Stichting Discussieren Kun Je Leren (Foundation)

What Stichting Discussieren Kun Je Leren (Foundation) does

Stichting Discussieren Kun Je Leren (DKJL) is a Dutch educational foundation established in 2007 by Chantal Deken, headquartered in Amsterdam West’s Spaarndammerbuurt neighborhood. The foundation developed an evidence-based teaching methodology for dialogue, debate, and civic education, targeting students aged approximately 10–14 in Dutch primary education (Groep 5–8) and the first years of secondary education (VO). The core product is a structured lesson method built around a proprietary ADB schema (a systematic framework for facilitating discussions), progressive thematic modules spanning seven themes from basic lessons to sensitive topics, and supporting classroom tools including rule posters, red/green cards, and PowerPoint presentations. A 2017 University of Utrecht study validated the methodology’s effectiveness in improving listening, communication confidence, and prejudice reduction, with lasting effects documented.

The organization’s portfolio includes a teacher manual, debate leader guide, team discussion guide, skills practice exercises, customizable lesson templates, and the Debatbattle competition program. Over nearly 20 years, DKJL reached 100,000+ children and youth, primarily in the Netherlands but also through training in Suriname and Curaçao and lesson package use in Belgium. From inception, the foundation operated a community-led go-to-market model relying on teacher networks, word-of-mouth, and a national debate competition circuit, with no paid advertising. Freelance masterclass teachers provided premium in-person delivery.

In 2026, after 20 years of operation, DKJL ceased its activities as an executing organization. Under the DKJL Geeft Door initiative, all knowledge, didactics, and materials were released as open source under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 license, with the website now managed by Stichting Education Warehouse. The organization has no revenue, no fundraising history, and no venture or grant funding disclosed; its sole residual activities are trademark stewardship and continued free distribution of the methodology.

Name

Stichting Discussieren Kun Je Leren (Foundation)

Legal name

Stichting Discussiëren kun je leren

Website

https://discussierenkunjeleren.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Closed

Short description

DKJL is a Dutch foundation that developed an evidence-based teaching method for dialogue, debate, and civic skills in primary and early secondary classrooms, serving teachers and students aged 10–14. As of 2026, it has ceased executing operations and now distributes all materials free as open source.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Curriculum & Civic Pedagogy

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Curriculum, Lesson Planning & Instructional Content Platforms (EDAJAMAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

K–12 Instructional Design & Curriculum Development Services (EDAGAKAA), Teacher Editions, Lesson Plans & Classroom Resources (EDAGAAAI), K–12 Digital Curriculum & Interactive Lessons (EDAGAEAA)

Keywords

• Dialogue education
• Debate curriculum
• Civic pedagogy
• Lesson methodology
• Oral argumentation training

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Open Source Education Materials: As of 2026, DKJL stopped as an executing organization. All knowledge, didactics, and materials are shared free of charge as open source for everyone. Revenue model transitioned from educational material sales/services to fully free open-source distribution.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Stichting Discussieren Kun Je Leren develops and distributes the DKJL Lesmethode, a structured pedagogical method that teaches children and young people dialogue, discussion, and debate skills in classroom settings. The foundation provides lesson materials across seven themes, instructional guides, debate-leader training tools, classroom games, and a customizable lesson builder for teachers. Following the 2026 transition, all curriculum assets are released as open-source (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) and the foundation also coordinates teacher masterclasses and debate competitions.

Product overview

Stichting Discussieren Kun Je Leren (DKJL) offers an evidence-based educational method for citizenship and oral language skills, centered on the DKJL Lesson Method. The portfolio includes seven thematic lesson modules (Basic Lessons, Online Behavior, Globalization and Sustainability, Solidarity, Mental Health, Bullying, and Diversity), supported by instructional resources such as the Teacher Manual, Debate Leader Guide, Team Discussion Guide, Game Rules Activities, Skills Practice exercises, and a Create Your Own Lesson template. Materials are shared freely via the DKJL Geeft Door open-source initiative under a Creative Commons license. The foundation also offers access to a network of freelance Masterclass Teachers and runs the Debatbattle competition program. The platform is managed by Stichting Education Warehouse and all materials are designed for Groep 5-8 primary and early secondary education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DKJL Lesmethode (Lesson Method) Structured classroom methodology that teaches children and adolescents dialogue, discussion, and debate skills across seven thematic modules; targeted at primary (group 5-8) and lower secondary teachers and schools.
• DKJL Geeft Door (Open-source Materials Initiative)

Quantifiable outcome

• Students demonstrably learn to listen better
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Stichting Education WarehousecoreOthers · 1 January 2026Stichting Education Warehouse serves as the platform administrator for the DKJL website, managing and maintaining the platform infrastructure. They handle data processing, privacy compliance (AVG/GDPR), and platform operations. This is a platform management relationship where Education Warehouse provides technical infrastructure services to support DKJL's educational mission.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• iCivics: US non-profit delivering free K-12 civic education curricula and games, with similar teacher download-and-implement distribution and freemium resource model.
• Facing History and Ourselves: Non-profit providing evidence-based K-12 curricula for dialogue, civic education, and confronting prejudice—directly comparable structured lesson methodology with research-backed outcomes.
• Common Sense Education: Non-profit providing K-12 digital citizenship, media literacy, and dialogue curricula; comparable free-distribution civic/dialogue education resources with research backing.
• Generation Citizen: Non-profit delivering action-based civic education and debate/dialogue programming in schools; comparable mission around youth dialogue and civic skill-building.
• Choices Program (Brown University): Provides K-12 curricula on current international issues and civic engagement; comparable evidence-based structured lesson approach with free downloadable materials.

Regional players

• Schooltv (NTR): Dutch public broadcaster's K-12 educational video platform with structured lesson support covering citizenship themes; comparable Dutch K-12 curriculum content delivery.
• Wikiwijs (Kennisnet): Dutch open educational resources platform sharing CC-licensed teaching materials; directly comparable open-source curriculum distribution model for Dutch K-12.
• LessonUp: Dutch K-12 platform offering interactive lesson content across subjects including citizenship, with self-serve teacher adoption model directly comparable to DKJL's distribution approach.

Broad incumbents

• SLO (Stichting Leerplanontwikkeling): Dutch national curriculum development organization for K-12 including citizenship core objectives; comparable role in structuring civic education curricula referenced by DKJL.

Others

• Stichting CJP: Dutch youth cultural participation organization providing educational programs; adjacent peer operating in same Dutch K-12/youth civic engagement ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@STDKJL

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Stichting Discussieren Kun Je Leren (Foundation)