Press Release #3
20 November 2023. The final Press Release has been published. We inform our community about the full availability of the SMILE tools translated into ES, DE, FR, FI, IT, RO.
You can download the file HERE.
Newsletter #6
30 November 2023. The final Newsletter of SMILE has been published today. This newsletter focuses on the SMILE Final Symposium and the tools translated into different languages.
You can download the file
HERE.
Final Symposium – Barcelona, 16 November 2023
On Thursday 16 November 2023 the SMILE Final Symposium took place in Barcelona, organised by eucen and the Fundacio Solidaritat UB, and hosted by the University of Barcelona. The participants to this event were all coming from the world of HE (researchers and/or practitioners, support staff, etc) and Civil Society. The programme included a formal presentation of the project, a panel focusing on the 3 pillars of SMILE, parallel sessions of cases, the presentation of the SMILE Diversity Awards, a world cafe and an in-depth dialogue about a researcher and a practitioner.
The full set of SMILE outputs were distributed to all the participants. The tools were discussed specially during the World Cafe. The general feedback received about the tools was very positive and participants highlighted the usability and appropriateness of the tools developed.
The Awards were given to the three best works and the three finalists were also acknowledged.
The event finished with a networking cocktail and the symposium dinner.
Follow this link to download the presentations.
Different images from the event:
Awarding ceremony, printed tools, group of participants.
Press Release #2
October 2023 – Official announcement of the SMILE tools online in English. The SMILE consortium is very proud to announce in its Press Release 2 that all the tools developed by the project are now available online in English language. You will find:
- SMILE Audit Model on Diversity
- Self-Assessment Tool
- Policy Recommendations and Action Plan
- CPD Introductory course on Diversity
- CPD course on Migrant background students
- CPD course on Women in leadership
- CPD course on Low socio-economic status students
We will soon announce the availability of the SMILE tools in 6 other languages.
Policy Consultation – Brussels, 20 September 2023
On Wednesday 20 September 2023 SMILE hold its Round Table in Brussels at the Info Hub of the European Parliament. The list of participants included HE academia, policy makers and civil society. The Policy Recommendations and Action Plan were the central objective of the discussion. The 10 Principles of diversity and inclusion written by SMILE were qualified of fundamental and universal by the participants, which gives great satisfaction to the SMILE consortium.
Amongst the participants we would like to highlight MEP Joao Albuquerque and Svein Hullstein (DG EAC).
If you are interested to see the slides used during this activity, please click on the image. Solidar has prepared a short summary of the event.
If you are interested in the SMILE developments, please, give us support! Fill in a support letter and send it to smile@eucen.eu – you can download a template here
Newsletter #5
July 2023 – The 5th Inclusive Europe newsletter is available and focuses mainly on SMILE.
The newsletter gives great detail on the Call for contributions for the Final Symposium in Barcelona, presents the opportunity to run for one of the SMILE Diversity Awards 2023 to authors of cases and gives details on the Symposium and the objectives that this event wants to achieve.
We invite readers of this post not to miss the opportunity to submit their cases to the Call and to plan their participation to the November event in Barcelona, hosted by the Fundaciò Solidaritat UB.
The event will have panel discussions, workshops, a world cafe and a dialogue between practice and research.
Register!
3rd face-to-face SMILE partners meeting
February 2023 – The Fundacio Solidatirat Universitat de Barcelona hosted in February 2023 the third face-to-face SMILE consortium full partners meeting. This meeting helped the consortium to work in any points identified in the SMILE Policy Recommendations as weak, to make the document more relevant and realistic with the needs of HEIs.
During the meeting the consortium also finalised the arrangements for the online consultation with policy makers and discussed the programme of the Final Symposium planned for November 2023.
Iasi: 3rd SMILE audit test
September 2022 – The Gheorghe Asachi Technical University of Iasi (TUIASI) hosted the third testing audit in Romania, with a focus on SMILE’s pillar 3: students with low socio-economic status.
