CSIE is honoured to have been invited to contribute to the Beit Project, a European project promoting social cohesion. The project was launched in Paris in 2011 and is co-funded by the “Europe for Citizens” Programme of the European Union.

The Beit Project connects historical heritage with the fight against racism, social exclusion and discrimination. By using the urban space, the heritage and the history of the place as the source of questioning, participants investigate concepts of ‘the other’ in society. The project has already been realized one or more times, in one or several districts, in Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Lódz, London, Marseille and Sofia.

After a first Pilot in Tower Hamlets in 2015, the Beit Project returns to London this month, this time in King’s Cross, bringing together pupils from a range of schools, from inner and outer London. Pupils taking part in the project build a nomadic school in a public place where they meet and study together, working towards a shared understanding that differences are not obstacles but great assets. The final presentation event is due to take place at Granary Square, King’s Cross, on Thursday 6 July.

The Beit Project aims to transform heritage sites into educational platforms for dialogue and debate, linking History and contemporary issues. It was created by David Stoleru, a French educator and architect specialising in Heritage Preservation and Education, and is led today by a Not-for-Profit based in Barcelona and a dynamic multi-disciplinary team including educators, historians, architects, artists and network experts. For more information please see the Beit Project website and YouTube channel.