The project Bridge is co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Servicio Espanol para la Internacionalizacion de la Educacion (SEPIE). Neither the European Union nor the National Agency SEPIE can be held responsible for them. -- Number: 2025-1-ES01-KA220-HED-000359236 --

The BRIDGE Digital Museum brings together good practices, educational proposals and images that inspire reflection and action

Social Challenges Analyse social challenges to intercultural dialogue, social inclusion and democratic cohesion Good Practices Discover experiences that generate social impact Educational Space Access teaching guides, activities and materials for the classroom Documentary Photography Explore the social challenges in a visual, reflective and educational way

LEVEL 1. BUILDING BRIDGES: Decolonising Higher Education

BRIDGE Main Challenge: A.3. Educational gaps throughout educational trajectories, including higher education

What problem does it address?

BUILDING BRIDGES addresses cumulative educational gaps and structural barriers that particularly affect students with a migrant background before and during their entry into Higher Education. Socio-economic inequalities, the rigidity of certain institutional procedures and Eurocentric hierarchies of knowledge may hinder access, retention and academic success, highlighting the gap between institutional principles of inclusion and the experiences of under-represented groups.

What does it propose?

BUILDING BRIDGES establishes a European alliance between universities and communities that promotes anti-racist, feminist and decolonial pedagogies. Through Participatory Action Research (PAR) and co-creation with migrant organisations, the project develops open digital tools, teacher training and educational resources aimed at dismantling structural discrimination and promoting intercultural dialogue in Higher Education

Why is it an inspiring practice?
  • Positions marginalised groups and migrants as co-creators of legitimate academic knowledge.
  • Combines Participatory Action Research (PAR), teacher training and knowledge transfer to society.
  • Creates a multilingual ecosystem of Open Educational Resources (OER).
  • Challenges Eurocentric hierarchies of knowledge and the coloniality present in university curricula.
  • Promotes horizontal partnerships between universities and grassroots civil society organisations.
Resources you'll find
  • BUILDING BRIDGES Virtual Laboratory.
  • Multilingual toolkit for decolonising education.
  • Inclusion without Discrimination” training course.
  • Collectively authored monograph “Breaking down walls, building bridges”.
  • Sindillar podcasts and narratives of migrant struggles.
Featured results
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Main outputs developed by BUILDING BRIDGES: the Virtual Laboratory, toolkit, “Inclusion without Discrimination” training course and collectively authored monograph.
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Languages in which the toolkit and monograph are available: Spanish, English, German and Greek.
3
ECTS credits awarded for the “Inclusion without Discrimination” training course, equivalent to 75 hours of work and aimed at teaching staff and professionals working in Higher Education.
3
Audio recordings produced with Sindillar that document the experiences and demands of domestic workers relating to racism and precarious working conditions during the pandemic.
What can visitors learn?
How to incorporate an intersectional and decolonial perspective into university teaching.
How to apply Participatory Action Research (PAR) to co-create inclusive learning spaces.
How to design open-access digital repositories and Virtual Laboratories to facilitate knowledge transfer to society.
How to build anti-racist feminist alliances between academia and civil society.

LEVEL 2. EXPLORE BEST PRACTICE

Introduction

BUILDING BRIDGES (2019–2022) is an Erasmus+ project aimed at promoting social inclusion and combating structural discrimination in Higher Education through collaboration between universities and civil society organisations. The project incorporates the experiences and knowledge of migrants and migrant communities to contribute to the decolonisation of curricula, provide teaching staff with anti-racist tools and pedagogies, and develop open-access digital resources. In this way, it fosters the creation of more inclusive and equitable academic environments across Europe.

  • Coordinating organisation: Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Spain.
  • Participating countries: Germany (DE), Greece (GR), Spain (ES), United Kingdom (GB)
  • Duration: 2019 - 2022
  • BRIDGE Main Challenge: A.3. Educational gaps throughout educational trajectories, including higher education
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
  • SDG 4: Quality Education
  • SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
  • SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Secondary Challenges
  • A.1. Structural and intersectional inequalities that shape inclusion and social cohesion
  • A.2. Gap between regulatory frameworks, institutional discourses and actual inclusion practices
  • A.5. Discrimination, racism and sociocultural polarisation, including hate speech
  • A.6. Deficits in democratic participation, representation and inclusive governance
  • A.7. Digital ecosystem, disinformation and the need for media literacy and critical thinking

The Challenge

What social issue does it address?

