From Concepts to Action

On 11 May 2026, the Beyond Borders project contributed to an in-house seminar organised by postgraduate students from the Master in English Studies and Multilingual and Intercultural Communication at the University of Málaga (UMA). As part of this student-led mini-conference, the project delivered a hybrid workshop entitled "Beyond Inclusion: From Concepts to Action in Higher Education", bringing together 20 master's students from five countries—Spain, Italy, Russia, Morocco and Benin—to reflect on interculturality and institutional inclusion.

Led online by Cristina Martinez (Backslash) and moderated in person by Lin Pettersson (UMA), the workshop introduced participants to the Beyond Borders project and explored key concepts such as interculturality, inclusion, and institutional transformation. Rather than focusing solely on theory, the session invited students to consider how universities can move from isolated initiatives towards long-term structural change.

Building on the project's Internal Capacity Building Session held earlier this year, participants were introduced to the work already underway at UMA to map existing inclusion policies, services, and good practices. Through small-group discussions, students reflected on examples from the social sector and explored what would be needed for similar practices to become sustainable institutional policies within the university.

The workshop generated valuable insights into the experiences of international students. Participants highlighted that many existing support services remain largely unknown to students, often because important information is lost within the large volume of communications they receive. They also identified the need for more faculty-specific guidance, particularly for students arriving from abroad, who often face administrative, linguistic, and cultural challenges when adapting to a new academic environment.

These discussions are already informing the next steps of the project at UMA. The workshop has led to follow-up interviews with international students and meetings with faculty leaders and administrative staff. Based on the feedback received, the UMA team is now developing a practical roadmap to help both full-time and part-time students navigate their academic journey, alongside a route planner providing tailored guidance for students who join programmes later due to visa or administrative delays.

By placing students' experiences at the centre of the conversation, this workshop demonstrated how dialogue can generate practical solutions and contribute to more inclusive university environments—one of the core ambitions of the Beyond Borders project.

Beyond Borders