Category: Events

European Alternatives: Speak Out: Empowering Youth for Change (Webinar)

EventsSpeak Out: Empowering Youth for Change, European Alternatives and Erasmus Student Network, February-March 2025 webinars.

European Alternatives and Erasmus Student Network are launching a series of four open webinars designed to train and inspire young change-makers. These sessions will provide valuable insights into tackling pressing issues such as underrepresentation, leveraging local and EU-level action, analyzing policies and stakeholders, and crafting impactful messages for recruitment and advocacy.

The webinars will cover the following topics:

Discrimination and How to Act Against It
🗓️ Tuesday, 18th February 2025 | 🕕 6:00–7:30 PM CET
Building Bridges: Activating Levers of Influence
🗓️ Tuesday, 25th February 2025 | 🕕 6:00–7:30 PM CET
Advocate! Plan Your Campaign
🗓️ Tuesday, 4th March 2025 | 🕕 6:00–7:30 PM CET
Build Your Power Base
🗓️ Tuesday, 11th March 2025 | 🕕 6:00–7:30 PM CET

Taos Institute: Pathways to Relational Resilience Dec 2024

EventsPathways to Relational Resilience: Creating relational resilience in the midst of conflict through the use of the arts and reflective dialogue, Taos Institute, 6 December 2024, 10:00am-12:30pm and 2:00-4:00pm EST (online).

Hosted by Taos Institute Vice-President, Sheila McNamee and Taos Institute Associate and Artsbridge Founder, Deb Nathan. Whether it’s conflict between nations, within families, between partners, or with colleagues, it is challenging to find ways to move beyond conflict towards greater understanding and an appreciation of difference. However, it is not impossible, and hope can be found even amid the deepest of divides. How do we hold on to our beliefs while making room for other perspectives? As the political and social aspects of the world in which we live become more polarized, how do we learn to tolerate difference and listen to viewpoints that differ dramatically from our own? How do we work together and learn to value difference?

This online workshop features relational alternatives to more traditional approaches to conflict resolution. Participants will explore a unique approach to engaging with conflict that encourages the development of relational resilience by helping them learn to think critically and creatively, and to appreciate the value of difference.

Participants will engage in interactive experiences that incorporate the utilization of art and reflecting dialogue to illustrate how the two can work together to shift from conflict to curiosity and generate constructive understandings of difference.

Update: UNESCO International Forum on the Futures of Education 2024 (Republic of Korea)

EventsUpdate: Renewing Education to Transform the Future: UNESCO International Forum on the Futures of Education, Suwon, Gyeonggido, Republic of Korea, 2-4 December 2024.

In November 2021, the International Commission on the Futures of Education issued a report titled “Reimagining our futures together: A new social contract for education” following a two-year worldwide consultation and reflection facilitated by UNESCO.

CID Poster 14: 10 IdeasThis Center was one of the organizations consulted; see the report of our conclusions. Basically we argued for including intercultural dialogue as one of their goals. The final UNESCO report, Reimagining our Futures Together, is available as well by now.

The UNESCO International Forum on the Futures of Education 2024 provides an opportunity to continue framing, inspiring and reinvigorating global dynamics to remain publicly and politically active around the urgency to renew education to transform the future.

Objectives

  • To exchange and share contextualized experiences in innovative policy, practice and research to transform education in line with the recommendations of the 2021 report of the International Commission on the Futures of Education.
  • To provide a platform through which Member States and the global community can strengthen knowledge sharing, peer learning and cooperation in relation to the Futures of Education initiative.

Expected Outcomes

  • Forum Synthesis Report: The Forum Report will synthesize the main insights from the three-day event.
  • Thematic Futures of Education Briefs: The Forum Synthesis Report will be complemented by 10 thematic Futures of Education Briefs, each succinctly encapsulating a framing of the core themes serving as the focus of the parallel sessions. Insights gleaned from the contextualized experiences and dialogue at the parallel thematic sessions will be integrated into the Briefs, providing a holistic overview of the Forum’s deliberations. The thematic Futures of Education Briefs will serve as a knowledge-sharing resource to a wider range of education practitioners, researchers and policy makers beyond the participants of the Forum.

Negotiating multilingual spaces and policies in an introductory class in Northern Norway (Norway but Hybrid)

EventsRagni Vik Johnsen: Negotiating multilingual spaces and policies in an introductory class in Northern Norway, University of Jyväskylä, Finland, 7 October 2024 (Hybrid).

Welcome to a hybrid guest lecture and researcher meeting to discuss the linguistic environments encountered by newly arrived immigrant students in lower secondary education on 7 October 2024 at the University of Jyväskylä’s Ruusupuisto building (Alvar Aallon katu 9). The guest is Assistant Professor Ragni Vik Johnsen from UiT – The Arctic University of Norway, who spends and Erasmus+ visit in Jyväskylä and brings new research insights from the Norwegian context. Please find the abstract and Ragni’s bio in the event site.

Program (slots in EET)

12:15 – 13:45 Guest lecture: Negotiating multilingual spaces and policies in an introductory class in Northern Norway (Ruusupuisto lobby, stairs, or online)

13:45 – 14:15 Coffee break (in person)

14:15 – 15:45 Researcher meeting (Ruusupuisto 3rd floor, E314 Isa, in person)

Semiotic Superdiversity in an Urban Linguistic Landscape: Mozambique (Online)

EventsSarita Monjane Henriksen, Semiotic superdiversity in an urban linguistic landscape: A case study in Mozambique, University of Jyväskylä, Finland, 16 September 2024, 17:00 EEST (Online).

