On 16 May 2025, the first international meeting of the MentorScape project: Crafting Bias-Free Classrooms in Europe, funded by the Erasmus+ programme, was held in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. The event was hosted by the project coordinator, ECIESC Foundation, and gathered representatives from all partner organisations to officially launch the joint work.
The meeting began with a welcome and introductions, followed by a detailed presentation of the project’s objectives, structure, and expected results. ECIESC outlined the main responsibilities of each partner, as well as important milestones, deadlines, and deliverables. To support effective planning and coordination, PERT and GANTT charts were presented.
In the afternoon, the focus shifted to planning the key activities. JLP led the session on Activity A2, addressing the recognition and overcoming of biases in the classroom. AEC presented the framework for the Mentorship Programme (A3), aimed at empowering teachers to become active agents of change. Partners also discussed strategies for visibility and dissemination of results, alongside mechanisms for monitoring, evaluation, and risk management. The day concluded with a review of financial and administrative requirements, followed by the awarding of certificates and the collection of participant feedback.
The MentorScape project seeks to support primary school teachers across Europe in identifying and eliminating classroom biases through training and mentorship. The next steps will focus on developing the methodology and training content, which will be piloted in the partner countries.
