Study Abroad participates in a virtual conference on diversity and inclusion

16/10/2020

Study Abroad UAB will be participating in the Forum on Education Abroad’s 5th European Conference which will bring together European and American study abroad professionals to discuss the future of education abroad in Europe. The conference will place a special emphasis on how study abroad programmes are weathering the impact of the current pandemic. It will also deal with their increasing commitment to ensure Diversity and Inclusion (D&I), a concern which has been foremost in the United States for a while and that is now making headway amongst European providers and institutions.

In this context, Mercè Cuenca, Advisor for Welfare and Inclusion at Study Abroad UAB, will be participating in the session “Diversity & Inclusion at Your Institution: Innovative and Actionable Solutions,” along with Rachel Mantiñán (Academic Solutions) and Dr. Stephen Appiah-Padi (Bucknell Univerisity). Their interventions seek to support professionals in leading D&I initiatives and to facilitate roundtable discussions on the beginning phases of implementation, as well as to amplify participants’ networks of allies and resources.

Mercè will particularly be speaking about Study Abroad UAB’s pioneering efforts to provide an equity-minded programme which promotes diversity among its student body, catering to the needs of students from diverse social backgrounds, with varying learning styles and degrees of  disability, and regardless of race, gender identity and expression, or sexual orientation. Her role as Advisor for Welfare and Inclusion is to promote D&I and to act as a liaison between students, professors and management to ensure that the programme provides a learning environment free of discrimination.

This information is related to the following SDG

• Reduced inequalities
• Gender equality