Our latest updates on events and new developments.
Online Final Conference ‘Making mobility programmes more inclusive' 5 April 2022
16 February 2022
The year ends but the saga continues: inclusivemobility.eu at the VI Erasmus+ Equity and Inclusion Seminar
10 January 2022
Incusivemobility.eu in AEC 2021: how we’re changing the “music” of the education sector for the better!
28 October 2021
We presented the Inclusivemobility.eu platform at the ERACON 2021
06 July 2021
Second Peer Learning Inclusive Mobility
04 May 2021
Evaluation of the first PLA and next steps
15 December 2020
First Peer Learning Activity on Inclusive Mobility...
30 September 2020
Countries have been selected for the PLAs...
30 June 2020
Call participants and survey
18-22 May 2020
Getting ready for PLAR-4-SIMP
15 April 2020
The project Peer Learning Activities and Resources for Social Inclusion in Mobility Programmes (PLAR-4-SIMP) is a 2-year project co-funded by Erasmus+ KA3 Support to Policy reform "Support to the implementation of EHEA reforms - 2019".
As the new Erasmus+ Programme and the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) aim to achieve better inclusiveness in mobility programmes, higher education authorities and institutions are in the process of considering, planning, and implementing reforms to widen the participation of students from disadvantaged groups in mobility programmes.
In this project, an international consortium will organize two peer learning activities on social inclusion in mobility programmes to strengthen mutual learning and deepen the exchange of practices between EHEA countries in different implementation stages. Based on identified needs, the consortium will develop a multi-use "toolbox on inclusive mobility” that contains a policy report and database on national social inclusion measures and practices, a communication package to promote outward mobility towards students of underrepresented groups in an inclusive way and a blended training package to equip staff of higher education authorities and institutions with skills, knowledge, attitudes, and tools required to best organise inclusive student mobility in the 21st century.
Goals
Outcomes of the project.
Peer learning activities
Organise two peer learning activities for ministries, universities and student representatives of 10 countries in different implementation stages. Ministry representatives and international and inclusion officers will be supported to draw up plans on how to overcome their specific challenges.
Policy report
Publish a comprehensive policy report and database on national social inclusion measures and practices that have been implemented across the EHEA to widen the participation of students from disadvantaged groups in mobility programmes, in which innovative inclusive policy measures will be highlighted.
Communication package
Publish a communication package to promote the benefits of outward mobility towards students of underrepresented groups in an inclusive way. The communication materials will be created in different formats and languages, allowing national authorities, higher education institutions, and student organisations to adapt the outputs to their local context.
Training package
Develop a blended training package to equip staff of higher education authorities and institutions with skills, knowledge, attitudes, and tools required to best organise inclusive student mobility in the 21st century.
All outcomes will be integrated on the platform InclusiveMobility.eu and are directly implementable. As such they will contribute to more inclusive mobility programmes in the short-term.
Timeline
Upcoming events and milestones of the project.
May 2020
Call and Research component
A call will be launched to gather participants for the peer learning activities and a survey to assess national policies and higher education practices on social inclusion in mobility programmes across EHEA.
September 2020
Peer Learning Activity #1
A first peer learning activity will be organised to strengthen mutual learning and deepen the exchange of practices between countries in different implementation stages.
October 2020 - March 2021
Developing mobility toolkit
Based on identified needs, a multi-use ‘toolbox on inclusive mobility” will be developed, containing a policy report on social inclusion measures, a communication package, and a blended training package.
April 2021
Peer Learning Activity #2 and piloting toolbox
At the second PLA, participants will reflect on progress made so far. They will be equipped with skills, knowledge, attitudes, and tools required to best organise inclusive student mobility in the 21st century.
September 2021-December 2021
Report & pilot studies
Public release of the policy recommendations and the research report, piloting the toolbox while gathering feedback from all stakeholders (students from disadvantaged backgrounds, higher education institutions, national agencies and ministries for Education)
April 2022
Final conference and launch of the mobility toolkit
In this conference, the project will launch its mobility toolkit and present its overall results.
During the PLAR-4-SIMP project, an international consortium, in collaboration with individual experts, will organise two peer learning activities to support governments and higher education institutions from 10 countries of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) in different implementation phases in reforming their social inclusion policies in mobility programs.
In addition, inclusive communication materials to promote the benefits of outbound mobility towards students from underrepresented groups and a blended training package will be developed.
