The Adolescent is a newborn social being quite different from the child in the previous stages. (S)he is a social and economic explorer and experiences a period of sensitivity to personal dignity and social justice. The Adolescent is discovering who (s)he is, what (s)he is good at, and how (s)he can be useful to the world. Adolescents do not accept the world as it is, but are ready to change it. This new phase brings new challenges, new abilities, and also requires a new environment.

Our task is to support adolescents in developing social and economic independence and to provide them with opportunities to use the functional, intellectual and moral autonomy gained in the first two phases of development. This includes the implementation of elements such as real work, production and exchange, looking after and running of a common household, accounting, freedom of study, peace and solitude, or space for sharing and self-expression.

With the theme "Small and Big Steps towards The Adolescent Programme", the conference aims to reflect on the fundamental questions that we need to think about while setting up an adolescent community. What needs to be respected in adolescents? How to prepare the environment to meet the essential needs of students in the third stage of development? What gives them a sense of belonging and meaningfulness? What are all the parts of the day-to-day life of the community? What contexts should we not leave out?

During his talk, Paul Pillai will share his first five years of valuable experience in building adolescent community. During the community work we will share our experiences with each other and discuss the most pressing topics of this period. Ample space is also prepared for your questions.