The Programme
All activities at a glance
Sunday, 26 April 2026
The pre-conference day
7:30
Registration Opens
House of European History (Auditorium)
Cultural Programme (Round 1)
Discover Europe’s heritage and institutions in one inspiring experience. This programme offers a guided visit to the BELvue Museum, exploring Belgium’s history and identity, or an immersive role-playing game at the Parlamentarium, the European Parliament’s visitor centre.
10:30 - 13:00
Cultural Programme (Round 2)
Engage with wider global perspectives and the European heritage through a cultural journey. You can either visit the Africa Museum in small groups for a reflective experience, take part in an interactive role-playing game at the Parlamentarium, or explore critical thinking in museum learning through the “Time to Think” initiative that explores Project Zero’s “Thinking Routines” at the House of European History.
14:00 - 16:30
House of European History (Learning Room 1)
18:00 - 20:00
Documentary Screening
This screening presents Blind Spots, a documentary that follows students from a Ugandan classroom to a Belgian train station as they unpack how education, culture and institutions shape perceptions and perpetuate colonial mindsets. It foregrounds questions about confronting unconscious biases and re-examining history through personal stories.
House of European History (Fables Room)
House of European History (Auditorium)
9:30 - 10:00
Welcome session
Monday, 27 April 2026
Conference Day 1
7:30 - 9:00
Registration
European Parliament (Station Europe)
Official opening
9:00 - 10:00
European Parliament (Hemicycle)
Keynote Lecture
We are proud to announce Jon Alexander as the keynote speaker. He is a British author, speaker, and social change strategist, best known for his book Citizens: Why the Key to Fixing Everything Is All of Us. This is the only event open to anyone, even if they don’t have a conference ticket.
10:00 - 11:00
11:30 - 13:00
Break
European Parliament
Historiana Plenary Workshop
An interactive Historiana Workshop delivered by our Historiana Teaching & Learning Team! This is a traditional plenary workshop at our conferences, known for its interactive and innovative approaches.
11:00 - 11:30
European Parliament (Hemicycle)
13:00 - 14:00
Lunch & European Institutions Market
We will provide lunch, and during it you can mingle and discover the European Parliament Market, where you can learn more about its various aspects, initiatives and opportunities from various European Institutions.
European Parliament (Lunch Room)
14:00 - 15:30
Parallel Workshops
You can take part in one of the following workshops.
Workshop 1
Democracity
Leen De Smedt
Workshop 2
From Chaos to Context. Primary sources on transatlantic slave trade as a pathway to multiperspectivity in history education
Kariin Sundsback, Tine Petersen Malonæs
Workshop 3
Fujimori, Failed Democracy and Flint AI: Applying Democratic Values through Real-World Case Studies
Sinéad Fitzsimons, Sue Min
Workshop 4
Impact Mapping – (re)Building “Hopeful Constellations” Historical and Contemporary Event Analysis
Fanni Hédi
Workshop 5
Making History Meaningful: The case of Toussaint Louverture
Marian Heesen, Amaia Lamikiz
Workshop 6
Peace Lesson
Johanna Norppa and Antanas Jonušas
Workshop 7
A Word is Worth a Thousand Pictures: On Teaching the (Untold) History of Africa
Workshop 8
Through Many Eyes: Rethinking the Battle of Mohács – A Turkish-Hungarian Interactive History Lab
Benedek Alpár, Áron Fekete, Cem Durak, co-hosted by their students: two from TEV İnanç High School and Mathias Corvinus Collegium
Workshop 9
Critical History Tours Workshop: Why do we need critical history tours?
Olivia Durand, Paula Larsson, Waqas Mirza
Workshop 10
“What is Racism?” - Understanding systemic racism and its colonial roots via HistoriCall
Mackda Ghebremariam Tesfau’
Workshop 11
Hope Manifesto
Jeanne Perreul, Garance Monnier, Ariane Ioannides, Yves Mathieu
Click here for the descriptions of workshop for this round.
European Parliament (Workshop Rooms)
Room for each workshop TBA.
