SOPHIA Network Meeting 2026 – Prague
Metamorphosis: Continuity and Change Within, Around, and Beyond P4C
We are delighted to announce that the next SOPHIA Network Meeting will take place in Prague on 30–31 May 2026.
Prague is a city of paradox: continuity and change, memory and forgetting, weight and lightness. In the spirit of Kafka and Kundera, this weekend invites us to explore how children—and those who philosophise with them—make sense of identity, necessity, and meaning in a rapidly changing world.
Through practice, dialogue, and shared enquiry, we will explore metamorphosis: how individuals, communities, and ideas transform while somehow remaining themselves. What persists when everything changes? When is change necessary, and when does it become an opportunity? How do we hold on to meaning without clinging to certainty?
We invite participants to test the limits of what Philosophy for Children can do—and how far we can take it. This is a space to experiment, to question our assumptions about practice, and to explore how P4C can reach beyond familiar settings and audiences. How do we bring more people in? How do we offer the experience of being comfortable with the uncomfortable to more people, and if we go beyond schools and children is it P4C anymore?
At a time when public discourse is increasingly polarised—when people retreat to opposing corners and throw words, ideas, and certainties at one another—what might P4C offer the world now? Can philosophical enquiry help us sit with paradox, listen across difference, and stay in relationships without rushing to resolution or dissolution?
This weekend is both a practical gathering and a reflective one: an invitation to explore who we are becoming, as practitioners and as a community, and what role philosophical enquiry might play in a world that is, itself, in constant metamorphosis.
🤝 Host
Our host this year is Petra Skalická from People in Need, a Czech non-governmental organisation with long-standing experience in education, global citizenship, and teacher professional development.
📍 Venue
The meeting will be hosted at Charles University, at the Faculty of Education, located at: Celetná 13, Prague 1
Right in the heart of Prague’s historic city centre, just a short walk from Old Town Square.
👉 View map
🗓 Programme Overview
The two-day programme includes keynote talks, workshops, and discussions on topics such as:
- Philosophical inquiry across different ages
- Personal experience in philosophy
- Philosophy camps and educational design
- Role-playing games and philosophy
- Climate change and education
- Civic dialogue and epistemic questions
There will also be meta-discussion sessions and plenty of opportunities for informal exchange.
📌 A joint dinner will take place on Saturday evening.
🌍 Hybrid Participation
The meeting will be held in person and online.
If you are unable to travel to Prague, you can still join us via Zoom and take part in the sessions remotely.
🏨 Accommodation
Accommodation in the city centre can be relatively expensive, but Prague has an excellent public transport system, making it easy to stay in other areas and commute.
We recommend choosing accommodation near a metro or tram stop for convenience.
Suggested options:
Masarykova kolej – masarykova@suz.cvut.cz
Hotel Olšanka – reception@hotelolsanka.cz
Marianeum Hotel – info@marianeum.cz
Hotel Luník – info@hotel-lunik.cz
Pension Holiday Home – info@holidayhome.cz
EA Hotel Crystal Palace – havova@eahotels.cz
Hotels Petr – info@hotely-petrs.cz
You can also explore options via platforms like Booking or Airbnb.
🎒 Additional Activity
For those arriving early, a Prague City Tour is being organised on Friday evening for SOPHIA members. More details will be shared soon—stay tuned!
📝 Registration
🪙 Bursary available
👉 CHECK YOUR ELIGIBILITY HERE
We look forward to seeing you!
Whether you join us in person in beautiful Prague or online, we look forward to another inspiring SOPHIA Network Meeting filled with dialogue, ideas, and community.
