ABSTRACT
The opening chapter of this volume, written by Stuart Billingham and something of a call to arms, serves to frame subsequent chapters by highlighting the thinking behind the World Congress series and the need, whilst remaining cognizant of local particularities, of moving away from thinking in national or regional terms toward a model that emphasises global dimensions, thereby reflecting changes in education and society more generally. He argues compellingly that, in the absence of this broader perspective, the kind of ‘radical change of thinking’ around widening participation envisioned by the EAN and like-minded individuals and organisations, and upon which the Congresses and this volume are premised, is unlikely to materialise and change on the ground unlikely to come about as a result. Billingham emphasises that any such change needs to involve stakeholders – ‘experts’ – who have traditionally had little or no voice in how widening participation should evolve and the strategies it should employ. He emphasises, in particular, the importance of the student voice but also calls out to international business leaders, social entrepreneurs and those working in social media and communication technologies. These experts are, he argues, a crucial element in any new movement, for they give it the credentials to influence those who ultimately matter most: governments and international agencies. Without such influence, the prognosis for any truly significant change of the kind envisaged cannot be good.