In the week of 18th of May 2020, Ministries for Education of the 48 European Higher Education Area have received through the BFUG Secretariat the following documents:
Survey for Ministries of Education on social inclusion in mobility, aimed at mapping the national social inclusion measures and practices that have been implemented across the EHEA to widen the participation of students from disadvantaged groups in mobility programmes
Call for participants in the PLAs, accompanied by a nomination form, encouraging countries to nominate two representatives of their Higher Education system to take part in the PLAs organised through the PLAR4SIMP project
The deadline to answer the survey and to apply for the PLAs has been set on the 10th of June 2020.
For any further information about this topic, you can also contact us at [email protected].
Date: 18-22 May 2020
Countries have been selected for the PLAs on Inclusive Mobility!
The participants for the Peer-Learning Activities of the PLAR-4-SIMP project have been selected. There was a high interest expressed to participate in the PLAs on this topic and many inputs were also received on the ministry survey, which is extremely valuable for the project.
We are now pleased to announce the final selection of countries, next to Austria and Belgium/Flemish Community who are partners in the project, are selected colleagues from
Croatia,
Estonia,
France,
Georgia,
Hungary,
Iceland,
Ireland,
Portugal,
Romania,
Sweden,
Switzerland,
The Netherlands.
Next to the country representatives, the PLAs will also see the participation of two students’ representative, one from the Erasmus Student Network and one from the European Students’ Union (ESN and ESU), as well as a representative from the Council of Europe.
All nominated persons will very shortly receive the invitation for the first PLA and more information about the project.
The first PLA will take place on 21-22nd September 2020 (online/Ghent/Belgium) and will take a closer look at how governments and institutions are widening the participation of disadvantaged students and underrepresented students in mobility programmes. Through a peer-to-peer and counseling approach, participants will be supported to draw up plans on how to overcome specific challenges.
The second PLA will take place on 19-20th April 2021 (Vienna/Austria) and will focus on reflecting on progresses and equipping participants with skills, knowledge, and attitudes on how to best organise mobility in the 21st century.
We know the time to complete the survey, was for some countries rather short, as they had to involve different people/organisations within their country. Therefore, The survey is still open for submission until the 10th of July.
The answers from this survey will be compiled and made available on the platform inclusivemobility.eu, through the creation of national country profiles which will indicate the relevant strategies, policies, targets, and support measures set in each EHEA country. The platform inclusivemobility.eu will be the European platform where all relevant information will be found on inclusive mobility in the EHEA, for Ministries, National Agencies for Erasmus+, Higher Education Institutions, and students.
30 June 2020
First Peer Learning Activity
On the 21-22 September 2020 took place the first Peer-Learning Activity on Inclusive Mobility, as part of the PLAR-4-SIMP project. Hosted by the Flemish Ministry of Education and Training together with the Support Centre for Inclusive Higher Education (SIHO), this first PLA gathered 30 participants representing 14 Ministries of Education of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and their respective National Agency for Erasmus+ or National Erasmus+ Office.
The discussions revolved around the barriers and challenges of organising mobility in an inclusive way for all types of disadvantaged students, but discussions were solution-oriented and participants have had the chance to receive plenty of inputs from other countries and experts. In particular, on the first day, participants took part in a panel where the Flemish and Austrian ministries highlighted their national strategy and policy plan on how they try to make mobility more inclusive in their respective countries. Two experts from University UK international (UUKi) and the European University Association (EUA) also shared insight into their respective research reports on the topic.
Through intense online preparatory work and interactive workshops, participants have been able to share challenges, obstacles but also good practices and solutions. A background paper has been published stating the current status of Inclusive Mobility around the EHEA. A virtual gallery walk offered a first glimpse at each country’s situation, strategy and current challenges faced. The preliminary results of the EPFIME project were also shared with participants, giving them valuable inputs on the situation of inclusion in mobility programmes for students with disabilities specifically.
On the second day, a session with a representative from the European Commission took place and was centered onto the inclusion aspects in the next Erasmus programme 2021-2027 and how the European Commission and the EHEA can cooperate more on the topic of inclusion. Participants also expressed their needs and expectations towards the communication package and training package that will be later developed throughout the project.
Video Keynote Priority for social inclusion in mobility programmes
Videal Panel - Approaches to social inclusion and inclusive mobility across EHEA
For more information about the PLAR-4-SIMP project, you can contact the manager of the project at [email protected].
