NEWS

The open access book “Learning Inclusion in a Digital Age: Belonging and Finding a Voice with the Disadvantaged” is now published as part of the Springer Sustainable Development Goals Series!

The book explores how inclusive learning, wellbeing and active citizenship can be encouraged, taught, learnt, and supported in a digital world. The book is one of many outcomes of the LIDA project, and is co-edited by professor Stephen Dobson, associate professor Brit Svoen, professor Gabriella Agrusti and dr. Pip Hardy.

The book dives into how governments and intergovernmental organisations, along with the education sector, can support learning inclusion and active citizenship; and how communities can work with vulnerable, disadvantaged people in a participatory and empowering manner. Examples discussed in the book draw on the experiences of adult refugees and migrants, as well as others who have experienced disadvantage and/or discrimination as a result of their social, economic, political, cultural, religious, physical, mental, age or gender-related status. A focus in the book is on the development of skills in digital storytelling and digital stories creation for personal, community and professional purposes. The book is of interest to researcher and policy makers at local, national and transnational levels, as well as teacher and community professionals who work to support and include disadvantaged adults.

Two of the editors, Stephen Dobson and Brit Svoen, give a brief introduction to the book

The LIDA project organised a “book launch taster” as as a pre-event to the the Lillehammer Lifelong Learning ICDE conference

Stories from all over the world connecting people

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Digital storytelling - A key activity

Digital storytelling in the LIDA project

Storytelling is used in the LIDA project of many reasons. It’s a tool for sharing important and personal stories, for empowerment and inclusion, for mutual education and for improving digital skills.

Book Contract with Springer Nature Sustainable development Goals series

The LIDA team, represented with the four book editors Stephen Dobson, Brit Svoen, Gabriella Agrusti and Pip Hardy, has now signed a book contract with Springer publisher, and will publish the open access edited book titled Learning Inclusion in a Digital Age. Belonging and finding a voice during the autumn. We’re happy to announce that the book has been accepted for the Springer Nature Sustainable Development Goals series:

“The Sustainable Development Goals Series is Springer Nature’s inaugural cross-imprint book series that addresses and supports the United Nations’ seventeen Sustainable Development Goals. The series fosters comprehensive research focused on these global targets and endeavours to address some of society’s greatest grand challenges. The SDGs are inherently multidisciplinary, and they bring people working across different fields together and working towards a common goal.”

Contact Brit.Svoen@inn.no to receive open access link when published

The book consists of three parts, and the following chapters are now completed:

Introduction by Stephen Dobson and Brit Svoen

Part I: How can governments and intergovernmental organisations support learning inclusion and active citizenship?

Chapter 1

Promoting social inclusion and mutual understanding. Intertwined efforts at local, national and international level

Gabriella Agrusti, João Caramelo and Andrea Ciasca Marra

Chapter 2

Towards wellbeing-ness as an experience of inclusion, belonging and voice in a digital (post-Covid) world of global change?

Stephen Dobson and Pip Hardy

Chapter 3

The Global Network of Learning Cities in the light of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Konstantinos Pagkratis and Stephen Dobson

Part 2: How can the education sector and public/private enterprises support learning inclusion and active citizenship?

Chapter 4

Fostering social inclusion of vulnerable people: experience from the Italian and Portuguese contexts

Valeria Damiani, Susana Coimbra and Ana Costa

Chapter 5

Voice, belonging, storytelling and transformation: promoting wellbeing and inclusion through digital storytelling – philosophical considerations in institutional settings

Pip Hardy and Stephen Dobson

Chapter 6

Professional activism for inclusion: workplace learning, resilience and engagement

Ana Costa and Susana Coimbra

Part 3 Different methodologies that can be adopted an explored in a storytelling approach

Chapter 7

We belong and connect when we have a voice. A learning design for inclusive learning

Brit Svoen and Marta Pinto

Chapter 8

Bridging the gaps - promoting wellbeing and social inclusion of girls through digital storytelling

Elsa Guedes Teixeira and Angélica Monteiro

Chapter 9

Multilingual stories for immigrants and refugees: A language-as-resource approach

Espen Stranger-Johannessen and Valeria Damiani

The Evolution of LIDA

LIDA, an acronym for “Learning Inclusion in a Digital Age. To Belong and Find a Voice in a Changing Europe”, aims to strengthen inclusive learning and active citizenship across national borders in Europe. LIDA is a three-year project (2021-2023) supported by the Erasmus+ programme and is based on two pillars

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Welcome to LIDA webinar as part of the Lifelong Learning Festival

On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC), the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities Lifelong Learning Festival will take place from 30 October to 3 November 2023. LIDA holds a webinar Friday 3 November 11:00-12:00 CET, where you will meet member of the Erasmus+ LIDA project and hear how disadvantaged adults, caring professionals (teachers, social and community workers) and policy makers can learn digital storytelling and literacy learning skills.

Programme

Introduction: Why is Learning Inclusion and global citizenship so important?
How could these challenges be addressed? The LIDA platform and methodology
Using stories and storytelling to promote inclusion and active citizenship
Digital storytelling – workshop with vulnerable people and educators – the process and results
LIDA stories as a multilingual literacy resource – 29 different languages and still counting
Measuring Impact: Evaluation insight:
Analysing the outcomes: Evaluation findings
A Treasure Trove for You
Access Free Educational Resources – empower yourself with valuable materials
Closing remarks – Wrapping up the Journey

For more information about the Lifelong Learning festival

International Seminar

The international seminar "Inclusion in and by the Digital - Access, Well-being and Rights", organised by the Erasmus+ funded project LIDA - Learning Inclusion in a Digital Age, took place at the Faculty of Psychology and of Educational Sciences of the University of Porto, Portugal, on the 5th of September 2023.

The event brought together more than 70 researchers, teachers, professionals and students. Throughout the day, there was also the opportunity to premiere the digital stories created by professionals and people in vulnerable situations from the four countries that comprise the consortium (Portugal, Italy, Norway and the United Kingdom).

Link to the program as doc

Brit Svoen and Stephen Dobson, from INN, presented the project's main activities and results, including the website, and the book Learning Inclusion in a Digital Age. Belonging and Finding a Voice with the Disadvantaged, published by Springer, that will soon be launched. Alex Howells (UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning) gave a presentation on lifelong learning and UNESCO's Global Network of Learning Cities. Laura Mazzoli-Smith (Durham University, UK) presented a communication on the uses of digital storytelling for inclusion, discussed by Pip Hardy and Tony Sumner (Pilgrim Projects). In the afternoon, a roundtable with professionals from different areas (Angélica Monteiro - CIIE/FPCEUP; Daniela Leal - It Gets Better; Liliana Pires - Municipality of Porto and Paula Cruz - EAPN) on inclusion in and by digitalisation was held, presented by Ana Luísa Costa and Elsa Teixeira from the University of Porto, and a paper on multiculturalism in schools in the digital age was presented by Francesca Fioretti and discussed by Gabriella Agrusti and Valeria Damiani (LUMSA). Lastly, Sandra Araújo (coordinator of the National Strategy to Combat Poverty - Portugal) presented the challenges posed by the digital inclusion of people living in or at risk of poverty. These challenges were debated with João Caramelo and Susana Coimbra (University of Porto). The event ended with a musical performance by the NEFUP (Centre for Ethnography and Folklore of the University of Porto).