Date: 20th of November 2025 (Thursday), 9:00 – 13:00 CET
Venue: European Parliament, Brussels, room ASP3E2
“Outdoor Learning – Holistic approach to education”
Hosted by:
- Bogdan ZDROJEWSKI, Member of the European Parliament
- Mirosława NYKIEL, Member of the European Parliament
Organised by the Center for Innovative Education
Sign up for the event using the link below:
Schedule and panel descriptions:
9:00 Opening speeches (10 minutes)
Official welcome of guests and introduction to the conference topics. Emphasis on the importance of shaping the culture and identity of European communities and the role of the surrounding environment and nature as allies of modern education:
- Bogdan ZDROJEWSKI, Member of the European Parliament
- Mirosława NYKIEL, Member of the European Parliament
- Joanna BOCHNIARZ, President of the Center for Innovative Education
9:10 Panel 1: Mental health crisis and specific, proven solutions (50 minutes)
How schools – through community engagement and outdoor learning – can support the mental wellbeing of young Europeans, in line with the EU Mental Health Strategy and WHO findings that highlight the importance of contact with nature for emotional balance, concentration and empathy.
- Oana FELECAN, Policy Officer, Directorate General Education, Youth, Sport and Culture of the European Commission
- Jochen RIEHL, Special Educator, Member of the Board of Mühlenkraft e.V., EU network ‘Breaking Barriers’, Lecturer at GSO-TH Nuremberg
- Representative of the ADAMED Foundation
10:00 1:1 Interview on inclusive education summarising First Panel – conversation with Rachel VAUGHAN, Head of Operations, EASPD, Inclusive Education expert (10 minutes)
10:10 Coffee break (20 minutes)
10:30 Panel 2: World outside the classroom and cultural development (50 minutes)
The role of nature and landscape in shaping cultural identity and community spirit – in the spirit of the New European Bauhaus, the Education for Environmental Citizenship programme and UNESCO research, which emphasise the importance of environmental education and intangible heritage as sources of culture, values and social bonds. Panellists:
- Janne FENGLER, Full Professor of Education (Teacher Education), Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences, University of Luxembourg
- Kacper GÓRSKI, student at Liceum III in Gdynia, EFC Foundation scholarship holder
- Catherine MAGNANT, Head of Unit and Deputy Director-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, European Commission (tbc)
11:20 Presentation of the OLHE – Outdoor Learning in Higher Education Project presentation by Maria URBAŃSKA, Centre for Innovative Education (10 minutes)
11:30 Coffee Break (20 minutes)
11:50 1:1 conversation with an expert (10 minutes): Interview with Nils ELOFSSON, Advisor on Social Affairs, BusinessEurope, on identifying the skills increasingly sought after in candidates
12:00 Panel 3: Nature and strengthening the competences needed in the labour market (50 minutes)
Presentation of Outdoor Learning as an effective method for developing key competences for the future – in line with the principles of GreenComp, Europe’s Digital Decade and the OECD’s ‘Future of Education and Skills 2030’ programme – supporting resilience, cooperation, creativity and systems thinking necessary for the competitiveness of the European economy. Panellists:
- Dariusz JOŃSKI, Member of the European Parliament
- Jørgen MOLAND, Co-owner of Trygg av natur and Takle – the Association for Public Health and Life Mastery
- Michał PIOTROWSKI, Senior Strategic Partnerships Specialist, WWF Poland
12:50 Closing speeches (10 minutes):
- Michał KOBOSKO, Member of the European Parliament
- Joanna BOCHNIARZ, President of the Center for Innovative Education
What is NEF?
The New Education Forum (NEF), created in 2015 by the Center for Innovative Education, is a platform for exchanging knowledge, experiences, and contacts in the field of educational innovations. NEF operates throughout Europe, bringing together representatives from over 440 institutions from 21 EU member states: European regions and cities, higher education and research institutions, as well as employers from various industries.
Defining the goals of each event:
- Addressing the most pressing educational issues and challenges at the time and place.
- Finding innovative educational development directions aimed at aligning with labor market requirements.
- Promoting transversal competencies as essential resources for employees.
- Contributing to the improvement of vocational education and its perception.
- Building bridges between EU regions and cities and European institutions regarding the aforementioned issues.
Since the first Forum – co-organized by MEP Prof. Jerzy Buzek, the first NEF Ambassador – 40 regional and pan-European events have been held (including eight annual ones at the European Parliament), attracting over 4,660 participants. We have hosted many distinguished panelists such as in December 2023 Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, and Education Iliana Ivanova, and Markus Beyrer (Director General of BusinessEurope), and previously Tibor Navracsics, EU Commissioner for Education, who opened the first New Education Forum in Warsaw in 2015, Valdis Dombrovskis (EU Commissioner), Montserrat Gomendio (Deputy Director for Education and Skills at OECD), Dominika Bettman (CEO Microsoft Poland), representatives of industry associations such as CEEMET and KLEPA.
So far, NEF has been held across Europe, including in Kraków, Athens, Linz, Gdańsk, Caserta, Edinburgh, Limerick, Santander, Warsaw, Brussels, Vilnius, Poznań, Comillas, Torino, Berlin, Olsztyn, Aberdeen, Opole, Bielsko-Biała, to build a broad coalition for adapting education to civilizational changes, conducting debates and creating valuable partnerships, analyzing local conditions, asking questions and seeking answers, and practical solutions addressing the needs of regional and European labor markets.
For more information, we encourage you to visit:
www.neweducationforum.com
www.ciedu.eu