In the context of the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion, the Directorate-General for Research of the European Commission would like to invite you to a press briefing on the theme of "Social Inclusion by Education in Europe's Multicultural Society".

Journalists will have the unique opportunity to:

• Learn about new results in the field of social inclusion by education illustrated by four leading EU-funded research projects.
• Take a guided tour of the primary school "Mare de Deu de Montserrat", located in the outskirts of Barcelona and witness a wonderful success story of social inclusion and integration in a very disadvantaged neighbourhood.
• Conduct personal interviews.
• Take advantage of networking opportunities.

How well do new citizens from outside the EU actually integrate into society here? Are they excluded socially? How vulnerable are they? During the event, the European Commission will present some findings into these questions. Discover which strategies can promote integration and social inclusion, learn about the educational challenges posed by migration-related diversity and explore how minority ethnic youth can be protected against marginalisation.

The press event will showcase four successful EU-funded research projects on social inclusion by education, presenting key advances in the fight against social exclusion:

• INCLUD-ED Strategies for Inclusion and Social Cohesion in Europe from Education
• EMILIE The Migration Mix: Europe's Multicultural Challenge
• EDUMIGROM Ethnic Differences in Education and Diverging Prospects for Urban Youth in an Enlarged Europe
• YIPPEE Young People from a Public Care Background: Pathways to Education in Europe

The "Mare de Deu de Montserrat" primary school is located in a very disadvantaged and marginalized neighbourhood in the outskirts of Barcelona. It is a state school for children aged 3 to 12. The school is already successfully implementing the strategies identified in the INCLUD-ED project. Nowadays, school failure is often connected to the increase of immigrant students. However, the Mare de Deu de Montserrat is a clear example that educational performance is not linked to the ethnic composition of the classroom but rather to the implementation of best practices and evidence-based methods that have proven to be successful.