EuroClio is excited to announce the kick-off of our new project; Learning to Disagree. This three-year project, funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Commission, aims to respond to the needs of educators who experience difficulties in addressing sensitive and controversial issues in their classroom. The project offers training and support materials to educators to overcome these difficulties and enable them to facilitate dialogue, debate and discussion in their educational practice. The core idea is that students acquire those social and civic competences that enable them to interact with people that they (fundamentally) disagree with, in a constructive manner.

The consortium of partner organisations in this project consists of five organisations. Besides EuroClio, the organisations involved are Belgrade-based Education for the 21st Century, the Mount School York from the United Kingdom, the National University of Ireland – Maynooth, and finally the Georg Eckert Institute for International Textbook Research (Germany). Education for the 21st Century is an institution which promotes human rights in the western Balkan region through means of education. The Mount School of York is an independent Quaker school for girls and boys, however uniquely it is not only a school but a non-profit organization who embrace equality and education. National University of Ireland – Maynooth is Ireland’s fastest growing university with a strong tradition of teacher education and committed to engaging in questions affecting society and to a diverse and interdisciplinary approach to the study of education. The Georg Eckert Institute for International Textbook Research, located in Braunschweig, Germany, is a publicly-funded institute with 150 employees. It conducts applied and multidisciplinary research into textbooks informed primarily by history and cultural studies among other projects related to textbooks.

Our first Consortium meeting took place from 10 to 12 November at the EuroClio headquarters in The Hague. During this meeting, the aims of the project were discussed in detail. Much time was spent on discussion how to effectively reach our goals while ensuring we make the biggest possible impact. In the near future, a call for applications will be published, with the aim to assemble a core team of 12 individuals, who will be involved in the project. For more information, visit the project page.