At the time of writing, a church asylum is taking place in the city where I live: a family is taking refuge in a church and is safe there as long as a service is being held. This is necessary because the Dutch government has failed to develop effective policies to protect well-rooted asylum-seeking children. This is one example of societal injustice that calls for change – and every country has its own. But how do young people find the courage to take that first step toward making a difference?
If you want to feel empowered to take your life into your own hands and shape society in a positive way, it is essential to first understand who you are – and to be able to talk about it with others. This workshop supports both through two practical methods, also suited for classroom use. From different angles, participants explore what they believe, what they stand for, and why.
The first method focuses on values. Values underpin our standards and ideally guide our actions. In this activity, participants reflect on their core values, their origins, and their significance. Dialogue with others plays a key role, as it helps to sharpen insights and broaden perspectives.
The second method centers on personal worldview. Does it begin with a God—or not? How does that influence one’s self-image, view of others, and outlook on life? Participants take their place in a circle and engage in conversation about their personal philosophies.
Both methods can be adapted depending on the level of safety and openness in the group. They help students become more self-aware and better understand how they relate to the world. In doing so, they become more equipped to face the challenges and uncertainties of our time.

Our workshop “Empowerment of Teachers – Creating Space for Collaborative Learning” is aimed at teachers both in schools and at universities.
Together, we want to explore how empowering teachers of RE can help make them more resilient to current and future challenges and design future-oriented RE that can also address the challenges of the digital age. Following the motto “Those who are empowered can empower others,” the goal of our workshop is to strengthen teachers in schools and universities so they can approach their teaching with confidence, creativity, and critical reflection – thus enabling them to empower their students.
Additionally, the workshop aims to equip educators to create a learning-friendly and inspiring environment by intentionally integrating community, complexity, compassion, and commitment into their teaching. The workshop will provide space for reflecting on one’s own teaching practice, thinking ahead, exchanging ideas with colleagues from across Europe, and inspiring one another. During the workshop, we will share our experiences and engage in dialogue, incorporating perspectives from different European contexts. We will also explore RE within the context of the culture of digitality, recognizing that empowerment is essential for both educators and learners in this domain, and that there is significant potential in this area.
By the end of the workshop, you will leave with a well-filled suitcase of ideas, tools, and methods. We believe that our workshop offers a unique opportunity to not only deepen our own teaching practices but also foster a network of empowered educators ready to shape the future of RE in a rapidly changing world.

In this workshop we will present the findings of the international ChaPTheR-project (2023-2026), dealing with the moral agency and spiritual integrity of children in situations of distress. We investigated with an international group of scholars (theologians, educationalists, developmental psychologists, trauma experts, etc.) how religious and worldview traditions can promote children’s integrity and agency to act resiliently in society with its current challenges. The specific research focus is on the contribution of children to the “semantics for the future”. More specifically their perception and language are at stake, as well as their collaboration in theological research, dealing with the disruptive character of the societal challenges. In the workshop we will discuss the project and the findings of the expert seminar at the University of Bonn (April 2025) (see: https://www.ktf.uni-bonn.de/faecher/religionspaedagogik/forschung/seminar-chapther). We will invite the participants to creatively engage with the topic, relying on their own experiences and expertise.

RE educators have long aspired to address the sources of conflict in and between cultures as well as individuals, but have often failed in this noble ambition. This workshop offers a philosophical analysis of misunderstandings as a source of conflict, and offers empowerment through active listening.
Taking inspiration from Gottlob Frege’s philosophy of language (“On Sense and Reference” 1892) this practical teaching session models a critical approach to hermeneutics, starting from an analysis of apparently simple statements (in which the explicit is often mistaken for clarity, while the implicit is overlooked completely).
The session moves on to consider familiar, traditional religious narratives, which have also been misunderstood in their deceptive simplicity. The aim of the session is to highlight, explore and understand the sources of misunderstandings between people: (cultures and individuals), and thereby contribute to an informed approach to dialogue which empowers through listening, rather than speaking.
Participants will be invited to share familiar narratives from religious traditions, and to offer individual interpretations, with a view to exploring how misunderstandings can arise.
Drawing on a background in RE teaching at all levels, (from Primary, through Secondary, Tertiary and adult education) as well as on the principles of conflict resolution, this session hopes to illustrate the saying “if you want a new idea, read an old book”.

