EFTRE news:
A fan, a good mood and a lot of expertise made the conference of the European Forum for Teachers of Religious Education (EFTRE) in cooperation with Snadir (Italian teachers’ association) from 24-27 August 2023 a special experience. Teachers of religion and religious educators from schools, associations and universities from all over Europe gathered in Rome at almost 38°C to exchange ideas on the topic of “Bridges Over Troubled Waters – RE in Changing Times”. How can we build bridges in and through religious education? What is needed at each end of the bridges?
A rich programme of keynotes, workshops and excursions on site encouraged reflections. Right at the beginning, the presentation by Maria Raspatelli, Winner of the Global Teacher Award, provided inspiration, motivation and an image as to what constitutes good learning in Religious education.
Questions about the basic understanding of RE after the pandemic experiences, the contribution of RE to democratic school life and religious tolerance and how to deal with controversial topics, especially, in times of the ongoing war in Europe against Ukraine – all these questions and much more were discussed and practical approaches presented. The conference always came back to the question: How can religious education create dialogue and connections and thus build bridges? How can RE teachers be “hope generators” in times of massive insecurity and fear? All participants contributed their expertise and experiences from their countries and exchanged views on current developments, RE models and didactic ideas. The participants praised the open and convivial atmosphere, which facilitated profitable learning. A special highlight was the conference dinner under the open sky in the courtyard of the historical buildings of Link Campus University.
A comprehensive documentation of the conference is available on the EFTRE website. Presentations of the keynote speeches, materials from the workshops, a photo gallery and a summary of the entire conference are openly accessible. In addition, short video summaries of the conference days are available on the Snadir youtube channel.