30 September 2020
Evaluation of the first peer-learning activity and next steps
On the 15th of December, the PLAR-4-SIMP project partners had the last meeting of the year.
On the agenda was the evaluation of the first peer-learning activity, which took place in September this year and which was positively evaluated by the participants. The partners also discussed the next peer-learning activity. This will likely take place on the 19th and 20th of April. This activity will follow up from the first one and it is expected that most of the participants will attend both of them.
The project partners also discussed the next steps of the training and communication package, which is a very important part of this project. This will be “tested” at the above-mentioned peer-learning activity and will serve to support universities and others who want to promote inclusive mobility. The communication package will include material and templates which can be adjusted according to the local context and audience. There will be, for example, promotional videos in sign language and testimonials from students who have studied abroad.
The training package will equip university staff and others with tools to best organise inclusive student mobility. It will be a “blended” approach, with both e-learning modules and face-to-face trainings and include modules on the topics of:
The discussions revolved around the barriers and challenges of organizing mobility in an inclusive way for all types of disadvantaged, vulnerable and underrepresented students, but discussions were solution-oriented and participants have had the chance to receive plenty of inputs from other countries and experts.
Through interactive workshops, facilitated by Helga Posset, Anna Wöckinger, Irina Ferencz and Howard Davies, participants have been able to share challenges, obstacles but also good practices and solutions for encountered challenges. Dominique Montagnese and Valérie Van Hees also conducted a workshop in which participants were invited to share their feedback and expectations towards the communication package and e-learning training package that will be developed throughout the project.
On the second day, a session with representatives from the European Commission took place and was centered onto ‘Inclusive Erasmus+ 2021-2027: New opportunities for more people’. After the keynote of the Commission representatives, Frederik De Decker moderated a discussion with participants focusing on how national authorities, national agencies and higher education institutions can cooperate to implement the new measures successfully at national and institutional level.
Helga Posset and Anna Wöckinger closed the PLA by explaining the next steps. A background paper has been published stating the current status of Inclusive Mobility around the EHEA. In October 2021, a research report and peer learning report will be published. The training and communication package will be launched at the final conference in February 2022. In the meantime PLA countries will be supported in drawing up their action plans, and they will be closely involved in the development of the training package.
Keynote European Commission ‘Inclusive Erasmus+ 2021-2027: New opportunities for more people’.
For more information about the PLAR-4-SIMP project, you can contact the manager of the project at [email protected].
04 May 2021
We presented the Inclusivemobility.eu platform at the ERACON 2021 and here’s what happened..!
On 6 July the Support Centre for Inclusive Higher Education in Flanders (SIHO) and the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) presented the Inclusivemobility.eu platform at the Erasmus Congress and Exhibition - ERACON 2021!
The European Association of Erasmus Coordinators (EAEC) held a session of this year’s 17th ERACON edition on 6 July giving a spotlight to the Inclusivemobility.eu platform and its features.
Project coordinator Valérie Van Hées from SIHO and Sabri Ben Rommane from ESN presented the platform and the inclusive mobility framework showcasing the many resources that the platform has to offer to benefit international students and institutions like higher education institutions, Ministries of education and national agencies.
The platform was created out of the need to improve the inclusivity in international mobility for students with disabilities and is being expanded to include all students from disadvantaged backgrounds. With an interactive map showing all possible destinations for students and with country and institution-specific pages with all the info students might need, the platform is becoming the main European stop-shop of inclusive mobility.
Inclusivemobility.eu also offers a self-assessment tool for institutions that want to evaluate their current inclusivity levels and receive key inputs to improve them. Institutions that register on the platform can also share their resources with other institutions and exchange good practices.
After presenting the platform we received many messages of support from the audiences who were enthusiastic about it and the co-creation sustainable process that characterise it and we look forward to working with them in the future and seeing them register on the platform to revolutionise inclusive mobility in Europe together!
If you’re an internationally oriented student interested in international mobility or an institution like a higher education institution, an inclusion or disability office, a Ministry or a national agency click the button below and begin your journey with ease and impact!
“Is it free? Yes, it’s free!” Incusivemobility.eu in AEC 2021: how we’re changing the “music” of the education sector for the better!