Higher Education institutions may reproduce forms of structural discrimination, epistemic injustice and Eurocentric hierarchies that lead to the exclusion of non-traditional students and students with a migrant background. Inequalities accumulated throughout earlier educational pathways (reflected in a pipeline effect), rigid institutional rules and insufficient anti-racist training create significant barriers to access, retention and academic success.

Why is it important?

Transforming Higher Education requires questioning and dismantling Eurocentric hierarchies of knowledge and addressing the different dimensions of intersectional discrimination. Civil society participation also helps to strengthen inclusive, democratic and socially just models of university governance.

How does it contribute to the BRIDGE Challenge?

BUILDING BRIDGES contributes to Challenge A.3 by addressing inequalities that shape access, retention and success in Higher Education. Through Participatory Action Research, collaboration between universities and social organisations, and the development of Open Educational Resources, it provides tools for reviewing teaching and institutional practices, incorporating knowledge from under-represented groups and promoting more inclusive university environments.

How does it work?

The project is structured into four main phases: 1) a diagnostic review of exclusion processes in universities and inequalities associated with the pipeline effect; 2) co-creation workshops with social organisations and migrant collectives; 3) development and piloting of open pedagogical tools, teacher-training resources and a Virtual Laboratory; and 4) transnational dissemination and knowledge transfer through open-access resources.

What might inspire you?
Ideas for adaptation
  1. Apply Participatory Action Research (PAR) to co-create inclusive university curricula.
  2. Incorporate migrants’ lived experiences to challenge Eurocentric knowledge.
  3. Use open Virtual Laboratories to share decolonial educational resources.
  4. Implement anti-racist and feminist training for university teaching staff.
  5. Foster strategic partnerships between universities and grassroots social organisations.
  6. Address intersectional inequalities throughout educational pathways.
  7. Use podcasts and life stories to highlight structural inequalities.
Resources created

BUILDING BRIDGES Virtual Laboratory

Interactive digital resource

Central open-access digital platform bringing together the processes, activities and pedagogical tools generated by the project. It serves as a permanent repository and facilitates transnational knowledge transfer.

Teaching staff, Students, Researchers, Professionals, Policy Makers

https://buildingbridges.space/resources/

Multilingual toolkit for decolonising education.

Manual

Freely accessible manual available in four languages (Spanish, English, German and Greek), including structured activities on the decolonisation of education, structural racism, bordering, solidarity and Eurocentrism.

Teaching staff, Students, Researchers, Professionals, Policy Makers

https://buildingbridges.space/resources/

“Inclusion without Discrimination” training course.

Online training

A 3-ECTS-credit (75-hour) training course aimed at educators and professionals in Higher Education. It is organised into three blocks: diagnosing racism, theory for liberation and radical pedagogies. It is available in PDF format and online.

Teaching staff, Students, Researchers, Professionals, Policy Makers

https://buildingbridges.space/course/

Monograph “Breaking down walls, building bridges”.

Book

An open-access e-book that systematises the main lessons learnt from the project and offers a methodological guide to narrative production aimed at creating feminist and anti-racist alliances within and outside universities.

Teaching staff, Students, Researchers, Professionals, Policy Makers

https://buildingbridges.space/monograph/

Sindillar podcasts and narratives of migrant struggles.

Educational resource

A set of three audio recordings produced with Sindillar, featuring testimonies from domestic workers about racism, precarious working conditions and experiences during the pandemic. These are complemented by narratives of struggles for migrants’ rights in Barcelona between 1990 and 2017. These materials enable lived experiences and situated knowledge to be incorporated into critical analysis of structural inequalities and university education from a feminist, anti-racist and intercultural perspective.

Teaching staff, Students, Researchers, Professionals, Policy Makers

https://buildingbridges.space/publications/