Internationalization at Home: Anti-Bias-Trainings as Part of Diversity Development Measures on the Campus

Educational programs and activities should focus on promoting equality in human dignity, in

conjunction with programs such as those promoting intercultural learning, participation and

empowerment of minorities.
(Part of the official definition of Human Rights Education of the Council of Europe’s Human Rights Education Youth Program)
 

In recent years there have been increasing calls for „intercultural opening of colleges and universities“ and efforts to conceptualize, implement and evaluate innovative approaches to confront discrimination on campuses by introducing intersectionally oriented antidiscrimination programs.  The innovative method “Internationalsation at Home” implemented primarily in the Australian and Canadian Campuses examines the inter-linkages between traditional intercultural trainings and critical antidiscrimination approaches and implements concrete internationalization programs on the campus. Such an integrated approach to diversity on Australian and Canadian campuses provides possibilities also for Campuses in Europe, especially Germany, to implement holistic and effective approaches to deal with intricate issues of Migration, Stereotyping and Anti-discrimination. This approach counters the currently implemented rather segmented, limited approaches (for example, learning foreign languages, culture contact programs, de-politicized intercultural trainings) to issues of diversity and discrimination, and takes into account ideological and structural aspects of discrimination.  A sustainable approach to the issue calls for a systematic introduction of antidiscrimination trainings which also deal with the history of racism and the current situation of the discrimination of migrants and other minorities in the educational system. This will help supplement and strengthen current “intercultural programs”. It opens up new ways of looking at “diversity“ and „internationality“ on the campus, providing ways and means to allow equal political participation of students, teachers and employees with diverse lifestyles and biographies.

The aim of such internationalization programs is to establish and nurture inclusive campuses that provide access to social, political, knowledge and economic resources to all irrespective of their ethnic origin, age, gender, physical or mental condition, religious background and sexual orientation.

Target Groups and areas of Implementation

• Equal Opportunity Programs
• Diversity Policy Co-ordinators on the Campus
• Representatives of Student Unions
• Teachers, Lecturues and Professors
• Personnel Managers
• Social Workers
• Student Advisors

Themes dealt with in the Training Modules and further internationalization programs

• Anti-Bias-Strategy
• Anti Bias und Transactional Analysis
• Levels of Discrimination
• Experience based models and mechanisms of discrimination
• Global Citizenship and Social Inclusion
• Loaded Words and Pictures: Stereotypes in Literature, Research und Publications
• Adult Anti-racist Developmental Journey
• Alternative non-oppressive ways of thinking and acting
• Case studies in (anti-) discrimination
• Anti Bias und Internationalization on the Campus
• Intercultural Opening of colleges and universities
• Developing  Indicators for effective internationalization of campuses (Checklists und Action Plan)

Additional Services

Besides organizing trainings, organizational and personnel development programs we also undertake commissions for lectures, expert inputs, key note addresses at conferences, seminars and workshops. We welcome requests for developing and implementing joint educational projects or events (conferences, lecture series/teaching tasks) in anti-discrimination and further diversity development programs. If interested, do not hesitate to contact us.