As a partner of the PLAR4SIMP project, the Erasmus Student Network was invited to talk once again about inclusive mobility and we couldn’t not talk about Inclusivemobility.eu! So here is the story of how it went and how the education sector is reacting to this amazing tool!
As you might know, ESN and SIHO were invited at the ERACON 2021 to talk about the inclusivemobility.eu platform and it was a success! During and after the event the attendees that were present physically and digitally representing higher education institutions and national agencies were enthusiastic and followed-up with us to cooperate and know more about the platform.
The platform is a game changer because it provides numerous high-quality tools to empower and foster the inclusive mobility of higher education institutions, education ministries and national agencies. Moreover, inclusivemobility.eu streamlines and gathers all the information that is useful for students with disabilities (and in the future all students with fewer opportunities) to go to a mobility abroad and not miss out on the many opportunities and benefits of mobilities in terms of social inclusion, professional development and educational inclusion!
One of the attendees who followed up with us was AEC, the European Association of Conservatoires, who were going to hold their major yearly conference in September 2021 and we were ready to answer their kind invitation.
As with ERACON 2021, we presented the inclusive mobility platform connecting with the attendees like never before. One of the key things we shared to resonate with them was about Beethoven! Yes because Beethoven, as you know, became deaf in the later part of his career but he still continued and continues to impact with his genius.
The inclusivemobility.eu platform wants to create an opportunity for many other Beethovens to emerge and this can only happen with an open and inclusive access to education for students with disability and students with fewer opportunities.
When we showcased the demo of the platform the enthusiasm of participants skyrocketed and it can be summarised with one key phrase that they repeated en masse: “is it free?” For ESN it was heartwarming because this feedback represents a very valuable one to show the very high quality of the platform, its high ambition, and its vast potential impact that we want to achieve and are already achieving!
The call to action can only be the following at this point: if you’re a higher education institution, a ministry of education or a national agency register on the inclusivemobility.eu platform and join this rapidly growing European-wide community, after all “yes, it’s free!”
Check the recording of our presentation of inclusivemobility.eu here!
28 October 2021
The year ends but the saga continues: inclusivemobility.eu at the VI Erasmus+ Equity and Inclusion Seminar
This 2021 year is approaching its end and it has been an intense year indeed. We have presented the inclusivemobility.eu platform at ERACON 2021 and after that we were invited by the European Association of Conservatoires (AEC) for their annual conference. The take-away message from AEC summed up what the perception of the platform and the PLAR4SIP project has been and this is “is it for free?”.
The quality of the platform and the resources it offers with its toolbox and the possibility to really include students with disability into the education system more and specifically in mobilities has been so positive that stakeholders have started to wonder whether this was all really for free and we talked about it in our previous article on this series of events.
Then, we were invited more recently to talk again during the VI Erasmus+ Equity and Inclusion Seminar in Portugal being invited by the Portuguese National Agency. We were invited with other high-level stakeholders to represent the voice of the impactful and relevant actions that as of today are truly shaping the direction of accessibility not only for people with disabilities but for all students with fewer opportunities.
There is still much in store as more and more institutions register on the inclusivemobility.eu platform, benefits from its amazing resources and as more and more students with disability have access to their preferred mobility and to all the information and guide they need to realise this aspiration and benefit from the opportunities of mobilities.
As 2021 approaches its end we invite you to stay tuned, to use the platform if you’re a student with disability and to register on the platform if you’re a National Agency, a Ministry of Education or a Higher Education Institution and to benefit from the toolbox resources.
10 January 2022
Online Final Conference ‘Making mobility programmes more inclusive' 5 April 2022
As the new Erasmus+ Programme and the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) aim to achieve better inclusiveness in mobility programmes, higher education authorities and institutions are in the process of considering, planning, and implementing reforms to widen the participation of students from disadvantaged groups in mobility programmes.
The PLAR-4-SIMP project partners are pleased to invite you to the Online Final Conference ‘Making mobility programmes more inclusive', that will be held on 5 April 2022, 13:30-16:30 CEST.
"My mindset (that I shouldn’t be afraid to be myself) changed because of the Erasmus programme. It made me realize that I had nothing to lose except my freedom and my quality of life"
—Pete Student testimonial
The PLAR-4-SIMP project partners are pleased to invite you to the Online Final Conference ‘Making mobility programmes more inclusive', on 5 April 2022, 13:30-16:30 CEST.
