird conference only: SEK 1.999,- / € 179,-

Incl. conference and all conference meals; normal price SEK 2.290,- / € 199,-

Conference Thursday or Friday only: SEK 1.299,- / € 119,-

Early bird prices are available until December 31
Ticket sales close on February 21
Tickets will be charged in Euro

Buy ticket now

takes you to nordicbildung.org


Program Torsdag, 6 mars


10:00-10:45 Pre-conference parallel sessions I

Rum 1

Analogize! On the Need for Analogue Bildung in a Digitalized World

Niels Jakob Pasgaard er cand.pæd. i filosofi og lektor ved pædagoguddannelsen i VIA, Danmark

Rum 2

Your presentation here?

Rum 3

Your presentation here?

11:00-11:45 Pre-conference parallel sessions II

Room 1

Your presentation here?

5 pre-conference slots are still open; you will have 45 minutes to present your work, get feedback, host a discussion, or run a workshop; the 45 minutes are entirely yours.

Interested?
Send us an email about what you would like to present and how before December 10 at:


12:00-13:00 Lunch


13:00-14:30 Official opening of the conference: The Future of Bildung in the Nordics

Welcome by the organizers:

Ludvig Claeson
Secretary General at The Adult Education Association of Music in Norway, Norge

Lene Rachel Andersen
Author of The Nordic Secret, President, Nordic Bildung, Danmark

Lauri Tuomi
CEO, the Finnish Life Long Learning Foundation and the official Finnish Year of Sivistys, Suomi

Say hello!
Vem är du och varför är du här?
Alla får chansen att introducera sig i församlingen; 30 sekunder max!

Five short presentations

Education and AI
Speaker TBA

Teens, screens, and well-being
Speaker TBA

Lärarrollen och en ny generation av lärare
Speaker TBA

fotograf Geir Dokken, Første Steg

Likhet, ulikhet og pedagogikk

Anne Greve, Professor i barnehagepedagogikk (NO)

Klimat, hållbarhet och gamla läroplaner
Speaker TBA

Diskussion


14:30-15:00 Fika


15:00-17:30 Keynotes

Three TED talk-style presentations that will leave us with plenty of time for discussion:

Lene Rachel Andersen (DK)
The Nordic Secret 2.0: Why bildung matters

We’re facing a polycrisis of AI, climate change, mass-extinction of species, major structural changes in society, gang shootings, and more. But there is hope! 150 years ago, folk-bildning transformed the Nordics, and we need to learn from that. As educators, we need to step up to the challenges of our time and re-imagine the Nordic secret 2.0.

Speaker TBA
Bildung when the planet is fundamentally changing

What kind of bildung do we need in a very different world? What do the students need and what does society need from us? Is more science the way to go or might there be an extra path?

Speaker TBA
What to make of bildung, education, and democracy in the US?

The world needs bildung. What could the Nordics do? Or should we just stay out of geopolitics?


18:00-19:00 Light dinner


19:00-20:00 Fireside chat and debate

Bring a glass of wine or a beer to this session about Frontlines and dilemmas in today’s discussion about dannelse / bildning / bildung

Stefan Hermann (DK)
Administrerende Direktør i Life Fonden, rektor på Københavns Professionshøjskole 2008-23 og en skarp stemme i den danske debat om dannelse

Speaker TBA)


20:00-23:00 Evening Bildungtainment

Bring another glass of wine or a beer to this session which will include fællessang, hygge og en godnathistorie


Program Friday, 7 mars


8:30-9:00 Morning Assembly

Bring your coffee and start the day with a song and:

Nogle ord om Nordiska Folkhögskolan fra højskoleforstander Jonatan Rask (SE)

Bildung in Nordic Education; update from the survey about the perceived status of bildung in the Nordics.
Kim Hjerrild (DK)


9:00-10:00 Parallel Group Discussions I

Rum 1

Vilken bildning behövs om vi ska stoppa rekryteringen till kriminella gäng?

Speaker TBA

Rum 2

Bildung, eco-bildung and eco-social bildung – Young views on education for climate action, and Finnish views on Eco-social Sivistys

Regeneration 2030 (Åland)

Henrika Nordin, Verksamhetsledare, Bildningsalliansen (FI)

Rum 3

Bildung across sectors: Hur kan vi samarbeta kring bildning från vagga till grav?

Björn Wallén (FI)


10:00-10:20 Fika


10:20-11:20 Parallel Group Discussions II

Rum 1

The pedagogics of ‘Folkbildung’ in primary and secondary schools

Louis Mogensen (DK)

Rum 2

Adult bildung in the 21st century: Do we all need an upgrade?

Speaker TBA

Rum 3

How to communicate about and grow the Nordic Bildung network

Ludvig Claeson (NO)


11:20-11:40 Fika


11:40-12:30 Results from the group discussions

Hovedkonklusionerne fra de seks diskussioner


12:30-13:30 Lunch


13:30-15:00 Concluding Session & Constituent assembly of the Nordic Bildung Network

Discussion of the next steps and a decision about how to organize the Nordic Bildung Network and what kind of activities to have in the Nordiskt Sivistys Netverkid in the coming year.


Nordiska Folkhögskolan, food and accommodations

Skolan grundades i 1947. Bakgrunden var en tid med krig, totalitära regimer och stängda gränser i Norden och Europa. Nu ville man skapa en samnordisk folkhögskola öppen för alla unga människor i Norden.

Läs mera här: https://nordiska.fhsk.se/om-skolan/

Skolen ligger i historiske omgivelser og naturskønt på toppen af klipperne med udsigt til Bohus Fæstningen.

Alle værelser ifm. konferencen har eget bad og toilet, skolen serverer lækker mad, og der er altid veganske og vegetariske muligheder til måltiderne.

Nordiska folkhögskolan
Olof Palmes väg 1
442 31 Kungälv

Please send us an note if you need vegan or vegetarian foold or have other special dietary requirements:

Please write us if you have any questions regarding the conference.

Nordiska Folkhögskolan is close to the freeway, and by public transportationi there is a direct bus 4X from Gothenburg main station.