From June 9 to 11 in Zagreb, the SALTO Resource Centre for Inclusion and Diversity in Education and Training (SALTO ID ET) organized a Training of Inclusion and Diversity (ID) Officers for less experienced ID officers from the education and training sectors. The goal of the training was to strengthen their knowledge in this Erasmus+ programme priority area and improve their skills in leading workshops on these topics. The event brought together over 25 ID Officers from National Agencies across Europe.
The meeting opened with a warm welcome by Ms. Lidija Živković, Head of SALTO ID ET, followed by an introduction session led by experienced ID trainers Gisele Evrard and Sunčana Kusturin, who facilitated the entire event. The first day of the training saw the participants set the framework for a safe and engaged learning environment as workshop participants and tackle the concept of ID in different systems and contexts. These insights were then built into sessions on preparing, facilitating and evaluating workshops and dealing with complex situations in workshop settings on the second day of the event, which closed with a special guided tour of Zagreb, based on the perspective of persecuted women throughout its history.
According to the participants’ feedback, the training delivered valuable practical lessons in sensitizing NA staff, beneficiaries and external Erasmus+ assessors to the importance of ID in E+ projects. The value of taking a step back to analyze both their role as participants and as workshop organizers in order to better understand the needs of beneficiaries and end users was recognized by the officers, many of whom stayed on to take part in the ensuing 8th Meeting of ID Officers in Zagreb.