Thoughts about the Third GELYDA Conference, Seoul, South Korea

From the Program Chair and Conference Organizer Sang Hoon Bae, 

Professor at the Department of Education and Provost in the Sungkyunkwan University (South Korea)

The 2026 GELYDA International Conference will take place from June 24–26, 2026 at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul, South Korea. Organized by GELYDA and hosted by the Education and Future Institute and The Korean After-School Study Association (KASSA), the conference will bring together researchers, practitioners, educators, policymakers, and youth development professionals from around the world.

As conversations around youth development, civic engagement, and extended education continue to evolve globally, GELYDA 2026 aims to provide a collaborative international space for sharing research, practices, and emerging ideas across diverse educational and community contexts.

Under the theme, “Building Civic and Community Engagement in Youth Development: A Shared Responsibility of Schools and Extended Education,” this year’s conference will explore how schools, communities, and extended learning opportunities can support young people in developing empathy, civic responsibility, inclusion, and social engagement in a rapidly changing world. The conference will also provide opportunities to discuss how education systems and community-based learning environments are responding to rapid technological and social change, including the growing influence of AI in everyday life. Through presentations, symposia, and international discussions, the conference will explore both current challenges and future directions for the field.

Why Seoul?

Seoul offers a unique setting for GELYDA 2026 — a city where deep historical tradition and rapid innovation exist side by side. As one of Asia’s leading global cities, Seoul reflects both the opportunities and challenges facing education and youth development in a rapidly changing society.

Korea’s educational landscape has experienced significant transformation in recent years, particularly through growing interest in expanded learning opportunities, community partnerships, and student well-being beyond the classroom. This makes Seoul a dynamic setting for international dialogue. Within this city, strong local identity and global connectivity coexist alongside historic tradition and rapid innovation. Participants will have opportunities not only to engage in academic exchange, but also to experience the cultural and social energy of Seoul itself.

The conference will be hosted at Sungkyunkwan University, the oldest university in Korea and an institution that embodies the coexistence of tradition and modernity that defines Seoul itself. Founded more than six centuries ago, Sungkyunkwan University has long stood at the center of Korean education and intellectual life while continuing to evolve as a globally connected and forward-looking university. Located in the heart of Seoul, the university provides a distinctive academic and cultural environment for meaningful international exchange and collaboration throughout the conference. 

Preparing Together

Preparations for GELYDA 2026 have been actively underway through close collaboration between the Korean Executive Committee and GELYDA. Since last year, the organizing teams have met regularly through monthly online meetings, working together across countries and time zones to thoughtfully shape the conference experience.

This ongoing collaboration involved discussions not only around the academic program, but also around how to create an engaging and welcoming environment for participants from diverse backgrounds and regions. The organizing teams continue to work closely together to ensure that the conference reflects the collaborative spirit and international values of GELYDA.

In addition to program planning, considerable effort has been dedicated to creating opportunities for meaningful interaction and exchange throughout the conference. The organizers hope participants will be able to build new connections, share experiences across contexts, and continue conversations that extend beyond the conference itself.

Key Themes & Global Exchange

In this year, researchers and practitioners from Korea, Japan, Australia, Germany, the United States, Iceland, Burundi, and beyond will gather in Seoul. Across their work, several themes keep emerging: civic development and democratic participation, social inclusion and belonging, after-school policy and institutionalization, and the expanding role of AI and technology in young people's lives. If you want to see how different countries and diverse educational actors address these issues, GELYDA 2026 will be a great opportunity for you. Below, we introduce the key symposium sessions where deeper scholarly exchange and discussions will take place.

• Extended Education Around the World

While GELYDA 2026 brings together diverse perspectives from around the globe, Australian sessions feature prominently in this year’s program. These sessions cover a wide range of critical topics, including leadership, professional identity, and children’s social-emotional wellbeing. By addressing these issues from both practical and academic perspectives, these sessions offer valuable insights that can be applied to various educational contexts.

The scholarly exchange expands further with a cross-national symposium. This session brings together cases from Iceland, Florida, and Quebec to examine how community school strategies are implemented under different policy conditions. This comparative approach allows participants to see how similar educational goals are achieved through diverse institutional paths.

• Extended Education in East Asia: Japan and Korea Up Close

For those with a particular interest in East Asian extended education, GELYDA 2026 can be an exceptional opportunity. This year, the program places a special focus on Japan and Korea, two nations increasingly at the center of international discussions on extended education.

The Japanese symposium examines how after-school support is shaped through collaboration among communities, private providers, and municipal authorities. By drawing on case studies from across Japan, participants can see how different actors work together to build and sustain local after-school systems.

The Korean symposia will integrate academic perspectives with practical insights from the field. We have invited teachers, program organizers, and administrators who work directly in after-school settings to share the stories that only they can tell. As the conference is hosted in Seoul, this is perhaps the exclusive opportunity to go beyond what can be found in academic papers and see the actual realities of Korea's after-school landscape.

In addition, the Korea–Japan session places both systems in direct dialogue. This session shows how similar social pressures like demographic change, educational inequality, and growing expectations for after-school programs can lead to different policy approaches and institutional designs.

Given the growing international attention toward East Asian models of extended education, this conference offers a particularly meaningful opportunity to deepen your understanding of how after-school systems are being shaped, challenged, and reimagined in this region.

Come Be Part of GELYDA 2026 

Whether you are a researcher exploring new perspectives, a practitioner seeking ideas that connect directly to the realities of the field, or a policymaker interested in how extended education is evolving across different contexts, GELYDA 2026 will offer a valuable space for dialogue, reflection, and collaboration.

Through presentations, symposia, and conversations with participants from around the world, the conference aims to foster meaningful exchange across research, policy, and practice. We hope this gathering in Seoul will not only deepen understanding of extended education today, but also inspire new ideas and connections for the future. 

This year for the first time we have section in the program for last minute findings, policy initiatives or practice/program innovations. You can sign up to be part of the exchange of ideas until two weeks before the conference and your name will appear in the program.

We warmly invite you to join us in Seoul for GELYDA 2026.

Web: https://www.2026gelyda.com/

Email: 2026.gelyda.conference@gmail.com