1. Traveling Conference on Democracy Education
2026-09-22 Four schools from two federal states gathered at the Henriette-Breymann Comprehensive School in Wolfenbüttel for the first traveling conference on democracy education. The event was supported by the Leuphana Innovation Community for School Development and Leadership.
The 1st Traveling Conference on Democracy Education, developed as part of the Leuphana Innovation Community for School Improvement and Leadership, demonstrates how innovative ideas can be put into practice.
The event grew out of the seminar “Education of the Future—A Process of Transformation,” which was held at Leuphana University during the 2024–2025 winter semester. John Dauert, director of instruction at the Henriette-Breymann Comprehensive School and a participant in the seminar, took up an idea proposed by the students for the traveling conference and developed it further together with Gerd Krohn from the Sachsenwaldschule Reinbek and his colleague Martin Wolter from Wolfenbüttel. The topic for the traveling conference was quickly decided, as it is one of the most pressing social issues of our time: democracy education.
First stop in Wolfenbüttel
On September 22, 2026, the time had finally come, and the traveling conference made its first stop in Wolfenbüttel. Twenty-six students from four schools, along with their teachers, took part. The event was supported by the Leuphana Innovation Community for School Development and Leadership. Following an engaging keynote address by Inger Jacobsen from the Technical University of Braunschweig, the students worked in small groups on topics of their own choosing related to democracy education. The focus was on the keynote’s central message: “Democracy is in danger.” The event concluded with Dieter Ruser, who presented the Starke Schule initiative (ISS).
Participants particularly appreciated the cross-school nature of the event, which allowed them to engage in conversation with others about democracy education, exchange viewpoints, and gain new perspectives.
The Sally-Perel-Gesamtschule in Braunschweig has taken up the baton and will host the 2nd Traveling Conference on Democracy Education next year. The Leuphana Innovation Community for School Improvement and Leadership is delighted with this great start and will continue to support the traveling conference in the future!