Panel Discussion: Racism in Education
Participants will join the panel on Racism in Education: Material and Cultural Segregation to hear from leading experts Cristina Roldao (Portugal) and Valentina Migliarini (UK). Moderated by Mette Toft Nielsen (Spark Teachers, ENAR foundation), this conversation will examine storytelling as a pedagogical imaginative practice: how can educators and cultural institutions create spaces where marginalised voices are not merely included but centred? How can history education itself become an act of narrative repair?
Click here to learn more.
16:00 - 17:00
European Parliament (Hemicycle)
Pub Quiz
Join us to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Contested Histories Initiative! Do you know which historical figure has the most contested monuments? What songs are linked to contested histories? Come join us for the Contested Histories Pub Quiz to test your knowledge and the opportunity to win a grand prize! You can do your homework and visit the contestedhistories.org website to increase your chances of winning!
21:00 - 22:30
Tuesday, 28 April 2026
Conference Day 2
School Visits
Participants will have the opportunity to visit local schools and explore the educational landscape of Brussels and Belgium. Participants will travel in groups of approximately 15 educators to different schools, where they will be welcomed by local teachers and introduced to the school’s educational approach.
Each visit may include a classroom observation, project presentation, guided tour, or Q&A session focusing on the teaching of history, civic education, and European values. These visits provide a unique opportunity to exchange experiences, discuss methodologies, and learn from colleagues across educational systems.
8:00 - 11:00
School Visits (departing from Station Europe)
Workshop 1
Where Does Multiperspectivity Start?
Jacek Staniszewski
Workshop 2
EmpowerED. Unlearning Racism in Schools
Marie Moïse
Workshop 3
Co-Creating Democratic Citizenship Education Tools
Workshop 4
Hope across Oceans: Building Bridges to Sustain Democracy and Ourselves
Jessica Ellison, Willem Naus
Workshop 5
Hopeful Histories: Teaching and Learning Hope from the Local to the Global
Douglas Bell
Workshop 6
Learning for Change: Exploring Polarized Topics in History Classes
Violeta Georgieva (Stoycheva), Dimitrinka Arnaudova
Parallel Workshops
You can take part in one of the following workshops.
12:00 - 13:30
Workshop 7
Making History Meaningful by Teaching contested Historcalical Figures: the case of Leni Riefenstahl.
Elise Storck, Mirela Redžić
Workshop 8
Rewriting the Narrative: Confronting Colonial Language in History Teaching
Jeanette Jones
Workshop 9
Teaching about elections in times of populism: a European and US perspective
Jeremy Stoddard, Bjorn Wansink
Workshop 10
The Nakba: Understanding 1948 Through Primary Sources
Rania Assily
Workshop 11
Hope Manifesto Part 2
Jeanne Perreul, Garance Monnier, Ariane Ioannides, Yves Mathieu
Click here for the descriptions of the workshops of this round.
European Parliament (Workshop Rooms)
Room for each workshop TBA.
Lunch, European Institutions Market & SENSEI Market
While having lunch, you can explore all the activities, educational products, opportunities, and history and future of the European Institutions Market and the SENSEI project on inclusive education across Europe!
13:30 - 14:30
European Parliament (Lunch Room)
Panel Discussion
Participants will join the panel on The Power of Counter-Narratives to hear from leading experts Marie Moise (Italy) and Margaret Amaka Ohia-Nowak (Poland). The session highlights how storytelling, history, and collective memory can be used as tools of resistance, helping to reclaim suppressed narratives and create spaces where marginalised voices are centred.
Click here to learn more.
14:30 - 15:30
European Parliament (Hemicycle)
Cultural Programme (Round 3)
The last round of the Cultural Programme offers a choice between a VISHEM held session in the Hemicycle, a postcolonial visit at the House of European History, or a visit to the BELvue Museum.
16:00 - 18:00
Historiana Happy Hour
The now traditional Historiana Happy Hour is an event hosted by our Historiana Teaching & Learning Team, where you can share ideas about history, organised over various topics and drinks.
