There has been an increase in diversity and recognition of diversity in nations around the globe due to worldwide immigration and globalization (Osler, 2012). However, diversity can present not only challenges but also opportunities for nations, schools, and teachers. In a similar line, the curricula and pedagogies held in Higher Education Institutions (HEI) have the potential to either promote reflective practices or reproduce discrimination. To promote diversity, they need to review curricula to reflect diverse histories, achievements, and experiences of social groups subject to discrimination (Modood et al. 1999: 57).

With regard to the goals of multicultural education (ME), Banks (2014) states that:

An important goal of ME is to help educators minimize the problems related to diversity and to maximize educational opportunities and possibilities. To respond creatively and effectively to diversity, teachers and administrators need a sophisticated grasp of the concepts, principles, theories, and practices in multicultural education. They also need to examine and clarify their racial and ethnic attitudes and develop the pedagogical knowledge and skills necessary to work effectively with students from diverse racial, ethnic, cultural, gender, social class, and religious groups.

Policies that promote diversity are necessary but not sufficient (Ahmed, 2012; Tate & Bagguley, 2018; Mirza, 2015). Although discrimination is frequently perceived to be resulting from individual behaviors, institutions, not necessarily by intent, can also contribute to discrimination by excluding certain groups in design. Arday and colleagues (2020) state that the persistence of indirect discrimination in higher education institutions affects not only those who have access to higher education but also what is taught and how it is taught. Hence, there is a need to intervene in HEI to tackle the challenges posed by diversity. As Tate and Bagguley have argued, more work is needed “in order to develop a maximal, transformative approach to institutional change, rather than a minimal meeting of legal obligations in those countries where an anti-discrimination framework exists” (2018: 290). Progressively, the HEIs within Europe inquire educators to design programs that take ‘diversity’ into account and to produce teaching resources that ‘include diversity’ and foster equality. This is challenging as there is a growing consensus that educators lack the appropriate training, resources, and time to successfully transform the curriculum or produce anti-racist pedagogies. In this regard, this project seeks to address the problems posed by diversity and suggest practices to strengthen the competencies of HEI educators by bringing together epistemic communities both inside and outside the academy.

 Disadvantaged People

 Humanitarian Aid

 Gender Equality

 Minority groups

 Justice

 Aid to Refugees

 Higher Education

 Erasmus+

 Culture and Development