Summary of "IV Congresso Internacional 2025 | Humanismo, Direitos Humanos e Cidadania - Dia 2"
Summary of Main Ideas and Concepts
1. Event Overview
The IV Congresso Internacional 2025 is a hybrid event with over 500 participants attending both in-person and online. The congress focuses on humanism, human rights, and citizenship. The second day opened with a conference by Professor David Rodrigues, following a successful first day featuring Professor Henrique Ravieres Dias Gutieres. The event highlights the quality and importance of discussions on education, inclusion, and human rights.
2. Opening Conference: Professor David Rodrigues
Topic: Education and Inclusion as a Path of Rights and Duties
Context of the United Nations
- The UN is 80 years old but faces unprecedented challenges such as financing and credibility.
- Human rights and inclusion are under global threat.
- The congress acts as a platform to resist these challenges.
Three Macro Influences on Education and Inclusion
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The Market / Capitalism
- Promised prosperity, globalization, and meritocracy but increased inequality and poverty.
- Social transfers reduce poverty but do not eliminate it (e.g., Portugal’s poverty rates).
- Capitalism contributes to ecological crises and unsustainable consumption.
- A French ecological policy leader expressed doubt about climate change mitigation within current economic systems.
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Identity
- Promised respect and preservation of diverse identities but led to insecurity and mistrust among groups.
- “Balkanization” of identities isolates groups, hindering true inclusion.
- Neoliberalism promotes an unrealistic view of freedom and responsibility, blaming individuals for their social conditions.
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Democracy
- The ideal of democracy (one person, one vote; respect for minorities) is under threat.
- Democracy is often reduced to majority rule, risking autocracy.
- Separation of powers and minority rights are eroding in many countries.
- Democracy requires vigilance and active defense.
Human Rights
- Remain a vital hope despite attacks and misconceptions.
- Not exclusive to Western or Christian traditions; they are universal and diffuse.
- Human rights belong to all, are not earned or deserved, and cannot be traded or waived.
- They underpin social and political advances, including rights for persons with disabilities, feminism, LGBT rights, and minorities.
Education and Inclusion
- Education is influenced by capitalism, identity, democracy, and human rights.
- Contrary to meritocratic market logic, all students matter equally, including those who misbehave or struggle.
- Investment in education is a public policy priority beyond strategic sectors.
- Excellence should be redefined as how vulnerable students are supported, not just elite performance.
- Inclusion differs fundamentally from integration:
- Integration: The individual adapts to the existing system (often noisy or disruptive).
- Inclusion: The system adapts to accommodate diversity (silent and seamless).
- Promoting democracy in education involves valuing student voices and genuine participation, which remains limited.
Final Reflections
Inclusion and education are remedies against inequality, identity crises, and systemic issues. Virtue lies not in moderate or centrist positions but in opposing xenophobic and racist perspectives undermining education. Despite overwhelming challenges, persistence and creative strategies (“bring a ladder”) are necessary.
3. Round Table on Inclusive Education
Participants: Professors David Rodrigues, Lília Pires, Domingos Fernandes, and Luzia Lima Rodrigues
David Rodrigues
- University access is no longer a single gate but multiple, diverse paths (symbolized by a red sculpture).
- Pedagogy at university level is crucial; for example, adapting teaching materials for a blind student benefits all.
- Rights are often achieved through “crooked paths,” requiring flexibility and community involvement.
- Inclusion is not just about disability but all students facing challenges (language, emotional, social).
- Support systems should be community-based and reciprocal, not solely institutional.
Lília Pires
- With 37 years of experience, inclusion in higher education is a slow, ongoing process requiring resilience.
- Terminology and policies have evolved, but practices change slowly.
- Initial efforts were based on goodwill; now more structured support services exist but are unevenly distributed.
- Increasing diversity in student needs: disabilities, neurodivergence, language barriers, financial difficulties, mental health.
- Data shows a significant increase in students requesting specific educational needs support, especially in private institutions.
- Challenges include lack of legislation specific to higher education inclusion and institutional resistance (e.g., inaccessible classrooms).
- Inclusion requires listening, adapting, welcoming, and sharing space with diverse students.
- Higher education shapes future decision-makers, making inclusive education critical for society.
Domingos Fernandes
- Diversity has always existed but is more visible and challenging in democratic societies.
- Democracy, diversity, and inclusion form a triangle essential for education.
- Ideology shapes views on integration and inclusion, influencing policies and practices.
- Teachers need three types of knowledge: disciplinary, pedagogical, and pedagogical content knowledge to effectively teach diverse learners.
- Pedagogy is central to organizing inclusive education, curriculum, and evaluation.
- Inclusion requires progressive ideology combined with pedagogical innovation.
- Schools can either reproduce social inequalities or make a difference depending on their approach.
- The challenge is to develop a curriculum and evaluation system that supports inclusion and learning for all.
