Designing for Diversity: Schools and Education

Aspen UK

The modern educational system is designed around academic performance, university admissions and preparing students for their professional careers. But there is less emphasis on the promotion of the skills associated with facilitating inter-cultural dialogue, such as communication, listening, and openness. And this issue isn’t limited to school curricula; classrooms often lack in racial, gender, religious and sexual diversity.

Schools and universities represent ideal platforms to encourage the development of intercultural dialogue in society. Embracing different cultures in the classroom is crucial for uniting communities, developing an awareness of different cultural perspectives, and promoting open-mindedness, tolerance, and empathy.
This event brought together educators, academics, and non-profit leaders to explore how to enhance intercultural exchange in schools, universities, and curricula. Our discussion focused on how we can devise a curriculum to produce a more well-rounded cultural education of our youth and how we can we bring together students of different cultural backgrounds to learn and exchange experiences together.
The Aspen Institute UK, in partnership with the Khalili Foundation, explore these pertinent questions. It is part of the wider World Festival of Cultural Diversity which, in association with UNESCO, is bringing together various intellectual and creative initiatives in collective celebration of our world’s cultures.
This event was recorded as part of a live broadcast on 27 September 2022.
Moderated by:
James Westhead - Head of Engagement at Big Society Capital, previously TeachFirst and BBC News correspondent
Panel:
Victor Adebowale - visiting Professor and Chancellor at the University of Lincoln
Faiqa Amreen – Head of History at Park View School; Professional Development Specialist at Lyfta
Zulum Elumogo – Zulum Elumogo is a Special Advisor at Freuds Communications; on the Board of Directors for the Fair Education Alliance, Dance Umbrella and the Barbican Centre
Tariq Modood – Tariq is Professor of Sociology, Politics and Public Policy and founding Director of the Centre for the Study of Ethnicity and Citizenship at the University of Bristol

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