21:00 - 22:30
Wednesday 29 April 2026
Conference Day 3
9:30 - 10:45
Time to Think Plenary Workshop
11:00 - 11:30
European Parliament (Hemicycle)
History Education Dissertation Prize
10:45 - 11:00
Coffee Break
European Parliament
11:30 - 13:00
Parallel Workshops
You can take part in one of the following workshops.
Workshop 1
AI-Enhanced Teaching of European Values and DemocracyJuha-Pekka Lehtonen, Sari Halavaara
Workshop 2
Unfinished Stories: Finding Hope in the Korean War
Ute Boeros
Workshop 3
From Bias to Balance: Digital Citizenship and Constructive Narratives in the History Classroom
Mirela Sakej
Workshop 4
How can we teach for active hope in times of crisis?
Bjorn Wansink
Workshop 5
Before the next viral lie: Teaching media literacy with HistoriCall
Florian Tuder
Workshop 6
Reclaiming Hope: Teaching Contested Histories in Times of Polarisation
Amaia Lamikiz, Ander Delgado, Clara Isabel Serrano, Sérgio Neto
Workshop 7
Utilising Music in the History Classroom
Daan Krahmer, Joost van Oort
Workshop 8
V@lues without Borders 4 EUth
Cristina Iulia Gila
Workshop 9
Virtual Role Play Game - step into the shoes of an MEP
Tamara Gojkovic
Workshop 10
Whose Memory Counts? Monuments, Controversy and Under-Representation
Vassilki Yiannou, Lidija Zupanic Suica
Workshop 11
Hope Manifesto Part 3
Jeanne Perreul, Garance Monnier, Ariane Ioannides, Yves Mathieu
Click here for the descriptions of the workshops for this round.
European Parliament (Workshop Rooms)
Room for each workshop TBA.
Lunch, the European Institutions Market & EuroClio Market
While having lunch, you can explore all the activities, educational products, opportunities, and history and future of the European Institutions Market and EuroClio!
13:00 - 14:00
European Parliament (Lunch Room)
Workshop 1
Connecting History Education with Futures Literacies
Karena Kalmbach, Stefanie Holzheu, Christian Engelbrecht
Workshop 2
DEMOS: Strengthening Democracy and European Values through Dialogue
Tvrtko Pater
Workshop 3
Embedding Culturally Relevant and Anti-Racist Pedagogy into Teaching Practice
Soni Kaur, Rasmus Sam Dige Pedersen, Mette Toft Nielsen
Workshop 4
Hope in the Process: Conceptual and Skills-based History Teaching (Korea IB Case Study)
Lexi Oudman
Workshop 5
Making History Meaningful: Klemens von Metternich as a Controversial Figure
James Diskant, Henk Bolk
Parallel Workshops
You can take part in one of the following workshops.
16:00 - 16:30
Workshop 6
Object-based learning: on the nexus between past, present and future
Brent Geerts, Karel van Nieuwenhuyse
Workshop 7
Stories That Move: teaching about discrimination and diversity through real life stories
Marta Closas Casasampera
Workshop 8
Using Debate to Explore History and Human Rights
Alexander Schinkel
Workshop 9
Why didn’t we see what was coming? Teaching contemporary Russian history through cartoons
Uli Schnakenberg
Workshop 10
Your Historylab: Reimagining Local History – Dare to Think Big!
Judith Blum, Ekaterina Malygina
Click here for the descriptions of the workshops of this round.
European Parliament (Workshop Rooms)
Room for each workshop TBA.
15:30 - 16:00
Coffee Break
14:00 - 15:30
Student-Led Session from Moving Europe
Young people participating in the Moving Europe project will present their experience and some of the research they conducted in collaboration with various migration museums.
European Parliament (Hemicycle)
16:30 - 17:30
19:00 - 21:00
Hope Manifesto Handover
Throughout the conference, the Wall of Hope, the Hope Manifesto workshops and other activities will contribute to the creation of the Hope Manifesto. During this final event of the confernece, the Hope Manifesto will be officially handed over.
Celebratory Dinner
European Parliament (Hemicycle)