Audience Questions and Panel Responses
- Capitalism and meritocracy in inclusive education: Fight and resist systemic inequalities via welfare state and public policies.
- Mental health in education: Programs exist but resources are insufficient; holistic approaches and prevention are needed.
- Inclusion of linguistic, cultural, and ethnic diversity: Specialized programs like Integrate support non-native speakers; peer support and mentoring are effective.
- Resistance to change in faculties and classrooms: Remains a barrier; training and awareness are ongoing needs.
4. Round Table on Social Work and Social Intervention
Participants: Professors Joaquina Madeira and Isabel Vieira
Context
Social work and social intervention are critical in promoting and defending human rights amid inequalities, migration, exclusion, and social transformation. The discussion focused on ethical, political, and practical dimensions of social work as a profession and practice.
Joaquina Madeira
- Social work is rooted in universal human rights, social justice, dignity, and respect for difference.
- Current times are marked by multiple crises (economic, social, environmental) and rising intolerance, xenophobia, and fear of difference.
- Poverty is a societal problem, not an individual one, and is complex, multi-causal, and intergenerational.
- Social workers need persistence and perseverance to handle complex, multi-dimensional social problems.
- Social intervention requires:
- Association (collaboration)
- Involvement (empathy, immersion)
- Normalization (ensuring rights and access)
- Diagnosis (understanding context)
- Listening
- Uniting resources and people
- Emphasis on transdisciplinary teamwork and integrated approaches rather than siloed problem-solving.
- Social workers must combine technical knowledge with human skills, adaptability, ethics, and innovation.
- Ethical principle: act without judgment, uphold dignity, and persist despite obstacles.
Isabel Vieira
- Social work as a discipline and profession promotes individual development, social change, and cohesion.
- It works with people and social structures, using academic, experiential, and indigenous knowledge.
- Social work functions in state, companies, civil society, and communities, building professional relationships that are institutional and societal.
- Social problems are understood differently by society and institutions; social work mediates these perspectives.
- Ethics, politics, science, and pedagogy are foundational for social work practice.
- Social work operates on micro (individual), meso (institutional), and macro (societal) levels.
- The profession is guided by global ethical principles and committed to human rights and social justice.
- Emphasis on relational theory: relationships shape society and individual identity.
- Social work requires reflective practice, continuous learning, and adapting to complex social realities.
- Social workers act as bridges, connecting people to resources and transforming limits into opportunities.
- Democratic citizenship and self-criticism are essential for social workers to challenge prejudices and promote inclusion.
Methodologies and Instructions Highlighted
Inclusive Education Practices
- Recognize diversity as inherent and positive.
- Differentiate between integration (individual adapts) and inclusion (system adapts).
- Redefine excellence as quality of support for vulnerable students.
- Promote student voice and genuine participation.
- Use community-based support and peer mentoring.
- Provide early access to learning materials (e.g., PowerPoints for blind students).
- Train teachers in pedagogical content knowledge.
- Develop inclusive curricula and evaluation methods.
- Address mental health holistically, beyond medicalization.
- Implement programs for non-native speakers and culturally diverse students.
- Foster resilience and persistence among educators and institutions.
Social Work and Social Intervention
- Persist and persevere in addressing complex social problems.
- Collaborate across disciplines and sectors; avoid siloed approaches.
- Immerse in community contexts to understand lived realities.
- Normalize access to rights and services for all.
- Conduct accurate, holistic diagnosis combining quantitative and qualitative data.
- Listen actively and empathetically without judgment.
- Unite resources, institutions, and people for integrated social transformation.
- Develop human skills alongside technical knowledge.
- Maintain ethical commitment to dignity, equality, and social justice.
- Reflect continuously on personal biases and societal structures.
Speakers and Sources Featured
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Professor David Rodrigues Education and Inclusion expert, author, former president of Pro-Inclusion Association, awarded for leadership in human rights.
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Professor Margarida Belcior Moderator for Professor David Rodrigues’s session.
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Professor Lília Guardenteiro Pires Specialist in special education and inclusive education with 37 years of experience.
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Professor Domingos Fernandes President of the National Council of Education, expert in curriculum, pedagogy, and evaluation.
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Professor Luzia Lima Rodrigues Director of master’s programs in special and inclusive education at Lusófona University.
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Professor Joaquina Madeira President of the European Anti-Poverty Network in Portugal, social work expert focusing on poverty and social inclusion.
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Professor Isabel Vieira Social work professor at the Catholic University, expert in social intervention and human rights-based social work.
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Audience Participants (Students and Researchers) Various questions and reflections from students and researchers from Portugal and Brazil, focusing on inclusion challenges, mental health, and diversity.
This summary encapsulates the key themes, critical reflections, practical approaches, and rich expertise shared during the second day of the IV Congresso Internacional 2025 on Humanism, Human Rights, and Citizenship.
Category
Educational
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