Inclusion and Diversity in Education Conference in Brussels
28 a 29 February

The Inclusion and Diversity in Education conference will take place in Brussels, at the European Parliament on 29 February 2008.

International policy makers, head teachers and pupils from all participating countries will discuss the subject. Five young leaders from each participating country will meet and draw up a Charter on Inclusive Schools together, outlining the challenges and questions they see in this field for policy makers and heads of schools.

This Youth Charter will be presented to the policy makers and head teachers, who will discuss the issues raised and, in response to the student voice, make a declaration on the management of diverse and inclusive schools. Keynote speeches will be presented by Frank Vandenbroucke from Flemish Government and Odile Quintin from the European Commission.

Our 'Inclusion and Diversity in Education' project unites policy makers in the field of education and inclusion, head teachers and young leaders (pupils of participating schools) from Great Britain and seven other European countries and provides the opportunity to exchange ideas and develop best practice guidelines on building and developing diverse and inclusive schools.

Inclusion and diversity is a very topical subject these days. Pupils in schools are increasingly diverse: they come from different ethnical and social backgrounds and speak different languages. This has become a more and more pressing matter as effects in school performance and the learning environment in schools become more visible. Therefore it is necessary to develop new ideas and strategies to develop diverse and inclusive schools

The aim of this project is to promote social cohesion, raise educational standards and build lasting networks which focus on the common challenges presented by immigration and cultural diversity to school education in the participating countries.

We are working in partnership with the following:

• Flemish Ministry of Education and Training (Belgium)
• Education Ministry of Baden Württemberg (Germany)
• Ministry of Education (Greece)
• Regional Education Authority and regional Research Institute for Ethnic Minority Issues in Lombardy (Italy)
• Ministry of Education (Netherlands)
• Ministry of Education (Portugal)
• Madrid Regional Education Authority (Spain)
• Education Authorities in the United Kingdom (West Midlands / Birmingham Local Authority/ Glasgow Local Authority)

Contacts

For more information please contact  
projects.enquiries@pt.britishcouncil.org
T 213 214 524

Past events

Intercultural Leadership Skills for young leaders
Every participating country organises a four-day training seminar for 50 pupils from selected schools. The pupils are potential future leaders and their average age is 15 years old, the training focuses on inclusion and diversity, with elements such as project management skills, communication and team working skills. The Portugal seminar will take place from 22 - 26 January 2008.

This training session will empower young leaders and teach them to develop their ideas and express them to others as well as putting their ideas into practice through the organisation of a project of their choice in their school.