Building bridges - shaping transitions

Under the theme “Building Bridges – Shaping Transitions,” the 6th conference of the ZINT project, “Developing Integrative/Inclusive Schools Together,” will take place from October 25–27, 2018.

Building bridges means creating connections, forming alliances, finding and building on common ground, and engaging in constructive dialogue and the joint search for solutions.

The conference will kick off on Thursday, October 25, 2018, with a visit for interested participants to the Upper Lusatian Library of Sciences and the Physics Cabinet, as well as a networking meeting for integration advocates.

The conference marks the 10th anniversary of the project ZINT at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences. For this reason, the conference will feature a commemorative lecture on Friday, October 26, 2018, as well as an open project conference for interested teachers and school principals who wish to learn about selected focal points of inclusive school development based on the new school law, serving, so to speak, as a bridge between experienced advocates and those seeking to learn more. The Minister of Education, the Prorector for Education and International Affairs at the University of Leipzig, and the Rector of Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences have been invited to the opening ceremony. The afternoon will feature various workshop topics, offering different opportunities to engage with the process of inclusive school development.

The day will conclude on Friday with hands-on workshops in which educators will have the opportunity to engage with the conference theme in a variety of active ways.

We are pleased to have secured Prof. Dr. phil. Bernd Ahrbeck, Professor of Psychoanalytic Pedagogy at IPU Berlin (International Psychoanalytic University Berlin), as one of the keynote speakers for this year’s conference. Prof. Ahrbeck brings subject-matter expertise from his work at the Institute for Rehabilitation Sciences at Humboldt University—specifically in the field of education for behavioral disorders—and complements this with his expertise in psychoanalytic pedagogy. Psychoanalysis is a “science of life” because it understands human beings as individual personalities, but also as social and cultural beings. In this way, we build a bridge to inclusive education and school development.

In the evening, as part of a festive event, we would like to thank, in particular, the advocates for inclusion for their work in supporting students, teachers, and parents by organizing and facilitating successful learning and inclusive school development.

On Saturday, October 27, 2018, additional workshops will help further diversify the conference program. And we want to clarify: How can the ZINT project continue to support schools in the future—both in their collaboration within cooperative networks and in inclusive school development?

Networks and Partnerships

The direction of a cooperative network depends on how successfully it can meaningfully connect the various interests of its independently operating members, focus on common goals, and thereby develop a shared identity and added value.

To this end, we want to work with active networkers to build on existing strengths and potential, refine our shared goals, and—in a next step—develop new ideas through active networking that benefit all schools:

· Create a space for learning and development for networkers

· Expand communication opportunities

· Engage in solution-focused networking

We intend to continue our successful collaboration and partnership with the Neiße Elementary School and the Comenius Bookstore.