My name is Joshua Morton and I study English Language and Linguistics at the University of Westminster. On the 8th of May 2026, I attended the ninth annual international student conference organised by the Democratic Education Network (DEN). Having been a member of DEN since September 2025, this was my first annual conference.
The conference took place over the course of the day and consisted of student-led presentations on topics of their choice. It also celebrated the release of DEN’s annual book, which this year focused on sustainability, AI, and education. Many of the students who contributed chapters to the publication delivered presentations connected to their work and research.
What stood out to me most was the international community that DEN has created. People from more than twenty different nations attended the conference, including students from Kasetsart University, Westminster International University in Tashkent, and Lazarski University. Although this was my first annual DEN conference, it was not my first experience collaborating with international students through DEN. Over the past year I have worked with students from Thailand, Uzbekistan, and the Chinese University of Hong Kong as part of earlier projects and discussions. I have also had the opportunity to study alongside many international students at the University of Westminster. Having built those connections beforehand, seeing the wider DEN community come together in one place highlighted how the network continues to grow across different countries and institutions.
That same sense of international collaboration was also reflected in the DEN book, which included contributions from students and academics across different universities and countries, rather than being centred around a single institution. It showed how DEN is developing as a global community built around discussion, cooperation, and shared learning. Bringing together people with different experiences and perspectives gave the conference a real sense of purpose and made discussions feel far more engaging.
One of the most important aspects of the conference was the emphasis it placed on student voice. Students were given the opportunity to present their own research, speak about issues that matter to them, and contribute to wider discussions about the future of education and society. What made this particularly valuable was that it was not limited to formal presentations alone, but continued throughout the day in more informal spaces.
The breaks between sessions, along with the food and drink gatherings, became just as important as the presentations themselves. It was during these moments that I had some of the most meaningful conversations, including a discussion with a lecturer from Lazarski University who had asked a question during Ramzi Selim Hikmet’s presentation, From Kadrovy Posudok to Algorithmic Profiling. His question referenced George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, which naturally led into a wider conversation between the two of us about how the themes within both texts still feel remarkably relevant when thinking about AI, surveillance, and education today.
These informal spaces were also valuable because they allowed students who may be less confident speaking in front of large audiences to still express their views and take part in discussions with others. In this sense, the conference created multiple ways for student voice to be heard, not only through presentations but through conversation.
Overall, the DEN conference demonstrated the value of international collaboration and open discussion. Bringing together students and academics from different countries and disciplines created an environment where people could learn from one another in a genuine and engaging way, while also reflecting on the challenges and possibilities that will shape the future.
Joshua Morton