The was planned in two groups: one with university management and leaders, and another with academics and students. The work done already by TUIASI in this challenging area of low SES proved to be already impressive. The testimonies were really interesting and moving. The ongoing projects to help this type of students very effective and a great support. The observers from the project learned a lot from this visit.
Newsletter #4
August 2022 – The 4th Inclusive Europe newsletter is available. In this issue you will find a link to the Introductory CPD course for HEI staff on Diversity developed by SMILE.
This CDP course is an opportunity to know better oneself in the area of diversity and inclusion and to get prepared for facing HE challenges in the area of diversity.
If you are totally interested in the topic, read more about the state of the art in Europe about Migrant background students, students with low SES and Women in Leadership in HE subscribing to the Inclusive Europe newsletter. Follow this link to download this issue!
Cagliari: 2nd face-to-face SMILE partners meeting and 2nd audit test
June 2022 – Once the audit model was discussed and evaluated in Malta, the document was reviewed and the second big testing was required: the work package leaders met in Cagliari to use the reviewed document in practice with focus on pillar 2 “women in leadership”.
The full consortium attended then its second face-to-face meeting, where the reviewed draft Policy Recommendations and Action Plan was presented, and discussed at length during an in-focus workshop.
1st face-to-face SMILE partners meeting
May 2022 – After 18 months working solidly on line, the SMILE partners were pleased to finally meet and see each other fact-to-face. The meeting took place in Malta on 20 May 2022, hosted by the University of Malta in the impressive Fort St Elmo (Valletta).
During the meeting, the consortium had the opportunity to work on the way the institutional audit on diversity has to be delivered, review the state of the CPD courses and work on the draft Policy Agenda.
Ten out of eleven partners managed to attend the meeting. All shared very positive feelings about the meeting, the work done by SMILE and the application of the tools in their institutions and their regions. The next face-to-face meeting will be in Cagliari (IT) in June.
First test audit in Malta
May 2022 – The first test audit of the “SMILE Diversity Audit Model” took place in Malta on 17-19 May, hosted by the University of Malta. The audit was done in two sessions (morning and afternoon), and involved the active involvement of a diverse group of participants who were happy to discuss the tool with the coordinators and some project partner of SMILE. This is the first audit of 20 expected in total. Once the tool is totally refined, it will be made available.
Newsletter #3
April 2022 – The 3rd newsletter of the project is out now. In the Inclusive Europe newsletter you can get an update of the project – what are we working on? what to expect in the following month? why you might be interested? You can download it here.
If you are interested in the topic, why not to subscribe to the Inclusive Europe newsletters?
Newsletter #2
November 2021 – The 2nd Inclusive Europe newsletter is available. In this issue you will find a link to the Reports developed by the project. Do not miss the opportunity to read more about the state of the art in Europe about Migrant background students, students with low SES and Women in Leadership in HE! Follow this link to download this issue!
Press Release #1
June 2021 – Official launch of the SMILE website. We have recently sent to stakeholders and colleagues the Press Release 1 of the project, announcing the official opening of the website and inviting our audiences to visit and use this platform. If you are interested to receive the next Press Releases of the project, please contact us.
Newsletter #1
May 2021 – We launch the first newsletter on diversity and inclusion: Inclusive Europe! This newsletter will gather information about activities, actions and projects connected to inclusion – let’s all together make a better Europe! You are invited to subscribe to the newsletters and to send articles that are relevant to the topic so we add them to the news issues.
Inclusive Europe
March 2021 – Do you work in the area of diversity and inclusion? Are you in a project with these topics? Then you might be interested to follow the Inclusive Europe initiative.
We have developed a group in LinkedIn, a page in Facebook and a page in Twitter. Plus we have created a Newsletter dedicated to the topic where you can contribute and you can subscribe to. Join us!
LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter
Tags: #diversity #inclusion #InclusiveEurope #EuropeInclusive #IamInclusive #ThinkInclusive