At our university all faculties/schools organise their own welcoming programmes for their new (bachelor) students. At each faculty colleagues are working on designing a great start for these students. As part of the Soft Landing project, IDEA Center has been working on connecting these faculty colleagues to build a community of practice and knowledge sharing.
Last week, we invited them to a workshop on inclusion, diversity, equity & access topics to inspire them to design inclusive welcoming activities and services. Khaled Tamimy of ECHO, Expertisecentrum Diversiteitsbeleid gave the workshop focusing on the meaning of diversity and inclusion, possible barriers groups can face and how to create inclusive events: “Diversity in its many forms is a fact that cannot be ignored, and whether our students feel included or excluded is an experience we can influence.”
Nine colleagues from five faculties joined. Veronika Norvaisaite, IDEA Center’s Project Lead Soft Landing: “I was happy to see that colleagues joined with an open mind to learn more on the topics of inclusion, diversity, equity and access.” We hope the training helps to create inclusive welcoming programmes for new (bachelor) students.