One of the most defining features of African countries has been their multilingual and multicultural nature, with citizens being mostly bilingual or plurilingual and proficient in a variety of languages. However, as a result of increasing mobility and migration, European countries — once perceived as relatively homogenous in linguistic and cultural terms — now also display growing levels of superdiversity. This raises challenges regarding language management in schools and classrooms, and in society at large.

This paper looks at Mozambique, one of the most highly linguistically diverse countries in the world, with its official language Portuguese co-existing alongside various languages of African origin, and other European languages such as English and French, as well as Asian languages. The paper analyses societal and education language policies and practices through an ethnographic semiotic lens. Key foci include people’s perceptions and views on existing languages, official discourses on languages, discussions of language hierarchies, and the role of language in education and development. Further issues of linguistic human rights in education and society are also covered. Altogether this highlights the key insights brought about from a thorough analysis of semiotic superdiversity in an urban landscape in the global south.

This is one of the University of Jyväskylä Online English Seminars for 2024-25. The event will be live-streamed online with interactive Q&A after the talk. All are welcome to attend.

International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations 2024

EventsInternational Day for Dialogue among Civilizations, as established by the United Nations in June 2024, will now occur on 10 June every year.

Underlining the need to raise awareness of the value of diversity of civilizations and promote dialogue, mutual respect, tolerance and global solidarity, the General Assembly today adopted by consensus a resolution declaring 10 June the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. The text titled “International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations” (document A/78/L.75) was adopted by consensus.

By the resolution, the Assembly also invited all Member States and other relevant stakeholders to commemorate the International Day appropriately, including through educational and public awareness-raising activities, and share best practices in this regard.

The representative of China, introducing the text, spotlighted multiple interlocking crises and widening peace and development deficits facing the world, which “is entering a new era of instability”, leaving humanity “at a crossroads of history”. Dialogue among civilizations effectively prevents discrimination and prejudice, enhances cooperation and trust, and strengthens solidarity. “There is no alternative to such dialogue,” he emphasized, adding that the UN will be holding the Summit of the Future in September to find systemic solutions to current challenges at this pivotal juncture in history. The text reaffirms that all civilizational achievements constitute a collective heritage of humankind, noting that civilizations flourish in contact with others. He underscored that dialogue among civilizations contributes to improved awareness of the universal values of humanity.

Speaking in explanation of position, the representative of the United States welcomed calls for intercultural exchange. However, he pointed out, the word “civilization” has no clearly defined meaning within international law or the UN system. In the present resolution, “we believe it to be synonymous with the idea of cultures”, he asserted, adding that valuing cultural diversity is a concept that the world has embraced. “No single Government can exercise a monopoly over identity,” he stated, urging for vigilance vis-à-vis how words like “civilizations” are used.

World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development 2024

EventsWorld Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, as established by the United Nations in December 2002, occurs on 21 May every year.

It “celebrates not only the richness of the world’s cultures, but also the essential role of intercultural dialogue for achieving peace and sustainable development.”

On this Day, UNESCO would like to call upon everyone to celebrate cultural diversity, through which we will be able to build the intellectual and moral solidarity of humankind.

Audrey Azoulay
Director-General of UNESCO

UNESCO International Forum on the Futures of Education 2024 (Republic of Korea)

EventsUNESCO International Forum on the Futures of Education, Suwon – Gyeonggido, Republic of Korea, 2-4 December 2024.

(So far, very little information is available describing this event, beyond the announcement of the date, and that it will be in person rather than online. What has been published is information about what has led to the event.)

In November 2021, the International Commission on the Futures of Education issued a report titled “Reimagining our futures together: A new social contract for education” following a two-year worldwide consultation and reflection facilitated by UNESCO. This Center was one of the organizations consulted; see the report of our conclusions. Basically we argued that they needed to include intercultural dialogue as one of their goals.

CID Poster 14: 10 Ideas

The full UNESCO report, Reimagining our Futures Together, is available as well.

3rd Annual World Council for Intercultural & Global Competence: Global Forum (USA but Online)

Events3rd Annual Global Forum of the World Council on Intercultural and Global Competence, 14-26 May 2024, Online.

World Council's 3rd annual Global ForumJoin the 3rd Annual Global Forum of the World Council on Intercultural and Global Competence for a virtual gathering of experts, educators, policymakers, researchers, students, and practitioners from around the world to discuss intercultural competence and global understanding. This year’s theme will be “Exploring the Intersections of Intercultural Competence and Peacebuilding.” This online event will feature engaging keynote speakers, discussions, workshops, and networking opportunities to enhance your skills and knowledge in this critical area.

The cost for forum registration is $100 (note that registration is non-refundable; sessions will be recorded).

6th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue (Azerbaijan)

Events6th World Forum on Intercultural dialogue, Baku, Azerbaijan, 1-3 May 2024.

The 6th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue, operating under the theme “Dialogue for Peace and Global Security: Cooperation and Interconnectivity,” is being held in Baku, Azerbaijan, co-sponsored by the government of Azerbaijan, UNESCO, UNAOC, and other organizations. The primary objective is to explore the critical intersections between dialogue facilitation, cooperative frameworks, leadership efficacy, and the complex dynamics of interconnectedness, all in the service of advancing global peace and security. A number of the panels are being recorded, and are being made available on UN Web TV.

Wendy Leeds-Hurwitz participated in the first of these World Forums, and wrote about it at the time, including photos.