Philosophy with Children and Youth Network for Asia-Pacific
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PCYNAP Founders and officers

He established PCYNAP to promote children’s philosophy education that suits the characteristics of the Asia-Pacific region in 2011. It has held seven Asia-Pacific workshops so far. Starting with the establishment of the Seoul National University of Education “Philosophy Research Association”, which was founded in 1968, he has been working as a teacher at the school site Korean Academy of Teaching Philosophy in School and as an emeritus professor at Gyeongsang National University to promote philosophy education in school. He introduced IAPC works in Korea.He co-studied international research with Matthew Lipman the founder of the Philosophy for Children program, and has been working on the development of pedagogy based on Oriental Philosophy including pragmatic, phenomenal, and analytical philosophies.

Jinwhan Park

Founder​

” Community of Inquiry for First Nations’ Peoples”

Rainier teaches Ethics, Environmental Ethics, and Teaching Philosophy and serves as Editor of Budhi: A Journal of Ideas an Culture at Ateneo de Manila University.  He has been organizing student-and community-centered teacher-training workshops for the UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines since 2007, and for UNESCO’s Regional Office in 2012 and 2018. With the support of UNESCO’s Participation Programme in Paris, he convened, edited, and published an anthology of Southeast Asian Wisdom Stories for Sustainable Development in 2012 (Manila: UNESCO National Commission).  Aside from the stories, this collection includes philosophical commentaries and teaching guides from eleven countries in the ASEAN region.  As a member of UNESCO’s World Commission for the Ethics of Science and Technology, he chaired their technical working group for Environmental Ethics from 2013 until 2018. He coordinated the Asia-Pacific section of UNESCO’s Philosophy Manual: A South-south Perspective (Paris: UNESCO, 2014), served as a member of the adhoc working group that drafted UNESCO’s “Declaration of Ethical Principles in Relation to Climate Change,” (2017), and was the main educator for UNESCO’s MOOC on Climate Change Ethics: Lessons from the Global South (London: FutureLearn, 2017).    

RAINIER A IBANA

President

“Philosophy in Public Space”

 

Janette has been pro-active in the establishing of Philosophy in Schools for over 25 years. Since 2002 she been employed as the Education and Innovations Officer for VAPS (Victorian Association for Philosophy in Schools) and as such has been responsible for curriculum development, training of presenters, and administration of courses supporting the teaching of p4/wc. In this position she has recently headed a three year Ethical Capability project in partnership with the Victorian Department of Education. She initiated the increasingly popular Philosophical inquiry opportunities for students (and the general public) in Public Institutions such as state Galleries, Zoos and Museums.

Janette has served in a number of voluntary and honorary position: as a member of VAPS, as joint Secretary on the ICPIC (International Council for Philosophical Inquiry with Children) Executive and twice served as President of FAPSA (Federation of Australasian Philosophy in Schools Associations). In 2016 she was elected as Deputy Chair to PCYNAP (Philosophy with Children and Youth in the Asia Pacific).

She was awarded her Doctorate of Education for research on The Development of Philosophical skills and dispositions in the Middle Years of Schooling. She is currently employed at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education (MGSE) at The University of Melbourne as a Clinical Teaching Specialist.

Dr. JANETTE POULTON

Vice President

With the background of Physics from Washington University in St. Louis I became a teacher in 1980. Now I am a P4C teacher trainer and Children’s book publisher especially P4C resources in Iran. This is how:

• In 1995, I became acquainted with “Philosophy for Children” through an online search of my colleague at the Sadra Wisdom Foundation. I researched and studied in this field for a long time until I finally succeeded in joining the training course for Branda School teachers in Australia. After that, using the method of Philip Cam, I was able to hold several teacher training courses for Iranian teachers.
• In 2008 and 2009 I took IAPC Online Courses: Teaching Children Philosophical Thinking I & II. After that my mastery of teacher training courses increased.
• In 2010 I attend the 5th International summer seminar on “Philosophical Practices” in France-Paris with Oscar Brenifier which I understood more about different approaches.
• In 2011, under a contract with the University of Montclair, I received permission to translate and publish some of Matthew Lipman’s stories, and I still do so.
• In 2013 I received a scholarship from Professor Jinwhan Park for a PhD at Gyeongsang National University in South Korea, Department of Ethics Education. I graduated in 2015 and the title of my dissertation was: P4C-Science Education: Scientific Literacy in Primary School Science.
• During the years in South Korea, I attended two workshops: 1) Critical Thinking and Ethics Education in 2013; and 2) Practical Aspects of Creative- Imaginative Thinking Education in 2014, both held by Philosophy for Children and Youth Network in Asia and Pacific (PCYNAP)
• In 2018 my paper: Multidimensional Thinking in a Community of Inquiry (COI) vs. Critical Thinking (CT) was accepted to be published in the Proceedings of the 24th World Conference of Philosophy held in Beijing.

