<div dir="ltr">The Council of
Europe promotes a new approach to managing increasingly diverse
societies based on the concept of DIVERSITY ADVANTAGE.
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<strong>This stands for:
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<img src="http://www.coe.int/t/DG4/CULTUREHERITAGE/CULTURE/DIVERSITY/default_en-triangleRose-1.gif" height="8" width="7">
Recognizing that diversity is not a threat – it can bring<strong> competitive benefits</strong> for businesses, organisations and communities if managed with competence and in the spirit of inclusion;
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<img src="http://www.coe.int/t/DG4/CULTUREHERITAGE/CULTURE/DIVERSITY/default_en-triangleRose-1.gif" height="8" width="7">
Embracing diversity is not a gimmick for business/organisation/city branding but<strong> a philosophy of governance, management and decision-making</strong>.
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Social and economic research worldwide provides convincing
evidence that diversity and intercultural interaction can improve
productivity, creativity and efficiency in all kinds of organisations,
as well as in cities. Both research and practice suggest that
businesses, organisations and cities can gain enormously from the
diversified skills, entrepreneurship and creativity associated with
diversity, provided they facilitate intercultural interaction and
co-creation.
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However, the notion of diversity advantage is not familiar to most
Europeans and the attitudes and skills that are necessary to realise
the positive potential of diversity, are not widespread among leaders in
politics, business and civil society.
</p><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px" align="left">
</p><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px" align="left">
The DIVERSITY ADVANTAGE CHALLENGE
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<img src="http://www.coe.int/t/DG4/CULTUREHERITAGE/CULTURE/DIVERSITY/default_en-triangleRose-1.gif" height="8" width="7">
is a means to<strong> raise awareness among the public and private decision-makers about the benefits of diversity
</strong>and to provide a large number of examples of how
organisations, businesses and cities which have realised these benefits
by creating innovative products, services, ideas and initiatives. The
challenge will help understand better the conditions under which
diversity generates innovation and the do’s and don’ts of the process.
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<img src="http://www.coe.int/t/DG4/CULTUREHERITAGE/CULTURE/DIVERSITY/default_en-triangleRose-1.gif" height="8" width="7">
is a contest for the <strong>best real-life stories of the successful involvement of people of different cultural</strong>
(ethnic, religious, linguistic) backgrounds in the design of innovative
products, services, policies, projects and initiatives. The stories
should illustrate how it is possible to harness cultural diversity to
the benefit of businesses, organisations and communities.</p><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px" align="left">
</p><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px" align="left">
Interested local authorities, enterprises, civil society
organisations, media and other institutions worldwide are invited to
share their stories by answering <a href="http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/cultureheritage/culture/diversity/form2014_en.pdf">the questionnaire</a> and sending it to
<a href="mailto:diversity.challenge@coe.int">diversity.challenge@coe.int</a> by
<strong>31 October 2014</strong>. </p><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px" align="left">
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For further information, see also <a href="http://www.coe.int/t/DG4/CULTUREHERITAGE/CULTURE/DIVERSITY/examples_en.asp">Examples of Good Practices of Diversity Advantage</a></p><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px" align="left"><br></p><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px" align="left">Questionnaire: <a href="http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/cultureheritage/culture/diversity/form2014_en.pdf">http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/cultureheritage/culture/diversity/form2014_en.pdf</a></p><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px" align="left"><br></p><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px" align="left">\\</p><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px" align="left"><br></p><div>Community Media Association<br>-- <br><a href="http://www.commedia.org.uk/" target="_blank">http://www.commedia.org.uk/</a><br><a href="http://twitter.com/community_media" target="_blank">http://twitter.com/community_media</a><br><a href="https://www.facebook.com/CommunityMediaAssociation" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/CommunityMediaAssociation</a><br><br>Canstream Internet Radio & Video<br><a href="http://www.canstream.co.uk/" target="_blank">http://www.canstream.co.uk/</a><br><a href="https://twitter.com/canstream" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/canstream</a></div>
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