The International Seminar on Religious Education and Values (ISREV) organized by University of Latvia in cooperation with Daugavpils University and RTU Liepaja took place from July 27 to August 1^st, 2025.

ISREV is an association of over 290 religious education scholars from around 34 countries. It includes scholars from various religious traditions, and secular specialists in religious studies and education who meet in session every other year.  In 2025 the seminar took place in Latvia, Riga.

The aims of ISREV are 1) to promote high quality research into religious education whether in public or private education systems or within and between religious communities; 2) to encourage younger and/or emerging religious educators to undertake such research and: 3) to disseminate the results of such research by means of meetings of the Seminar, through contacts and exchange between members and by publication.

ISREV is not a faith-based or an inter-faith association, but an organisation promoting high quality religious education and values research. The twenty-fourth session of ISREV was held in Riga, Latvia by offering an academically stimulating and personally enriching program. The theme of the seminar was Religious education in turbulent times: How to foster hope and well-being of young people? It included such issues as: How can religious and values education sustain hope in the time of political, cultural, and ecological distress? How can RE education foster well-being and resilience in the world of uncertainties and constant crises? In the face of multiple challenges, how can RE contribute to enhancing dialogue and human flourishing? There is a need for new research that would shed light on the role of RE in preparing young people to face the challenges of our time both on the individual and collective level.

The Plenary Speakers were Prof. Mary Hess (USA), Prof. Gerdien Bertram-Troost (Netherlands), Associate prof. Ole Andreas Kvamme (Norway), Dr. Kevin O’Grady: (UK) and Prof. Manfred Pirner (Germany). There were 65 participants from 22 countries.

The interconnectedness of technology, religion and education is a theme that deserves more scholarly interest in the field of RE and where RE faces similar challenges to humanities at large. A critical role of RE is to prepare young people to navigate the complex and technologized world, to find meaning and feel at home, as well as foster autonomy and critical awareness.

Further information:
Daugavpils University professor, Ph. D. Dzintra Iliško
dzintra.ilisko@du.lv