So far, I have translated / edited and published many books (www.shahrtashpulications.com) in Persian such as:
1. Thinking Together by Philip Cam
2. Thinking Stories 1, 2, and 3 by Philip Cam
3. Big Ideas for Little kids By Thomas E. Wartenberg
4. The miniature Guide To Critical Thinking for Children by Linda Elder
5. A Mini Guide to Critical Thinking (online book) by Dr. Joe Lau
6. Philozenfants Collection (9 books) by Oscar Berenifier
7. The Doll Hospital (with personal permission from the author) By Ann M. Sharp
8. Philosophy Goes to School by Matthew Lipman
9. Elfie: Reasoning about Thinking by Matthew Lipman
10. Getting our Thoughts Together: Instructional Manual to Accompany Elfie
11. Kio and Gus: Reasoning about Nature by: Matthew Lipman
12. Philosophy for Children : Practitioner Handbook by Maughn Gregory
13. Philosophical Inquiry: Combining the Tools of Philosophy with Inquiry-Based Teaching and Learning (2021) by Philip Cam

Farzaneh Shahrtash

Secretary

Melany del Rosario has been teaching philosophy at the university for more than two decades. She has attended UNESCO-sponsored workshops and conferences on teaching philosophy in schools. She has undergone training in facilitating COIs while attending her Ph.D. studies in Education. She was drawn to P4C/PWC while working as a member of the secretariat during the 2011 ICPIC Conference in South Korea, where most, if not all, practitioners worldwide conducted workshops before the main conference. Her interests include education for social development and Eastern philosophies. She hopes to contribute to improving thinking education in Asia and the Pacific by continuously learning and unlearning the different challenges of teaching how children should think by participating actively in the programs of organizations furthering and supporting this cause.

Melany del Rosario
Treasurer

Melany del Rosario

Treasurer

NAME AND DOMICILE

Article I: The name of the organization shall be the Philosophy with Children and Youth Network for Asia and the Pacific (PCYNAP). The organization has its seat where the President is located.

It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making it look like readable English. 

PURPOSES

Article II: The purpose of the organization shall be:
To promote, coordinate and disseminate research and to organize international congresses as well as specialized symposia in the field of Philosophy with children and youth.
To promote relationships between philosophers and educators and others concerned with the fostering of children’s and youth’s cognitive development through philosophy.
To establish relationships among such philosophers and educators committed to introducing philosophy into all school levels throughout the region.
To encourage rapprochement among scholars with regard to problems of pedagogical method.
To coordinate efforts of those seeking to introduce philosophy into all formal and informal school curricula.
To promote the setting up of regional centers of philosophy to assist in the designing and dissemination of courses in philosophy with children and the youth.
To encourage philosophers to devote themselves to continued improvement of the quality of education for all children and youth through the introduction of philosophy

MEMBERSHIP

Article III:
3.1 The membership shall consist of all members who are citizens and/or persons who physically reside, in countries in Asia and the Pacific region, who are in good standing in the organization. A member in good standing is one who has paid dues for the current membership year or, in the case of the honorary members, participates in the activities of the organization.
3.2 These are the two classes of members:
3.2.1 Regular Members are those individuals or institutions that are interested in learning about philosophy with children and the youth, and desire to investigate ways in which they can help the organization carry out its purposes as described above.
3.2.2 Honorary Members are persons who have rendered outstanding service to education and whose work has been consistent with the purposes of the organization as described above or who have expressed their good will toward the organization. Admission to honorary membership shall be determined by majority vote of the Executive Committee as described in Article V. Honorary members shall pay no dues.
3.3 The decision-making responsibilities of the membership are elections of officers and representatives of the organization as well as amendment of the Constitution. Honorary members shall have no decision-making responsibilities in the organization.
3.4 The membership at large, except for honorary members, is co- responsible with the organization’s officers and representatives for carrying out the purposes of the organization as described above and shall serve in an advisory capacity to the officers and representatives and all committees of the organization.
3.5 Since the Philosophy with Children and Youth Network for Asia and the Pacific is a non-governmental organization, governmental bodies, such as ministries of education, are not eligible for membership. However, persons employed by such bodies are eligible for membership as individuals.

