Handbook: FOSTERING INCLUSIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH CULTURAL HERITAGE

The project "REBELAH - Religion, beliefs, and laicity in cultural heritage to foster social inclusion in adult trainings" (project nº 2020-1-ES01-KA204-082412) is a strategic partnership within the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Commission.  The REBELAH activity handbook, a collection of 17 activities for ice-breaking, teambuilding, and intercultural empowerment for adult trainers to use in the classroom, including a set of introductory readings to contextualise the activities, and the summary of four piloting experiences using the activities with a diversity of groups of adult learners in Spain, France, the Netherlands and Hungary.

Cultural heritage serves as an essential tool for both trainers and learners to recover Europe’s plural past in favour of inclusive and safe learning spaces. In order to facilitate adult trainers to channel the educational value of heritage, we have created a set of resources within the framework of the REBELAH project. The project “REBELAH - Religion, beliefs and laicity in cultural heritage to foster social inclusion in adult trainings” is a two year Erasmus+ strategic partnership involving 6 organisations in 4 countries: Storytelling Centre (NL), University of Groningen (NL), Elan Interculturel (FR), Kepes (HU), Ibn Battuta Foundation (SP) and La Xixa Teatre (SP) as project coordinator. As a result of the project, we have created this handbook. All REBELAH resources are targeted at adult trainers, although activists, community leaders, local minorities, policy makers, heritage organisations and adult trainer organisations should find utility in their contents. This handbook proposes a set of introductory readings, followed by 17 activities related to heritage, and the summary of four piloting experiences in Spain, France, the Netherlands and Hungary. Activities are based on weaving together critical heritage studies with methods proven useful to build trainer and learner skills on how to comprehensively address conflicts, discriminatory behaviours and cultural shocks within the adult classroom; namely: Critical Incident Methodology, Forum Theatre, Process Work, Storytelling, and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.

During the REBELAH project we implemented the following activities:

- Continuous management, assessment and dissemination of project progress, quality and impact, including an online kick-off, 2 transnational partner meetings and monthly follow-up online meetings.

- Development of the REBELAH methodology, based on yielding storytelling, theatre of the oppressed, critical incident methodology, and cognitive behavioural therapy with critical heritage studies.

- Development of a toolkit (heritage map, 24 heritage infosheets and activity handbook) and a train-the-trainer handbook in EN, ES, FR, NL, and HU.

- A blended joint staff training (18 hours online, 24 hours offline) to exchange methodologies among partner organizations and transfer knowledge among the different territories

- 8 local pilots to co-construct project outputs

- 3 local multipliers in Paris, Budapest and Amsterdam, and an international final conference in Barcelona to assure project exploitation and sustainability, and multiply project impact in the adult education field and beyond.

The REBELAH project has accomplished the following outputs and results:

·Social inclusion and diversity, particularly in regards to religious minorities in the context of adult trainings, have been fostered.

·The social and educational value of European cultural heritage and its potential to generate interreligious co-existence and dialogue in the context of adult trainings has been promoted.

·Competences of adult trainers to foster social inclusion in their teaching practice through heritage have been developed and extended.

·A heritage map with an overview of 24 heritage elements, a handbook with a collection of readings and activities for adult trainers and a train-the-trainer handbook to foster more inclusive learning environments through European cultural heritage have been produced in EN, ES, FR, NL, and HU.

·488 participants and 80 organisations trained in the REBELAH methods during pilots and multipliers; 706 reached directly in non-REBELAH activities; 164.000 interactions in social media

·6 videos were produced, showcasing the pilots and final conference, and video testimonials.

·Management, dissemination and evaluation outputs and reports were developed.

REBELAH Project website: www.rebelah.eu