Alternative Education Resource Organization (AERO) conferences have been the world’s premier alternative education conference for many years. It is the top gathering place for anyone interested in learner – directed, learner – centred alternatives.

“The Pandemic Has Changed Education: What Will We Do Now?” was the central theme of this year’s edition, a multigenerational event held at the end of June.

The focus was on actions that participants can take to further learner -directed, learner – centred education all over the world. The conference featured youth-led sessions, prominent keynote speakers (Peter Gray, Kate Robinson, Dayna Martin and Ulcaa Jansen), mini-talks, workshops, networking, pop-up sessions, sponsor tabling sessions, and youth collaboration time.

At the 2021 edition, we held a workshop on “The neuroscience of heutagogy” – the next step in the science of education, self-directed learning on its own pace and terms.

This year, we participated with a workshop in which Adriana Vasile (Brăescu) – Founder of Re-Design Association and CEREHARD – and Miruna & Radu Brăescu shared the experience of a different educational path, from a triple perspective, in a society marked rather by suspicion and prejudice towards any kind of education pursued outside the standard system.

“Education Otherwise Than At Standard School (EOTAS) in Romania” is a conversation structured in four parts:

Part 1 – The family’s experience with the standard system, the need to find an alternative form of education, and the beginnings of what had since became CEREHARD. 

Parts 2 & 3 – Questions, fears, searches and unique perspectives – mother and children – relative to this educational journey.

Part 4 – Am I doing the right thing? – sharing experiences with other conference participants.