In recent years wellbeing both as a concept and lived reality has gained increasing prominence in international education literature (Norwich et al., 2022). In this field, there is an increasing number of studies that connect human wellbeing and religion (Hannikainen, 2021). Religious and spiritual involvement seems to benefit the lives of individuals and communities through empowering self-esteem, inner strength, and a sense of belonging to a wider community (Kor et al., 2019; Lim & Putnam, 2010; Neugebauer et al., 2020). Additionally, many studies show that religious people tend to live longer, get sick less often and are better able to cope with stress (PEW, 2019, 25).

Even though religious identity is often cited as a cause of division, it can also be argued that most religious beliefs teach the importance of tolerance towards the practice, culture and lifestyle of other religious convictions and expressions, and can help to develop in children a tolerance and understanding towards the beliefs of others, and as such promote inclusion and wellbeing in European societies. Furthermore, emerging evidence shows that a specific aspect of spirituality called “spiritual flourishing” contributes to prosocial behaviour, helping students develop meaningful relationships and altruism, thus contrasting bullying (Chapman et al., 2021; Kor et al., 2019; Neugebauer et al., 2020).

However, religious identity can also be stigmatised, due to prejudice and to narratives in mainstream media that represent those of a religious identity as naïve, uncaring, and/or fanatical (Ryan and Gardner, 2018). Consistent research on bullying (offline and online) has shown that those who are perceived to be different to the majority of people because of their religious identity are more prone to be targets of bullying (Sanmartin Feijoo et al., 2023). This might lead to students concealing their religious identity not to be bullied; however, when students feel forced to conceal or deny their religious identity, both personal and communal (school community) wellbeing are compromised (Ipgrave, 2012). In short, it seems that when one’s religious identity is accepted, it contributes to personal wellbeing and social inclusion, whereas when it is undermined this leads to illbeing, harassment, and segregation.

In this context, schools can provide a crucial safe platform for inclusion and citizenship, influencing individuals psychological and sociocultural adaptation, personal well-being and academic achievement in the short term, while long term directly affecting social status, professional achievement, economic earning power and their understanding of cultural morality and societal principals. Conversely, when inclusivity is not approached well, there can be breeding grounds for discontent and alienation.

This COST Action delves into the correlation between religious identity, bullying, and wellbeing, and the implications for students, school communities, and European societies. lt provides a conduit for researchers, policy makers, and educators to consider the relationship between religious identity, wellbeing and inclusion. Through the objectives of each Working Group, the members of the Action can examine how religious identity contributes to the wellbeing of individuals, family, communities, and societies.