As societies become more diverse, schools become more diverse as well. This means that teachers' professional demands expand: teachers are increasingly required to recognize and understand diversity and any issues that may arise because of it.
Identifying and understanding situations related to diversity requires new ways of thinking as well as welcoming new perspectives. With dialogue, safe discussions, and sharing experiences, it’s possible for all students and teachers to gain a better understanding of these situations and the ability to contribute constructively to different interactions and activities.
CulturED seminars provide teachers with a place for developing competences for facing multiculturalism and diversity. One of the main goals of CulturED is to have students and teachers understand each other better. The broader goal of the seminars, is to prevent discrimination and marginalization of children and youth, empower young people through equal dialogue with adults, and to identify more students in need of support through the empowerment of teachers and their intercultural competences.
The CulturED seminar day consists of reflecting on issues such as prejudice, discrimination, nationality, and exploring one’s own identity in relation to cultural diversity. The topics are covered from different points of views.
The seminars draw on many years’ worth of observations from schools, teaching materials, and the experiences of facilitators coming from multicultural backgrounds.