- Destine project wants to introduce a tolerant environment in which respect, equality and inclusiveness are ensured.
- In 1996, the 16th of November was officially declared the International Day of Tolerance by the UNESCO, to defend the respect and acceptance of the rich diversity of the world’s cultures, forms of expression and ways of being human.
On many occasions, tolerance is taken as an implicit characteristic. However, this is not always the case, and even less in the digital environment, where under an anonymous figure it is much easier to judge, devalue and reject a person for being different from the canon imposed by society. In the online academic environment, many students have to face ridicule and judgement, not only for the fact of having fewer resources, for making their more vulnerable economic and social situation known, but sometimes for the simple fact of speaking with a different accent or making visible a more unfamiliar cultural trait. In this sense, the different partners of DESTINE have analysed some of the intolerant situations that occur most frequently within the VET environment and will try to find solutions to them.
One example that warned about that problematic is the increase of comments inciting racial hatred by more than 30% in the digital environment, according to the study “Racism on the Internet: websites, social networks and international growth”, Oleaque, J.M. 2015. A figure that, despite the years, continues to grow as since the burst of covid-19, the loss of respect and intolerance have been gaining ground in the digital environment, a dangerous practice that the partners of the DESTINE project are trying to mitigate.
As a result, one of the needs DESTINE desire to address is the introduction of ways that brings of efficient adaptation of the traditional classrooms to the new environment of digital and online learning with the main focus on safeguarding the values of diversity and tolerance. A challenge that that it may be more difficult to achieve that it appearance and that is supposes to reach by the acquisition of proper skills and competences for deploying innovative activities and educational methods to promote diversity and tolerance in the virtual classroom environment by the VET teachers/trainers/educators.
DESTINE is an ERASMUS+ project that expect to achieve the development of an innovative diversity tolerant e-classroom curriculum and the production of a report as well as a new curriculum for the virtual classroom promoting diversity and tolerance. It will encourage active involvement of stakeholders from the VET sector, trough the cooperation and the join of forces across borders that will allow progress to be made towards achieving a more tolerant society.
About DESTINE
In a context marked by recent technological changes, shifts in global economic power, accelerating urbanization and demographic changes, coupled with the importance of digital as recently highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic; the DESTINE project, funded by the Erasmus + programme, responds to the challenge of addressing the issues of inclusion, diversity and tolerance in the online and distance learning environment. Specifically, the project aims to develop and improve the skills and competences of teachers, trainers and mentors in the field of inclusion and diversity as applied to e-learning.
About ERASMUS +
Erasmus+ 2021-2027 is the European Union’s renewed programme in the fields of education and training, youth and sport, offering opportunities for all people and in all education sectors (School Education, Professional Training, Higher Education and Adult Education). This new Erasmus+ is more international, more inclusive, more digital and greener, supporting digital transformation, inclusion and diversity, as well as the environment and the fight against climate change. With a budget of more than €28 billion, it will fund learning-related mobility and cross-border cooperation projects for 10 million people of all ages and from all backgrounds.
“This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.”