Education extends beyond transferring knowledge, and towards cultivating the relevant attitudes, values, and behaviours to construct inclusive communities which acknowledge and celebrate diversity. Navigating diversity and fostering inclusivity in all educational activities – formal, informal, non-formal – is essential to the development of cohesive societal systems. A lifelong commitment to learning becomes imperative for individuals to adapt to societal changes.
In a joint effort to pursue a more inclusive Europe, educational organisations cannot go unheard. Indeed, organisations function as educational providers, responsible for ensuring quality education and training for all; as agents of social inclusion; as stakeholders for policymakers. Hence, highlighting any organisation’s embodiment of inclusivity and diversity implies that organisations should strive to be as inclusive and diverse as possible. The Inclusion Box (iBox) project precisely aims to equip Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) with more inclusive educational approaches and actions, to better face and respond to social challenges.
iBox consists of an interdisciplinary, bottom-up process, involving key stakeholders in the design of innovative training resources collected in an online platform. The project tackles three main topics: 1. Digital transition; 2. Access and participation in learning processes; and 3. Inclusion and diversity strategies in the sector.
The project’s main outcomes include a Compendium of inspiring practices and a Charter of Inclusion and Diversity. The Compendium provides insight into each practice’s sustainability, transferability, and effectiveness, and attempts to have CSOs and NGOs become internally coherent with the inclusion values promoted.
The Inclusion and Diversity Charter is instead a guiding framework which adopts the main principles outlined in the Compendium’s inspiring practices, empowering education and training providers to catalyse for positive change. It envisions environments which celebrate diversity, dismantle inequalities, and within which all individuals are treated with utmost respect and dignity.
Keep an eye on the project website and social media not to miss out on the training opportunity (happening in 2024) to enhance your skills in inclusive and innovative management methods!