- Friday 18, Saturday 19 & Sunday 20 September 2026
- Friday 25, Saturday 26 & Sunday 27 September 2026
A space for reflection, dialogue and the meaningful exchange of ideas
The Agora Dialogue Colloquium is not another conference, a series of lectures, or a gathering where some people speak while others simply listen.
It is a space for free thought, dialogue and the meaningful exchange of ideas.
Each Colloquium normally brings together around 20 participants. Keeping the group intentionally small allows everyone to participate actively, to get to know one another, to build trust and to engage in genuine conversation around the same table.
As far as possible, we seek a diverse group of participants. They come from different professional and academic fields, from the private and public sectors, from different countries, national and social backgrounds, cultures, generations and life experiences.
This diversity is not incidental.
It is part of the methodology itself.
People who have learned to see the world from different starting points come together not necessarily to agree, but to think together.
An international journey
Agora Dialogue is an international initiative that begins in Australia several years ago and gradually develops beyond its Australian origins, establishing a second base in Europe.
Its activities bring together people from every continent and from a steadily growing number of countries, contributing different experiences, cultural backgrounds and ways of understanding the world.
Many people contribute decisively to the development of this endeavour, each in their own way. Among the distinguished personalities associated with its journey are José Ramos-Horta, Nobel Peace Laureate and President of Timor-Leste, and the late George Bizos, the distinguished human rights lawyer closely associated with Nelson Mandela and the long struggle against apartheid.
We do not mention such personalities simply to add prestige through distinguished names. Their importance lies in the contribution of people who know at first hand about conflict, injustice and the struggle for freedom, as well as the difficult task of building and sustaining a democratic society.
The underlying philosophy remains simple. No one possesses the whole truth, and different experiences, rather than being obstacles, can help us see more, listen more carefully and think more deeply.
The September 2026 Colloquium
The September Colloquium takes place over two separate three-day periods:
Friday 18, Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September
and
Friday 25, Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 September 2026.
Participation throughout both three-day periods is an important part of the methodology.
Continuity of discussion, the gradual development of relationships and trust, and the participation of everyone throughout the process are essential elements of the experience.
The working language of the Colloquium is English.
We do not teach people what to think
Agora Dialogue does not seek to become another educational institution, nor does it attempt to teach participants what they should know, believe or think.
There are already millions of universities, schools, research centres, professional organisations and other institutions around the world producing and transmitting knowledge, often at an exceptionally high level.
We try to do something different.
Our emphasis is not primarily on providing more information. It is on creating the conditions in which we can make better use of the knowledge we already have, question our assumptions, listen seriously to different perspectives and broaden the way we understand an issue.
The emphasis moves from “what to think” towards “how we think.”
This is the idea of thinking about thinking that runs through the philosophy and methodology of the Colloquium.
We do not seek to change anyone’s views.
We encourage critical thinking, intellectual curiosity, careful listening and the ability to examine an issue from more than one perspective.
Most importantly, we create space for people to reconsider even their own assumptions and to reach their own more conscious, considered and informed conclusions.
A holistic approach
The Colloquium deliberately adopts a broad and holistic approach, both in its subject matter and in its methodology.
The major questions facing society are rarely isolated matters belonging exclusively to politics, economics, philosophy, history, law, science or culture.
They are interconnected.
We therefore try to explore their historical, social, economic, political, ethical and cultural dimensions and to understand how these dimensions influence one another.
We do not look only at the individual issue before us.
We try to see the bigger picture.
For the same reason, diversity among participants is fundamental.
A lawyer may see the same question differently from an economist, an educator, a scientist, a businessperson, an artist or a public servant.
Someone from Europe may approach a question differently from someone whose experience comes from Asia, Africa, Australia or the Americas.
No single perspective is assumed to be sufficient on its own.
It is the meeting of different perspectives that broadens the field of thought.
The Readings as starting points
The discussions are based on a carefully selected collection of Readings, bringing together texts from different periods, traditions, cultures and fields of thought.
The Readings are not a syllabus to be learned.
Nor are they authorities whose arguments participants are expected to accept.
They are starting points for reflection and discussion.
Through them we encounter questions about democracy, freedom, justice, equality, power, responsibility, leadership, active citizenship and, more broadly, what a good society might mean.
Participants read the material in advance, make notes, identify questions, disagreements and ideas, and come to the Colloquium not to present the “right answers”, but to contribute their thoughts and reflections.
Conversation, not lectures
The methodology is fundamentally participatory.
There are no traditional lecturers teaching while everyone else simply listens.
The moderators act as facilitators. They do not impose their own views and do not lead the group towards predetermined conclusions.
They help the conversation develop, encourage meaningful participation, bring questions and contradictions to the surface, and ensure that different voices have the opportunity to be heard.
Discussions take place in an atmosphere of trust, openness and mutual respect, in accordance with the Chatham House Rule.
The Colloquium is facilitated by Dr Jenny Webb and Dr Jamie Doughney from Australia, who generously contribute their time, experience and support on a pro bono basis.
From the private and public sectors to the wider community
The Colloquium is not designed for one particular profession, discipline or section of society.
It welcomes people from the private and public sectors, business and entrepreneurship, public administration, education, academia and research, the professions, civil society, culture and other areas of community life.
We do not necessarily seek people with similar backgrounds.
As far as possible, we seek the opposite.
Around 20 people of different professional, academic, national, social and cultural backgrounds, generations and life experiences come together around the same table to consider important questions from different starting points.
No one is there to teach everyone else.
Everyone is there to contribute and, at the same time, to be willing to think again.
We do not seek agreement
There is no “correct” position that the group is expected to reach.
We do not seek consensus for its own sake.
No particular political, social, philosophical or ideological position is required or expected.
People who read the same texts and participate in the same discussions may quite legitimately reach very different conclusions.
That is not a failure of the process.
It is part of the process.
What we ask of participants is curiosity, preparation, presence, careful listening, respect and a genuine willingness to consider seriously even an idea with which they may disagree.
Why we do it
We live in an age of unprecedented access to information, but more information does not necessarily mean deeper understanding.
Public discussion is often fast, polarised and superficial.
We speak more and sometimes listen less.
Too often, we listen in order to reply rather than to understand.
Agora Dialogue attempts something modest but demanding.
It creates time and space for thoughtful conversation.
It restores value to the question.
It brings around the same table people who do not necessarily think alike and who do not necessarily see the world from the same starting point.
It encourages the meeting of different experiences, professions, disciplines, cultures and ways of thinking.
It encourages us to examine not only the views of others, but also our own assumptions.
Democracy, engaged citizenship and responsible leadership require more than information.
They require people who can listen, question, reconsider, connect ideas and think.
The aim is not for everyone to leave with the same answers.
It is to leave asking better questions, listening more carefully and thinking more deeply.
Participation and contact
Because each Colloquium is intentionally limited to around 20 participants, those interested in joining are encouraged to express their interest as early as possible, both to help secure a place and to allow sufficient time for the Readings and other preparatory information to be provided.
A modest participation contribution applies and helps cover part of the practical costs of the Colloquium.
However, a fundamental principle of the initiative is that financial circumstances should not prevent a genuinely interested person from participating.
Where necessary, a reduced contribution or another appropriate arrangement can be made privately, discreetly and in complete confidence.
No one should hesitate to express an interest in participating because of financial considerations.
For expressions of interest, early registration and further information:
Dinos Toumazos
Tel: +357 97 67 67 12
Email: dinos@toumazos.com
Sharing knowledge and ideas – Promoting engaged citizenship – Encouraging responsible leadership