3.2.1 The importance of promoting intercultural dialogue on campus

The document which constitutes the milestone of intercultural dialogue policy in Europe is the White Paper, adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (CoE), a new version of which was published in 2010. The White Paper highlights the key role universities can play in “fostering intercultural dialogue, through their education programmes, as actors in broader society and as sites where intercultural dialogue is put into practice.” Support for young refugees was included in the declaration on the future of the Council of Europe youth policy: AGENDA 2020, in line with the White Paper process. You can find more information about the CoE’s work on intercultural dialogue here. As far as intercultural dialogue is concerned, the EU is primarily focused on European citizenship and mobility. Intercultural dialogue is seen as “an instrument to assist European citizens, and all those living in the European Union, in acquiring the knowledge and attitudes to enable them to deal with a more open and more complex environment” (Decision concerning the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue -2008).
As is mentioned in the White Paper, it is really important to promote intercultural dialogue in education. Higher educational institutions are a microcosm of society. The plurality of nationalities on campus indicates a cultural diversity and therefore the need for an intercultural dialogue (CoE, Intercultural Dialogue on Campus). In the “Universities for openness, tolerance and against xenophobia” initiative, it has been aptly pointed out by the University of Kaiserslautern that: “Universities are open-minded places. Diverse opinions and international exchange constitute the foundations of their research and teaching activities. In view of growing xenophobia and the increasing success of populist slogans, universities feel called upon to join together and actively stand up for these values. A university can only be sustainable if it acts and thinks at international level”.
On the other hand, Intercultural gaps can be a barrier for all actors in university life. They can cause misunderstandings between students and advisors due to a different cultural understanding and they can lead to confusion and conflict. Therefore, the need to promote intercultural dialogue on campus is a crucial factor. A first step in the right direction is the training of teachers in methods of reducing prejudice and promoting social cohesion in the classroom.