Sunday Programme
A Day for the Adolescent Voice
Sunday’s programme places the adolescent at the centre, highlighting the transformative potential of this stage of life within Montessori education. The day begins with a keynote by Cathinka Bergem, reflecting on liberation and trust, before moving into presentations that showcase innovative adolescent initiatives and international collaboration.
Among these is Building a Montessori World School, which will share adolescent-led initiatives from Germany and Scotland. This session, led by Peter Awe and Emma Rattigan, explores how a linked “world school” network could support adolescents in developing independence, courage, and social responsibility while fostering collaboration across cultures. Voices of adolescents themselves will highlight how such communities shape growth, and participants will reflect on how sustainability, innovation, and global community can become the cornerstones of adolescent education.
Midday, the Riga Declaration will be presented by the Adolescent Voice Collective – a living document expressing the concerns, hopes, and commitments of young people from across Europe and beyond.
The congress concludes with a keynote from Erica Moretti, who will draw on Montessori’s lifelong pacifism to show how her vision of peace and education continues to address today’s challenges.
Whilst this day highlights the voice of the adolescent, it is vital for adults working across all planes of development to attend, as it offers perspective on what we are ultimately preparing children for. The insights shared on Sunday provide guidance for educators at every stage of Montessori practice.
We warmly encourage all participants to remain until the very end of the day, as we will also be announcing the venue for the 2027 Montessori Europe Congress – a fitting and inspiring close to our time together in Riga.
| 09:00 – 10:00 | Keynote Address – Liberation – Cathinka Bergen |
| 10:00 – 11:00 | Building a Montessori World School For Peace (Peter Awe/Emma Rattigan) |
| 11:00 – 11:30 | Comfort Break |
| 11:30 – 12:00 | Adolescent Voice Collective – Presentation – The Riga Declaration |
| 12:00 – 13:00 | Keynote Address: Montessori: The Best Weapon for Peace – Erica Moretti |
| 13:00 – 13:30 | CLOSING CEREMONY |
Keynote Speaker: Cathinka Bergem
Title of Presentation: LIBERATION
“Liberation of the child is the most fundamental part of Montessori for me, and everything else grows out of this. The Montessori environment seeks to view the child as an autonomous and independent person, and a main focus is on this throughout all schooling, in different ways. In choosing the theme “the courage to trust”, we refocus on this part of being Montessorians.
In a world that is so filled with practices that oppress, not only the child, but all marginalized peoples, the Montessori environment seeks to create a liberatory bubble. In this bubble, the child can build their skills of autonomy, resolving conflict and working towards peace. It is within this space that the child learns and discovers the practices necessary for collective liberation.
And when this child grows up, they realize someone created that bubble of liberation and peace for them, and that they can do the same for others. The grown Montessori child moves into an oppressive world and meets it by creating spaces where we can come together and fight for peace and collective liberation. But someone has to teach them to make those spaces, and that would never happen without a Montessori teacher who had the courage to trust.”
10:00 – 11:00 Presentation
Building A Montessori World School
What might a truly global Montessori adolescent programme look like? This workshop will showcase innovative adolescent initiatives from Germany and Scotland that are reimagining how young people can live and learn across schools in Europe and beyond during their final study years. Participants will explore how a linked “world school” network could support adolescents in developing independence, courage, and social responsibility, while fostering collaboration across cultures.
The session will also include the voices and experiences of adolescents themselves, sharing what these communities mean in practice and how such environments shape their growth. Together, we will reflect on how sustainability, innovation, and global community can become the cornerstones of adolescent education. The presentation will invite educators to consider practical steps toward shaping a curriculum that trusts adolescents to take ownership of their learning and future. By extending this trust, we can nurture a generation of resilient changemakers, prepared to create a more peaceful and sustainable world.
Peter Awe
Emma Rattigan
11:30 – 12:00 Presentation
Adolescent Voice Collective – The Riga Declaration
The Adolescent Voice Collective will take the stage to present their Riga Declaration 2026 – a powerful statement co-created by these young people from across Europe and beyond during the Riga Congress. Rooted in the themes of sustainability, dignity, peace, and agency, their Declaration reflects the voices, concerns, and hopes of adolescents as they look toward building a more just and resilient future.
This plenary session is not only a presentation but also a call to action – an invitation for Montessori educators, leaders, and communities to listen deeply, to take the voices of adolescents seriously, and to commit to working alongside them.
The Riga Declaration is designed as a living document, one that can be revisited and built upon by adolescents year after year, ensuring their perspectives continue to shape education and society.
12:00 – 13:00
Keynote Speaker: Erica Moretti
Keynote Address: Montessori: The Best Weapon For Peace
Maria Montessori is best known for the teaching method that bears her name, but she was also a lifelong pacifist. This keynote reframes Montessori’s pacifism as the foundation of her educational activism, highlighting her vision of the classroom as a gateway to reshaping society.
Drawing on case studies from newly uncovered archival materials, Erica Moretti, shows how peace remained a central concern throughout Montessori’s life and how she continually reimagined ways to support those affected by the traumas of war.
Cathinka Bergem
My name is Cathinka Bergem, I’m 19 years old, and I’m a former Montessori student. My years as a Montessori student have become very important to my life, and shaped both how I view the world and how I interact with it. In the years since I have taken much joy in introducing Montessori’s philosophy to friends, colleagues and others, and it has greatly inspired the way I facilitate education and dialog within my community.
In my day to day life I study human rights law, I’m active in multiple human rights organizations, and I hold workshops where I facilitate dialog between youth. In these workshops I try to give the youth tools to identify and understand structural injustice happening in their communities, and provide a safe environment for them to practice using these tools.
I believe that much of the work I do was made possible by the many great teachers who showed me that it was possible to create non-oppressive educational environments.
Peter Awe
Peter Awe is Headmaster of the Montessori School in Wittenberge, Germany, where he leads a farm-based adolescent programme. He holds a Montessori diploma for secondary education from Montessori Labor Berlin and has twice completed the AMI 12–18 Orientation with Jenny Marie Höglund. Peter also serves on the advisory board of the Montessori State Association of Berlin and Brandenburg, collaborates with Montessori schools across Europe, and actively supports adolescent programmes and international connections.
Emma Rattigan
Emma Rattigan is the Founder and Principal of Edinburgh Montessori Arts School, with over 25 years of experience guiding students of all ages. A Montessorian since the age of 18, she combines her background in school leadership with a Postgraduate Certificate in Collaborative Working to design inclusive learning environments that foster independence, belonging, and global citizenship. Inspired by Montessori’s vision of education for peace, Emma champions international collaboration and prepares young people to become confident, creative changemakers.
Erica Moretti
Erica Moretti, is the 2023 Mercer Johnsen/National Endowment for the Humanities Rome Prize fellow in Modern Italian Studies at the American Academy in Rome, as well as Associate Professor of Italian Studies at the Fashion Institute of Technology–SUNY.
Moretti’s first book, The Best Weapon for Peace: Maria Montessori, Education, and Children’s Rights (University of Wisconsin Press, 2021), reframes Montessori’s pacifism as the foundation of her educational activism, emphasising her singular vision of the classroom as a springboard to reshaping society. The Best Weapon for Peace was awarded the American Association for Italian Studies (AAIS) and the International Standing Committee for the History of Education (ISCHE) first-book prizes, and it is shortlisted for the Laura Shannon Prize in Contemporary European Studies.
Moretti has written on European history, politics, and ideas for various magazines and newspapers, including The Washington Post and Il Manifesto.