2026 GELYDA Conference

in Seoul, Korea​​

Great Success and More To Come

 

GELYDA and the Education and Future Institute at Sungkyunkwan University hosted a successful hybrid conference June 24 to 26, 2026, at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul, Republic of Korea. Under the theme "Building Civic and Community Engagement in Youth Development: A Shared Responsibility of Schools and Extended Education," the conference brought together more than 120 researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and NGO leaders from 15 countries. Across the three days, attendees were able to visit local extended education programming, tour Seoul and participate in engaging conference sessions. Ninety-one presentations were featured, including 39 symposia and 52 individual papers. The conference marked an important milestone as the first GELYDA conference held in Asia.

 

Three keynote speakers were featured during the conference, inspiring perspectives from policy, education, and practice. Professor Shin-il Kim (Former Deputy Prime Minister of Korea) demonstrated how Korea’s after-school programs have evolved into a national policy agenda through sustained governmental leadership and public investment. Professor Seong-Yeol Kim (Vice-Chairman of The Korean National Commission for UNESCO) invited attendees to reflect on the role of democratic citizenship education and the unique contribution of schools and extended education programs. Denise Montgomery (Founder, Global Centre for Creative Youth Development) introduced the vision of Creative Youth Development, presenting exciting new possibilities for future research and practice.

 

The conference featured many memorable sessions, including country-focused discussions on after-school programs in Korea, Japan, Australia, and China. For the first time in GELYDA's history, a Korea–Japan Joint Symposium enabled meaningful comparative dialogue between two neighboring countries. UNESCO colleagues were also welcomed through their hybrid session focused on democratic citizenship education and the role of extended education.

 

The Planning Team is currently preparing conference recordings and materials so please stay tuned for more information. We will also be announcing the 2028 conference location soon so be on the lookout and please plan to join us for our 4th GELYDA in person conference. To receive all the latest about GELYDA make sure to become a member if you have not already (https://www.gelyda.org/membership). Membership, individual or organizational, is free and registration takes less than five minutes to complete.