Portland Hosts 2013 International Montessori Congress
Mark your calendar for a very special event!
By David Cannon, Cathy Dorner and Laura Pilkington
Do you have a 2013 calendar yet? Probably not, but these dates will make the effort of finding one worth it!
On July 31 – August 3, 2013 the 27th International Montessori Congress, “Guided by Nature,” will be hosted right here in Portland, Oregon! This is the first International Montessori Congress in the USA in more than 40 years.
Why Portland, you ask?
As a result of the efforts of a volunteer Steering Committee, and staff at the Montessori Institute Northwest (MINW), the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) has designated Portland as the site of this event! Due to the difficulty encountered in setting up a separate 501©3 for the Congress, MINW will house the organization of the Congress, but the Congress itself will be run and organized by volunteers, Montessorians and non-Montessorians alike, from all over Oregon, the United States, and hopefully the world.
During his visit to Portland this past March, AMI’s President, André Roberfroid, informed our community that this International Congress is not primarily an AMI event, but an event for the entire Montessori world, and more. Roberfroid emphasized that this is “not a conference, not a refresher course, not a lineup of speakers,” but something to be experienced with the senses and the emotions as well as the mind. Montessori organizations of all types, and other groups with positive agendas to advance the cause of the child, will be invited to participate in the planning and execution of the Congress. A Congress done well will be transformative for the Montessori movement, as well as the community who hosts it.
On March 15, 2010 Megan Tyne of AMI gave a presentation at MINW about her experience organizing the International Congress in Sydney, Australia and she also provided an historical perspective about Congresses in general. Since many of us in the Montessori community have never been to a Congress and may not know much about them, the following is a brief summary of Megan’s informative presentation.
Since the first Congress in 1929, in Helsingør, Denmark, the Association Montessori Internationale, (founded at that event by Maria Montessori), has offered 26 subsequent Congresses around the world, with one being held approximately every four years.
Congresses provide an open venue for the worldwide Montessori community and their prime purpose is to raise awareness and understanding of the principles and practice of Montessori education and to provide inspiration to all who come. Participants in Congresses have an opportunity to exchanges ideas and reflect on the global implications of Montessori. Congresses are open to all Montessori practices, parents, and anyone interested in the Montessori movement.
Each Congress is, by design, intended to cause movement and action in the international community; evoking the constant evolution of the Montessori movement by building on the intentions and accomplishments of the proceeding Congress. Themes from past Congresses include: Reflective Practice and Spontaneous Living; Champion the Cause of All Children; Education as an Aid to Life; and Maria Montessori: Explicit and Implicit in the 20th Century.
Those attending the March meeting at MINW viewed slides of the 2005 Congress, hosted in Sydney, Australia, and the 2009 Congress, hosted in Chanai, India. Attendees saw music performances, children singing, national and international exhibits, field trips, and a lot of celebration. When you come to the 2013 Congress, be sure to bring your dancing shoes!
Because it is estimated that there will be at least 1300 participants for the conference at the Oregon Convention Center over the four-day course of the 2013 Congress, it is clear that the Congress will require not dozens of volunteers, but hundreds. In addition to having conference room and dining space reserved at the Convention Center for the actual Congress exhibits, a hotel block is being reserved at the downtown Hilton and Executive Tower for Congress attendees to stay at while in Portland. These reservations have been made possible by a grant from Travel Portland.
The Congress will be a great opportunity to show the world some of the wonders of our beautiful Pacific Northwest region. It is quite an honor for our city, state and region to host this major international event. YOU are needed and wanted to make this a successful event. Until there is a separate email account for the Congress, please email Jennifer Davidson (jennifer@montessori-nw.org) with your interest! Once the organizational structure of the Congress becomes a bit more solidified, you will be contacted with more detailed information about your important role in making the Congress a success.
The OMA Board hopes that all our members will take an active role in the development of the Congress over the years, months and weeks to come.
In the meantime, mark your calendar, July 31 – August 3, 2013, International Montessori Congress, “Guided by Nature,” and be thinking about how you’d like to become involved!