30.01.2023

Online course on using the RETOPEA project with youth groups - now available also in German

The training course "Young People and Religion: Creative Learning with History" is based on the RETOPEA project ("Religious Toleration and Peace"), in which a project group of the IEG was involved in a leading position. For teachers and anyone else working with young people, this free course from the Open University gives them the pedagogical tools to interest them in the subject of religious diversity in the past and present.

The European cooperation project "RETOPEA" examined the historical handling of religious differences and conflicts with the aim of promoting contemporary reflection on peaceful, inter-religious coexistence. In addition, the project explored the representation of problems and approaches to solutions in today's popular culture and media. The findings were used to create innovative teaching and learning materials for schools and other educational institutions. In line with the concept of active learning, young people between the ages of 13 and 18 are to be encouraged to engage with different understandings of religious coexistence through the production of doctubes (online films). Meanwhile, a platform created by RETOPEA supports them in creating their doctubes. "The research results and the experiences with pupils will form the basis for policy recommendations to schools, education authorities and decision-makers," explains IEG staff member Henning P. Jürgens.
RETOPEA is a European collaborative project involving a total of 30 researchers from Finland, Estonia, Poland, Macedonia, Great Britain and Belgium. It is funded by the EU Commission's Horizon2020 programme.