35 countries were represented as members gathered for the AMI AGM and Montessori Forum in Amsterdam in a weekend full of inspiration.
At the AMI Societies meeting on Saturday morning, new Affiliates from Mongolia, Ukraine, Tunisia and a united Switzerland were welcomed, reports were heard about the work going on in countries including Thailand, China, Australia, Latin America and the USA; there were also updates on the Educateurs sans Frontieres Assembly in Thailand in July (theme: “Sustainable Development, Innovative Solutions”) and the next AMI Montessori International Congress to be held in Prague in July 2017. After the AGM on Saturday afternoon the spirited keynote address was about “Education, Learning and Conflict Resolution” by speakers from the Hague Institute for Global Justice and the University of Amsterdam.
The theme of Sunday’s Forum was “The Forgotten Citizen,” a term coined by Maria Montessori about the child which on this day was extended to other sectors of humanity, in all age groups, who are under-served or at risk. Among the varied presentations were those about work being done with Montessori adolescents, Montessori in sport and the work of the AMI Montessori Advisory Group for Ageing and Dementia. The day ended with a round-up of the latest developments in Montessori research from the AMI Global Research Group.
Participants left heartened and full of respect for the vital work being done by Montessori colleagues around the world. In the words of AMI’s Executive Director Lynne Lawrence, “If principles are true and right, they can be applied anywhere”.
Lynne Lawrence, AMI Executive Director, addressing the audience
