For education to be able to address polarisation, the very systems within which education exists need to be changed to promote equality and protect the development of our innate human skills. We need to support all children’s well-being and development from day one, and break cycles of intergenerational inequality through adequate social protection and care policies.
These were concepts underscored by Dominic Richardson, Managing Director of the Learning for Well-being Institute, during the European Economic Social Committee’s Civil Society Week 2024, at a session on the role of school systems in tackling polarisation and enhancing democracy.
Dominic was one of three speakers each of whom touched on a different but interconnected dimension of tackling polarisation through education. In addition to Dominic’s presentation on how to support school systems to address the causes of polarisation, Maarten Van Alstein, Researcher at Flemish Peace Institute, spoke on polarisation and education: the challenges and opportunities, and Erika Stael von Holstein, Chief Executive of Re-Imagine Europa (RIE) spoke on the power of education in cultivating emotional intelligence and democratic dialogue.
The speakers also facilitated working groups on the topic with the participants, making this a dynamic and highly interactive session.
