Conferences

Day 1:

• Session 1: Religious, political and individual rights. The protection of the right to education by the international human rights acts and conventions, as well as the issue of the Muslim pupils at school in Greece were discussed.
• Session 2: Refugee children and their rights: back to school. During this session, the topics "Respect for diversity: a prerequisite for effective access to education", "What it means to be a refugee or an immigrant and go to school?" and “The experience of a Volunteer in the refugee camp of Diavata" were presented.
• Round-table: “All children every day at school? What we learned from our experience in the camps”. During this round-table discussion, a group of 6 teachers-Refugee Education Coordinators nominated by the Ministry of Education in order to act as the “liaison” between the refugee children and their parents on one hand and the local schools on the other hand, had the opportunity to describe their experiences, challenges and outcomes from their own point of view.

Day 2:

• Session 3: Our “allies” in the fight on children's rights. The session started with a thorough presentation of the I Have Rights Project (see powerpoint attached). Representatives of the Greek Associated Partners (Greek Observatory on Intercultural Education and Training; Network for Children's Rights; Symviosis; The House of Europe in Rhodes; Serres Club for UNESCO; Thessaloniki Youth Club for UNESCO) presented their work in relation to the inclusion of children in the educational activities.
• Session 4: The “Different” Children. Specialised issues on children’s inclusion in the educational system were discussed during the last session of the conference. “Children's right to reading and Children's rights to children's literary books”; “Inclusive education and equal rights for children with disabilities”, as well as the topic of "LGBTQI parents and their children: Simple steps for a 'inclusive' school without barriers and exclusions” provided the audience with further food for thought.

The role of the inclusive school was highlighted during the conference. An inclusive school means that all students are welcomed – regardless of gender, ethnicity, socio-economic background or educational need. They learn, contribute to, and take part in all aspects of school life. Inclusion may have only positive effects and benefits. The benefits include meaningful friendships, respect, better appreciation and understanding of individual differences, and being prepared for adult life in a diverse society. Some benefits are social. Students can create lasting friendships that help them navigate relationships later in their lives. In an inclusive classroom, they get to see how different people interact. In addition, in a well-designed inclusive classroom, students meet higher expectations – both from their peers and their teachers. They may also see positive academic role models in their classmates. One of the most important principles of inclusive education is that no two children are alike, and so inclusive schools place great importance on creating opportunities for children to learn and be assessed in a variety of ways. Teachers in inclusive schools therefore must consider a wide range of learning modalities in designing instruction. Certainly, this enhances the way in which educators provide supports and accommodations children, diversifying their educational experiences.

71 Teachers from various schools of the city and the region of Central Macedonia, stakeholders and practitioners, representatives of the Associated Partners, as well as 8 university students, attended the multiplier event.

A group of 22 esteemed academics, professors, researchers and practitioners participated as guest speakers. The Mayor of Thessaloniki, Mr Yannis Boutaris, also addressed the audience underlying the importance of children’s inclusion in the schooling system without discriminations.

As main outcomes of the multiplier event could be mentioned:

• The addressing of a series of issues dealing with the inclusion of children and youth in education.
• The need for more training of the teaching staff.
• The importance of the implemented project towards this direction.
• The significant role deliverables IO.2 and IO.3 could have in the improvement of the qualifications and skills of the respective teaching staff.