3.6 An individual regular member in good standing shall have the privilege of (1) making proposals to the officers and representatives of the organization, (2) suggesting candidates for election or appointment, (3) being nominated for election, (4) voting in elections, (5) attending meeting and conferences sponsored or co-sponsored by the organization, and (6) receiving publications designed for distribution to the membership.
3.7 Member institutions may designate one person to represent that institution in all matters relating to the organization, such as making proposals, casting votes, participating in meetings and conferences, and receiving publications.

STRUCTURE OF THE ORGANIZATION

Article IV: The Structure of the Organization shall be as follows:
4.1 The Officers shall be a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary and a Treasurer, together with such members at large that the general membership shall designate, and they shall be elected by the general membership.
4.2 The President, as the chief elected officer of the organization, shall preside over meeting of the Executive Committee, and the general membership. With the help of the Secretary, the President shall prepare an agenda for each of these meetings, to be circulated in advance. The President or substitute designated by the President, shall represent the organization at meetings to which the organization had been invited to send a representative, whenever feasible and desirable.
4.3 The Vice-President shall preside at any meetings at which the President is unable to preside and shall undertake such other duties as the President assigns from time to time. If the President is unable to serve a full term, the Vice-President shall so serve until the next election.
4.4 The Secretary shall maintain the files of the organization; serve as a mailing point for all publications, notices, and ballots to the membership. The Secretary will be responsible for sending a copy of all minutes to all other members of the Executive Committee.
4.5 The Treasurer shall be responsible for collecting dues, maintaining the treasury, keeping all the books of the organization, paying bills, and suggesting a tentative budget for each fiscal year. The Treasurer will also cooperate with the Secretary in maintaining a current list of all members in good standing and will keep the Executive Committee informed of the organization’s financial status.

THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Article V:
5.1 The Executive committee shall consist of the President, the Vice- President, the Secretary and the Treasurer, together with the country representatives.
5.2 The members of the Executive Committee shall be elected for terms of two years, as explained below in Article VII.
5.3 The functions of the Executive Committee shall be to make policy proposals to the organization, execute the policies set by the organization, attend to the administrative responsibilities of the organization, and report to the membership on policies and procedures, activities and financial status of the organization. The Executive Committee shall also create and utilize standing and ad hoc committees for purposes consistent with the purposes of the organization. The Executive Committee shall appoint the Secretary and any other personnel that may be needed to carry on the business of the organization.
5.4 The Executive Committee shall conduct its business by mail, cable, telephone, computer network, face-to-face meetings, or any combination thereof. The decision of a majority of the voting members of the Committee shall constitute the decision of the Committee. At a duly called meeting, four voting members shall constitute a quorum for doing business.
MEETINGS
Article VI:
6.1 A general meeting of the organization shall be held every two years. In addition, as many regional meetings will be held as necessary to carry out the purposes of the organization as described above.
6.2 The Secretary, at the direction of the President or the President’s designated representative, shall notify the general membership of the dates and location of the general meeting at least two months in advance of the meeting. Such notices shall be accompanied by a provisional agenda, and shall include authority, in approved form, to vote by proxy, as approved below in Article VII.

ELECTIONS

Article VII: New officers will be elected at the biennial meetings. Proxy ballots will be sent to all those who cannot attend the meeting.

RESIGNATION AND REMOVAL

Article VIII:

7.1   Any individual member, officer, member of the Executive Committee may resign by giving written notice to the Executive Committee through the Secretary, in which case the Executive Committee is authorized to appoint a replacement for the remainder of the term.

7.2   The organization may, with approval of two-thirds of its members voting on the matter, remove any member, officer, member of the Executive Committee for cause. Such action shall be taken only after thirty days’ written notice to the person whose removal is proposed, giving that individual an opportunity to respond. Proceedings against an individual may be initiated by an action of at least one-fourth of the members of the organization or by a petition signed by at least fifty plus one percent (50+1%) of members in good standing.

OFFICIAL LANGUAGE

Article IX: The official language of the organization to be used in meetings and correspondence shall be English.

AMENDMENTS

Article X: The Constitution may be amended by approval of fifty plus one percent (50+1%) of those members in good standing. Amendments may be proposed through the Secretary by either ten percent of members in good standing, by a majority vote of the Executive Committee, or by a majority vote of the organization. The Secretary will mail proposed amendments to the membership not less than sixty days before approval or disapproval is to be granted.

DISSOLUTION

Article XI: After all debts have been fully satisfied, the remaining assets of the organization shall be distributed and paid over to one or more tax-exempt and not for profit groups which have identical or similar purposes to those of the organization, as may be determined by the Executive Committee.