Social inclusion is a core objective of education within Europe. However, this objective is being undermined by a lack of understanding of conflict-related immigration, wider migration, disability, and different ideals – such as tensions created by the Brexit debate. The SOLIS project was created to promote a sense of belonging and a right to be included, regardless of the student’s background. It focused on exploring the nexus of wellbeing, inclusion, and diversity to eliminate bullying and reduce early school leavers, which continue to be excluded from future employment opportunities.
SOLIS (Developing wellbeing and social inclusion: achieving success through understanding of cultural diversity) was a 34-month project that ran from September 2020 to June 2023, and was submitted under the Erasmus+ Strategic Partnerships for School Education.
Aim of the project
The SOLIS project was a whole-school approach to developing a wide-scope e-learning platform with modules that address core challenges within cultural diversity and discrimination to help students to increase empathy for their differences and understanding of common ground through interactive and collaborative activities, such as digital storytelling. The project created a mobile-friendly web platform that serves as an online portal to train teachers on facilitating SOLIS modules and activities with the help of a rich resource of case studies and videos of pilot sessions. The portal aims to create excellence in facilitating, sustaining, and growing the project beyond pilot areas.
Together, these tools work to provide a framework whereby students can, in collaboration, share their story with their peers in a safe and stimulating environment, seeing diversity as positive and ultimately increasing the wellbeing of all students.
Target groups
- School educators and students who are at risk due to cultural diversity, social exclusion, and bullying.
- The wider European community, policymakers, and stakeholders who recognise the importance of reducing early school leavers and promoting social inclusion and equality in education.
The project partners
Outputs
1. Research on inclusive education approaches and tools. The long and the short report on Inclusive education can be viewed here.
2. SOLIS E-learning platform: Developing contents for the Open Education Resources, piloting and revision.
3. SOLIS Mobile friendly web portal for educators. The portal can be accessed from here.
4. SOLIS Handbook. The handbook which is designed to be used by teachers and students alike can be accessed here.
5. Collection of SOLIS Digital Stories: development and test of the DS method. The collection of digital stories and teacher interviews can be accessed through the project’s youtube channel Solisproject.
All resources can be found on the project website: https://www.solis-project.eu/
At AcrossLimits, we participate in various Erasmus+ projects every year, contributing as technical partners creating digital online platforms, leading dissemination efforts, or providing our expertise in sustainability and exploitation activities.
Do you have a project idea which you would like to share with us? Contact us on [email protected], [email protected], or [email protected].
In the meantime, you can check out our past and current projects here.