[“Über Sinn und Bedeutung”], Zeitschrift für Philosophie und philosophische Kritik, vol. 100 (1892),

RE is a subject that involves a variety of contested narratives and controversial issues. Recent research reveals that teachers sometimes hesitate or avoid teaching these issues, as they may find it challenging to deal with controversies in the classroom. The workshop will draw on our experiences from the Erasmus+ project ConCitizen – Contested Narratives and Controversial Issues in Citizenship Education – which explored possibilities and challenges when teaching these topics in post-conflict and diverse societies.
Our workshop is structured as station-based learning, where participants will explore the workshop topics in smaller groups. Participants will engage with practical approaches to teaching controversial issues and contested narratives at three different stations. We will address questions such as:

• Which controversial issues does RE involve?
• How do we include multi-perspectivity when addressing controversial issues?
• How inclusive can a classroom be to different topics?
• Where do we draw the line regarding the types of expressions we are willing to tolerate in our classrooms?

We will work with case studies to explore different teacher positions and practice the art of engaging in dialogue and questioning in relation to those with whom we may disagree. The aim of the workshop is to empower teacher-educators and teachers to help students to deal with these topics and be able to live in communities of disagreement without leading to polarization and crises. The ability to engage in dialogue on controversial issues is a key competence in a democratic educational institution and essential for building strong and diverse societies.

Through ethnographic classroom studies at three different Danish public schools, I have in my ongoing Ph.D. researched students’ participation opportunities in RE. What empowers students’ access to participation and what hinders it in this subject? By increasing students’ participation opportunities, both academic achievement and inclusivity can be enhanced. Student participation does not ensure academic achievement, but it is a prerequisite for learning. Participation empowers students and offers them a space to learn about and discuss issues that have both public and private significance. However, the empowerment depends on how knowledge production in the classroom takes place. Based on Basil Bernstein’s (1924-2000) microsociological conceptual architecture, this knowledge production and the recontextualization that takes place in the institutionalized practice of the school is examined.
My research studies have looked at the relationship between the way religion is constructed in the classroom in an interaction between teachers and students, and the students’ participation opportunities. Four main discourses have been identified and they all have didactic strengths in relation to student participation. However, they also all contain several participation dilemmas related to the complex field of RE. The workshop will facilitate a discussion of participation and these participatory dilemmas and point to a didactic model for strengthening students’ participatory opportunities in RE.

How can we prepare students to navigate the complexities of diverse classrooms with confidence, empathy, and commitment? This interactive workshop introduces a board game designed for initial teacher training, where participants engage with characters from different ethnic and religious backgrounds.
Through gameplay and discussion, we will explore how the game can be used as a tool for fostering inclusive teaching strategies, critical thinking, and meaningful dialogue about diversity in education. Participants will reflect on practical ways to integrate the game into teacher training programs and/or also in schools with students, ensuring it empowers both educators and students.
Experience the power of play in shaping more inclusive and compassionate classrooms!

This workshop examines the relationship between human dignity and the cultivation of virtues, addressing the question: How do virtues contribute to the affirmation and empowerment of human dignity in the contemporary context of moral uncertainty? Employing a philosophical-theological framework, I argue that virtues constitute a fundamental means of preserving and promoting human dignity at both individual and societal levels. Theoretical insights suggest that a life guided by virtues such as gratitude, justice, and responsibility, creates the necessary conditions for ethical conduct and facilitates the recognition and protection of the intrinsic value of every person. Accordingly, the workshop explores how virtuous individuals cultivate meaningful interpersonal relationships and assume moral responsibility, particularly in contexts where human dignity is endangered or violated. In addition, the workshop offers practical recommendations for religious education teachers in primary and secondary schools, emphasizing the integration of virtue formation into educational curricula to support the moral development of students. I will conclude that systematic ethical formation rooted in the cultivation of virtues is essential for the authentic empowerment of human dignity and the advancement of a culture of mutual respect in interpersonal relationships.