‘Taking the Leap’
You can find some answers to this in our book 'You have to dare to do it', with stories from former students of 12 democratic schools in the Netherlands. In 2023, the participating schools conducted many interviews. It was beautiful and moving to meet the former students again and hear what they are doing now and how they experienced their school days. The interviews are alternated in the book with the values of Democratic Education.
We presented the book during the Democratic School Day on June 22, 2024. The first copy was awarded to Jan Bransen (professor of philosophy of behavioral sciences - Nijmegen). On his site you can read about his view on Democratic Education. Keep an eye on this page if you want to be kept informed or subscribe to our newsletter.
Would you like to order the book? Send an email to info@democratischescholen.nl with 'book alumni' in the subject. The price of the book is € 25.00 excluding shipping costs. Collection in Veldhoven or Soest is also possible, please mention this with your order.
As a preview, some quotes from a few interviews:
Marieke van Dalen, 24 years old:
'For me, agriculture is what I want to do all my life, I think. To simply give a piece of earth all your love and care and to be able to share in the wealth that that piece of earth gives back to others, that is something that I support 100% and in which I completely put my heart and soul into it. can. And it's also something that I think will make the world a better place. And especially with that whole agricultural transition story in the background and also a bit of awareness, I think. If you can create such a place and thereby inspire other people and make them more aware of how it can be done, I would think that would be fantastic!'
Else Kranenburg, 21 years old:
'I came to DOE040 because of the opportunity to take an accelerated exam, but I soon discovered that I could learn much more here than just exam material. I stayed for four years and learned a lot about collaboration, decision-making, responsibility and about myself. This is education where there is room to develop yourself and discover how you learn. Education should not be seen as 'preparation' for society, education is society and that is what DOE040 shows! I would like it if more students, parents, team members and others could experience this.'
