The final meeting in the Building Resilience through Inclusive Education Systems (BRIES) activity took place in Brussels on 9–10 November 2023.
The meeting brought together the BRIES team and representatives from the six participating Agency member countries (Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Estonia, Ireland, Sweden). During the meeting, the BRIES team presented the Guidance for Establishing a Culture of Effective Communication in Education, which is the activity’s main output. The guidance will include four main components: a model of effective communication, a well-being framework, four key aspirations, and a reflection tool. It will support decision-makers to reflect on and improve existing communication structures and processes to establish a culture of effective communication in education. A culture of effective communication increases learner well-being and resilience.
In addition, the meeting gave country representatives the opportunity to reflect on the work that has taken place since the BRIES activity began in 2021. All of the countries reported that stakeholder consultation through focus groups and exchanges had been very successful. Stakeholders, including learners, families and teachers, felt that they benefitted from the process of being involved in the discussions throughout the activity. Some policy-makers even reported continued exchanges with learners and their families beyond the scope of the BRIES activity.
The next stages of the BRIES work will include an event to launch the guidance in 2024. The BRIES web area provides more information on the work and outputs published so far.