Conference Agenda

We are living and working in a time when identity is all the rage – literally as well as figuratively. Identity politics, cancel culture, parents’ rights, teachers’ plights. How do we recognize and include all young people’s identities and honestly address the injustices and exclusions that many groups of young people and their families face without getting drawn into culture wars of accusation, indignation, guilt, and shame? How can we do the right thing without silencing ourselves for fear of saying or doing the wrong thing?

This workshop takes off from the brand new, controversial book by Dennis Shirley and Andy Hargreaves on The Age of Identity. It affirms that identity is an issue for everyone, not just for “the others”. We should help young people develop positive senses of self and identity from the earliest years of school, guide them through their different stages and life passages, reach out across the generations, and build bridges rather than put up walls between different identity groups.

This workshop will help everyone to get to grips with how identity issues affect them, their colleagues, and their students. It will introduce participants to clear guidelines and protocols to guide sensitive discussions about identity issues in their own schools, governments, and universities. It will highlight how identity issues can bring us together and build inclusion and belonging rather than tear us apart.