Education and upbringing in times of war on 18.02.26

Symposium "Education and upbringing in times of war"

on Wednesday, February 18, 2026 (9:00-16:00)

at the University of Kassel (Arnold-Bode-Straße 2, Room 0401)

Warlike conflicts, debates on compulsory military service and various war-related issues are increasingly shaping the everyday lives of children, young people and adults - in many ways, they are also present in schools, youth work and other extracurricular education settings. In view of current global political developments, the question is all the more urgent: How can learning arrangements remain places of peace education, emancipatory political education and critical judgement formation in a field of tension between fear, polarization and security logics? We cordially invite you to the

Participation is free of charge; the event is accredited as further training by the Center for Teacher Education at the University of Kassel.

What exactly do we plan to do?

- Didactic introduction and two workshop phases with practical and scientific relevance (e.g. on flight/trauma & options for action in school, social vs. military defense/civil resistance, "embattled school" and the Bundeswehr in educational contexts, critical media education, conflict analysis in political education).

- Public panel discussion: "...serving the peace of the world!" - Role of the Bundeswehr in schools and society between security policy reality and democratic peace mission.

- Clear focus on concrete perspectives for action for one's own practice - for teachers, school social workers, educational specialists, political educators, students and actors from educational administration and science.

Info & registration

Detailed information and online registration can be found here: https://akademie-hofgeismar.de/event/bildung-und-erziehung-in-kriegerischen-zeiten-fachtag/

Alternatively, registration is also possible by e-mail: akademiehofgeismar[at]ekkw[dot]de - please quote the conference number 26463 (and include your full address). Please register by February 11, 2026; later registrations are possible as long as places are available.