The Institute of Education
at
Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland,
is honoured to host the conference:
The Relevance of Religious and Values Education
for the Individual and Society Today
The Twenty-fifth Session of ISREV
– International Seminar on Religious Education and Values
from Sunday, 25 July 2027 to Friday, 30 July 2027
Contemporary societies are becoming increasingly secular and simultaneously characterised by profound worldview diversity. Social media, mental health challenges, migration, ecological crises, and political conflicts contribute to young people’s experiences of meaninglessness and unsettle their sense of identity and belonging. Young people are also subjected to strong educational and societal expectations to achieve success. In this context, the role and purpose of religious and values education are being actively questioned. At the same time, research across multiple disciplines highlights that human flourishing requires attention to spiritual well-being, ethical formation, and holistic approaches to human development. Democratic societies depend on morally autonomous individuals capable of critical reflection, dialogue, acceptance of plural lifestyles, and responsible agency. How can we argue the contribution of Religious and value education to these aims by supporting the search for meaning, cultivating ethical reasoning, and fostering intercultural understanding?
This seminar invites scholars to examine the contemporary relevance of religious and values education from sociological, philosophical, theological, and educational perspectives. We welcome conceptual analyses, empirical studies, and methodological reflections that illuminate how religious and values education can respond to current societal challenges and contribute to individual and collective well-being.
Plenary Speakers
- Prof. Petro du Preez – Department of Curriculum Studies, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
- Dr Patricia Hannam – School of Education, University of Exeter, United Kingdom
- Prof. Hanan Alexander – Centre for Jewish Studies, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America
- Dr Mariusz Chrostowski – Faculty of Theology, Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Germany