Music can serve as a bridge -- something that was apparent at the 7th "Neue Stimmen" International Master Class. At the event, 13 up-and-coming opera talents from 10 countries came together for a week of personal coaching under the artistic direction of Gustav Kuhn, conductor, opera director and artistic director of the Tyrolean Festival Erl.

This year's Carl Bertelsmann Prize was presented to the Toronto District School Board at a ceremony in Gütersloh on September 4, 2008. At the same time, to mark the occasion, the Bertelsmann Stiftung opened the national schools campaign, "Integration through Education". As part of this initiative, the Stiftung invites all students of grades 5 to 12 to develop projects and ideas to promote integration at their schools.

The international symposium, "Integration through education - Fairness for all" in connection with the Carl Bertelsmann Prize took place in Gütersloh on September 3, 2008. In his address, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to education, Dr. