Starting a democratic school
Our goal is to expand democratic education in Ireland. There are a lot of things to get a democratic school started. That's why we are here to help. Below is a snapshot of the steps to get started.
Find other people who can go on this journey with you. Set up requirements to become a founder. Decide on how you wish to communicate, meet and make decisions (majority voting? Systemic consensing? etc.)
Build a community
We compiled a list of resources so you can better understand the various aspects of self-directed education.
Understand the model
Most our member schools run open days or founders' days, where you can visit the school and have your questions answered. This is an invaluable opportunity to learn about the model. Please check out the websites of our member and candidate schools, and also our events page.
Visit a school
Who is your target audience? What legal form will your school it adopt? What fees will it collect (or how will it function without fees)? What location will it operate from? What venue? These are some of the questions you must answer, and then turn your answers into an action plan.
Create a plan
When you have completed the steps outlined above, please contact us. Democratic school projects that have made a good progress towards their goal, and have become a legal entity (a club, a company, a cooperative, etc.) may join Democratic Education Ireland, and get access to our discussion board to seek more information and support.