Welcome to the Website of
the Association for Children's Spirituality
The 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 ACS supports the annual International Conferences on Children's Spirituality.
Latest from the ACS
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:
ACS AGM and Constitution for the Association for Children's Spirituality
Date added: 2nd August 2010
We are delighted that Dr Marian de Souza has agreed to be the first Chair of the Association for Children’s Spirituality.
Members are invited to read the Minutes of the ACS AGM and to comment on the interim version of the ACS Constitution which was amended at the AGM in July in Hong Kong. Please visit the members' area to read the interim constitution and the AGM minutes.
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.
Global perspectives on spiritual education
Date added: 7th April 2010
Please read the Call for Chapters and consider contributing to this new book which aims to explore the diversity of approaches to children's spirituality and spiritual education around the world.
Global perspectives on spiritual education - Call for Chapters.
New Perspectives on Religious and Spiritual Education
Date added: 10th February 2010
2nd Biannual Conference on Religious and Spiritual Education
European Association of Research Learning and Instruction (SIG19)
Malta, 26-28 August 2010
The Conference aims to foster the community of researchers in the field and to enhance theory formation. The conference will deal with three major issues relevant to the field.
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 ACS 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 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 ACS. 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 Association for Children's Spirituality
Membership of the 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-ACS forthcoming events
1st Global Conference
Spirituality in the 21st Century
At the Interface of Theory, Praxis and Pedagogy
Sunday 20th March - Tuesday 22nd March 2011
Prague, Czech Republic