Why join? / Why renew my membership?

Empowering Democratic Education Across Europe

By joining our growing European network, you become part of a powerful movement to make democratic education accessible and recognized across the continent.

What EUDEC offers to Schools & Founders

Whether you’re an established Democratic School or just starting out, EUDEC provides practical tools, strong connections, and ongoing support to help your school thrive.

For Democratic Schools, EUDEC offers:

• A rich pool of shared knowledge and experience
• Networking with other schools and educators across Europe
• Help to find staff and students who align with your values
• Promotional support through EUDEC’s channels

For Students, 

• • Community & Belonging: Opportunities to organize or join student-led events, forums, and collaborations.

• Support for Future Pathways: The EUDEC Diploma, a supporting document to help graduates apply to universities, academies and jobs

• Real Participation & Leadership, equal voice in EUDEC decisions: Students from member schools can be elected to vote in General Meetings, help shape EUDEC’s policies, and even run for Council or committees. Projects involvement: Join or start working groups on topics that matter to them such as, inclusion, mental health, or educational policy.

• International Networking & Exchange: At StuDEC, apart from the EUDEC conferences, the students of EUDEC schools have their own meeting place once a year, all self-organised, in different countries each. At Youth programme European projects, like YOUDEX, learning, exchanging, and being protagonists of the Changes they want to see.

Beyond Schools: EUDEC in Action

EUDEC is more than a support network for schools — it’s a growing force for educational transformation across Europe.

We work actively to inform policy and build bridges between democratic education and wider social change. Through partnerships, advocacy, and collaboration, EUDEC helps shape the future of education.

Here’s how EUDEC is making a difference:

• Supporting annual conferences on democratic education

• Advising and guiding schools on how to implement more student voice, shared decision-making, and self-directed learning

• Helping families find democratic schools or founding groups that align with their values

• Providing reliable information and research for academics, families, students, NGOs, journalists, and policy-makers

• Collaborating with educational institutions, policy-makers and NGOs across Europe to promote and protect the right to democratic education

EUDEC & European Funding

EUDEC actively engages in European funding programmes such as Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe, helping:

• • Build strategic partnerships across borders

• Launch innovative educational projects

• Promote recognition and legitimacy of democratic education in European frameworks

• Support research, mobility, inclusion, teacher training, and youth citizenship

These projects not only strengthen the network but also give EUDEC members new tools, visibility, and influence in shaping educational policy at a European level.

Membership Benefits

• Access to the members-only activities

• Access to our online networking platform (Basecamp)

• Reduced fees for EUDEC’s annual conferences

• Voting rights in EUDEC’s general assemblies and elections

• The right to run for Council or Oversight Committee

• Opportunities to join working groups and projects shaping the future of democratic education