Universitatea Babeș-Bolyai
EUTOPIA
Eutopia | Universitatea Babeș-Bolyai, Cluj-Napoca

EUTOPIA Inclusion Month (2023–2025): overview of activities

Every November, the EUTOPIA Alliance marks Inclusion Month (also presented as Diversity & Inclusion Month) with activities across partner universities—bringing together students, staff, and local communities through training, dialogue, awareness initiatives, and public-facing events focused on equity, diversity, accessibility, and belonging.


2023: EUTOPIA Diversity & Inclusion Month (November 2023)

Across the alliance, the 2023 programme combined gender equality training, accessibility initiatives, wellbeing support, campus/community events, and themed lecture series.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGDAUDIXhAc

Highlighted activities included:

  • Babeș–Bolyai University (UBB): open courses on Gender Equality and Inclusive Workplaces (Hungarian and Romanian editions), plus activities focused on accessibility (e.g., opening of a space dedicated to visually impaired persons) and student wellbeing (e.g., stress management workshop).

  • Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB): webinars and public events addressing inclusion through arts/health intersections, public grief and commemoration, and multilingual education.

  • Ca’ Foscari University of Venice: a lecture series on diversity and inclusion, including sessions such as Still Too Slow: The Advancement of Women, alongside additional academic activities connected to inclusion topics.

  • Technische Universität Dresden (TUD): a broad set of activities (workshops, lectures, symposia) linked to diversity, climate justice, sustainability, and social responsibility.

  • University of Gothenburg: interactive, community-building events (e.g., Instagram LIVE, international potluck, student-led workshops) and inclusion-related programming linked to the OMICS 2023 Conference (including sessions on migration and the labour market).

  • University of Ljubljana: “Safe and Diverse UL Day” with workshops/roundtables addressing violence and harassment prevention, accessibility/self-advocacy, and LGBTIQ+ inclusion.

  • NOVA University Lisbon: an online awareness campaign, a virtual exhibition and inclusion-focused online events (e.g., inclusion forum/case study sessions and dialogue-oriented initiatives).

  • Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF Barcelona): inclusion-themed community engagement content (e.g., dedicated video content for EUTOPIA inclusion initiatives).

  • University of Warwick: workshops and resources focusing on wellbeing and inclusion, including training on recognising and managing burnout, alongside podcasts/video resources.


2024: EUTOPIA Diversity & Inclusion Month (November 2024)

In 2024, Inclusion Month emphasised neurodiversity, intersectionality, inclusive higher education practices, and staff capacity-building, with multiple activities delivered online and on-site across partner universities.

Key activities documented in the alliance programme included:

  • VUB: online webinar on Neurodiversity in the Workplace, focusing on inclusive communication and accessible work/team practices.

  • CY Cergy Paris Université (CYU):

    • Online session: Higher Education through the lens of Intersectionality (with speakers from multiple EUTOPIA universities).

    • On-site awareness day: Atypie Friendly Program Charter, including workshops on designing inclusive teaching and raising awareness of neurodevelopmental disorders, ending with the charter signing.

    • Online roundtable: Inclusiv(E)UTOPIA? How can alliances build a truly inclusive culture?

    • Staff training (closed event, during EUTOPIA Week at CYU): inclusion-focused HR staff training workshop.

  • Alliance-wide seminar (University of Gothenburg, online/on-site): “Inclusion and Internationalisation at Home” (11 Nov 2024), exploring how inclusion intersects with internationalisation-at-home and showcasing practices such as EUTOPIA TeamWork, the EUTOPIA Certificate of Internationalisation, and Blended Intensive Programmes (BIPs).


2025: EUTOPIA Inclusion Month (November 2025)

In 2025, the programme broadened its focus to include inclusive leadership, open science and research data inclusion, gender-based violence prevention, mental wellbeing, and campus-wide engagement formats (workshops, debates, fairs, and digital showcases).

Examples of 2025 activities included:

  • Ca’ Foscari University of Venice: events and initiatives addressing inclusion through themes such as inequality in scientific resources, inclusive leadership, and accessibility and inclusion in healthcare, alongside activities connected to the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (25 Nov).

  • VUB: an EUTOPIA Day webinar connecting inclusion with Open Science and Research Data Management, including discussion of financial, geographic, and gender-based dimensions of inclusion.

  • Technische Universität Dresden (TUD): Diversity Days 2025 (24–28 Nov) under the theme “Origin shapes – diversity moves!”, with a call for workshops/lectures/interactive sessions.

  • CY Cergy Paris University: multiple activities around the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, including forum theatre, creative writing workshop, self-defence workshop, and on-campus support resources.

  • University of Ljubljana: a mix of academic and student-facing activities—conference sessions, EUTOPIA Day formats (workshops, debates, exchanges, fairs, digital showcases), plus wellbeing and study-skills workshops and an inclusion-themed quiz.

  • NOVA University Lisbon: inclusion programming highlighting inclusive leadership (ULEAD4ALL) and EUTOPIA Day activities such as a Portuguese Sign Language awareness workshop and an Inclusive Community Forum roundtable.

  • University of Warwick: November programming aligned with inclusion through the One World Warwick festival and dissemination of its Social Inclusion Annual Report.

  • Babeș–Bolyai University (UBB): Inclusion Month was marked during EUTOPIA Day through the organisation of a CCs Fair, a presentation on SON, and an online discussion with global partners. Throughout Inclusion Month, several testimonials were shared on UBB’s social media channels, featuring students, researchers, academic and administrative staff. These testimonials reflected participants’ experiences within the EUTOPIA alliance, highlighting what the alliance represents to them as a community, as well as the aspects of EUTOPIA and inclusion for which they are particularly grateful.