From 27th to 31st March, Universitat Ramon Llull-Blanquerna, Col·legi Montserrat and Jesuïtes Educació organized the 2nd edition of the International Symposium Barcelona · Education · Change. (For more information, click here.)

Having finished the symposium and feeling very optimistic about it, we would like to thank, first of all, the implication shown by the nine public and state-assisted schools that welcomed to their centres the 250 participants from all over the world. Barcelona is once more placed as a pioneering hub for educational innovation.

In fact, from this 2nd edition we can draw that the educational change is growing: today the new paradigm of the 21st century school has been introduced in hundreds of centres, civil society organisations and the government itself. We have already evaluated our first pilot experience and the results encourage us to continue developing the Horizon 2020 project.

Here, leaving numbers aside, we would like to share the impressions of the participants. We must stress the shared feeling of promoting change and the excitement we feel because many different kinds of centres are introducing this new educational approach. The vast majority of participants take this on board: changes are possible as long as we believe in them, we gather together all our effort and we are perseverant.

The Symposium shows this evidence and enables the educators to promote and encourage this attitude in their own schools. One of the most relevant aspects from the conclusions is the importance of networking. This is the reason why the organizers of the Symposium wanted that on their first day the attendants enjoyed castellers (human towers) in the auditorium in Blanquerna —using a human tower as a metaphor of team work couldn’t be more appropriate!

Finally, I would like to highlight the sincere gratitude shown by many attendants regarding the availability of the educational centres that they visited. Opening the doors of the centres enabled sharing and spreading the key aspects that lead this educational change. We’ve always been for collaboration and we will always be, so welcome to the coalition for educational change, welcome to the new school because it will only be possible if we work together!

Enric Masllorens

General Director of Jesuïtes Educació