Welcome to the Website of
the International Association for Children's Spirituality
The International Association for Children's Spirituality seeks to promote and support research and practice in relation to children's spirituality within education and wider contexts of children's care and wellbeing.
The Association understands spirituality broadly and inclusively as having relation to the religious and beyond the religious. We encourage holistic approaches to children's spirituality and personal development across a variety of disciplines, professions, organisations and communities.
Our methods of working are based on a set of values and aims which can be read here.
The International Journal of Children's Spirituality is the official journal of the Association and the IACS supports the annual International Conferences on Children's Spirituality.
IACS Conference 2012
The 12th International Conference on Children's Spirituality
Date added: 13th October 2011
This will be held in at East Anglia University in Norwich, U.K between 1-5 July 2012. The theme will be 'Spirituality and Physicality: Crossing Thresholds' and is inspired by the Olympic Games which will be held in London later in the Summer of 2012.
It is hosted and convened by Linda Rudge, Director of the UEA Centre for Spirituality, and Jackie Watson, former secretary of the International Association for Children's Spirituality, with key note addresses covering issues such as spirituality and physical education, the 'felt-sense' for well-being, and embodied spirituality.
There is a call for papers on this theme and abstracts can be submitted through the conference website.
The conference is open to both members and non-members of the IACS. Bookings can be made through the conference website: http://www.uea.ac.uk/spirituality2012.
The conference flyer can be accessed here.
Other conferences
The 11th International Conference on Children's Spirituality
Date added: 6th September 2011
The Politics of Children's Spirituality
The 11th International conference on Children's Spirituality was held between 1st and 5th August in Richmond, Virginia, USA.
Photos of the conference are now available from the members' area.
Click on images to enlarge:
At the AGM, the constitution was ratified and a copy can be found in the members area.
We are delighted that Dr Marian de Souza has agreed to be the first Chair of the International Association for Children's Spirituality. Ruth Wills was elected as secretary. Any questions or queries about the association can now be directed to Ruth at ruth_bolton@hotmail.co.uk.
It was also proposed and agreed that the association should now be known as the 'International Association for Children's Spirituality' and any correspondence from now on will bear this name.
The 10th International Conference on Children's Spirituality
Date added: 5th August 2010
This conference took place at the The Hong Kong Institute of Education (Tai Po Campus) between 19th -23rd July 2010. The theme was “Spirituality and Resilience.”
Conference information as well as photo albums and and a short media clip of events are available in the member's area.
Click on images to enlarge:
Engaging with us
Spiritual assessment tool: A request for advice and comments
Vikki Vanderwaak has asked us to post a question for our members on behalf of ChildServe, a not-for-profit-organisation. Please see the members' area if you would like to read and/or respond to her question.
Poems and quotes
Date added: 11th May 2010
A new feature of the website is to invite poems or short quotes, written either by children about experience related to spirituality or about children's spirituality. To start this, we have posted two sets of poems which can be seen on the new Poems and Quotes page. If you have others that you think are suitable to share, written either by children about experience related to spirituality or about children's spirituality, please send them to tony.eaude@education.ox.ac.uk.
Members' area updated
Date added: 18th January 2010
The members' area has just been updated, so please do visit it regularly and make suggestions to tony.eaude@education.ox.ac.uk on how it could be improved and what you are prepared to do to help members keep in touch with each other.
In particular, this now includes a position paper called 'Spirituality- what are we talking about?' by Dr Tony Eaude. This is available for download by members from the members' area and is intended to prompt discussion and debate. So, members, please log in, read it and respond - and non-members, please join the IACS and then add your contribution to this important debate.
International executive working group
Date added: 10th August 2009
An international executive working group has been set up to develop the International Association for Children's Spirituality over the coming year. Members of the Association can find out more in the members' area.
The International Journal of Children's Spirituality
The IJCS is the journal of the IACS. Aiming to provide an international and multi-cultural forum for those involved in research and the development of children's and young people's spirituality the journal considers what is meant by 'spirituality' and its relevance for schooling and society.
Please see our journal page for more information
Join the International Association for Children's Spirituality
Membership of the International Association for Children's Spirituality costs only £50 per year and runs from 1st January. Benefits include:
- Hard copies of the International Journal of Children's Spirituality (4 per year) - this alone normally costs more than membership of the Association
- On-line access to all previous editions of the Journal
- The opportunity to post information about your work, research, publications and consultancies.
If you wish to join please visit our membership page.
Non-IACS forthcoming events
The 2nd International BASS Conference
The 2nd International BASS conference is now announced. The theme is 'Spirituality in a Fragmented World.'
Details of the Journal for the Study of Spirituality can be found here.
May 15-17, 2012
Highgate House
Northampton
UK
Visions and Voices of Childhood: A Graduate Student Conference
Details are now available for the conference: Visions and Voices of Childhood: A Graduate Student Conference.
Department of Childhood Studies
Rutgers University
Camden
New Jersey
May 21-21, 2012
7th Annual North American Conference on Spirituality and Social Work
The Call for Proposals for the 7th Annual North American Conference on Spirituality and Social Work is now open.
The Theme of the Conference is:
"The Evolution of the Family Across the Lifespan
Embracing Spiritual Diversity from Northern Communities to Global Localities” "
June 21-23, 2012
Lakehead University
Thunder Bay, Ontario
Links
If you would like a link to your site from here please contact tony.eaude@education.ox.ac.uk.
- UK Spirituality
- British Association for the Study of Spirituality
- The Edinburgh International Centre for Spirituality and Peace - The EICSP runs spiritual events throughout the year.