What do seventy-two young people think the key to inclusive education is? Young people at the Agency’s fourth Hearing in Luxembourg presented their recommendations for policy makers, which can be summarised under the following five headings:
- Everything about us, with us,
- Barrier-free schools,
- Breaking down stereotypes,
- Diversity is the mix, inclusion is what makes the mix work,
- Becoming full citizens.
On 16 October 2015, the Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of the European Union hosted the Agency’s fourth Hearing, entitled Inclusive Education – Take Action!. Young people from across Europe had the opportunity to discuss how their schools and communities ensure inclusive education for them. The ‘Delegates’ Reflections and Proposals’ report is based on their discussions.
The event aimed to empower learners and ensure their involvement in shaping education policies. The 15/16-year-old learners from 28 Agency member countries presented how inclusive education is implemented in their schools and helped identifying progress in inclusive education since the first Hearing in 2003.
At the Hearing workshops, the young learners discussed and exchanged ideas on ways in which their schools support them in their education, examples of how teachers and classmates take their needs into account, accessibility, class organisation and suggestions for ways to overcome remaining barriers to inclusion.
The recommendations expressed in Luxembourg have been summarised in a flyer.
The four Agency hearings have had a major impact on the young participants’ lives since 2003. Several young people from previous Hearings were invited to the event to moderate the workshops. Former participants, Marina from Latvia and Elin from Sweden were invited to observe the workshops. In their testimonies they give a full account of what they observed during the workshops and how these events have affected their lives. Listen to their stories in the most recent videos on the Agency YouTube channel.
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Nothing about us without us! - interview with Elin
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