Multiplier event in Hungary – 16th of June 2022

A 1-day workshop event was organised on June 16 for the target audience in Hungary, that is, university teachers and other teachers and staff involved in the field of education from Hungary. This event was held in Hungarian, in order to disseminate the results of SensiClass among Hungarian teachers as well. Considering that the language of CEU is English and the institution has moved from Budapest to Vienna, the working language of CEU staff’s contribution to the SensiClass project was primarily English (with some minor contributions in Hungarian). That said, we found it particularly important to present our findings in Hungarian and invite educators from around the country. 
 
The workshop successfully attracted a very diverse group of participants, who ranged from school psychologists to academics and university teachers from various cities and towns in Hungary. We compensated for travel costs to those who came from outside of Budapest, which facilitated recruitment. Participants submitted a short motivation letter and expressed their interest in the topic of inclusive education and teaching sensitive topics. 

During the workshop, we divided the time between these three blocks:

• introduction of SensiClass project and the Toolbox (theoretical and conceptual discussion, as well as strategies to address concrete challenges in the classroom, presentation of case studies)
• interactive and discussion-based section engaging with materials produced within SensiClass (group work and individual work)
• sharing experiences by partner organizations (Estonia and Poland)

With these blocks, participants learnt about our research and were able to engage in practical application of the toolbox and the guidelines. Participants also had an opportunity to reflect on the dilemmas of teaching about sensitive content, intercultural communication and social inclusion, highlighting challenges around internationalisation and diversity they face in their own classrooms, as well as issues of vulnerability and how to deal with it in educational setting. 

The feedback of the workshop was overwhelmingly positive. Participants expressed their gratitude in these areas:

• possibility to learn about new, up-to-date research
• possibility to learn from the example of other Eastern-European countries
• ability to share struggles and challenges, share experiences in teaching
• possibility to learn about new strategies to facilitate class discussion and promote inclusivity 
• possibility to attend an event at CEU in Hungarian 

There was also a discussion about the conservative, increasingly restrained climate in education, which prevents teachers from using topics, such as LGBT+ community. Another issue is the overburdened schedule and low pay, which is an obstacle to motivation and overall leads to low morale among educators. 

Overall, the workshop was the first step towards a long conversation that must take place in Hungary. The project pointed out some gaps, needs and challenges, it also allowed teachers to reflect on their real needs. This is a long process, which has received an impetus from the SensiClass project. Attendants expressed their strong desire to continue the conversation we started at the workshop.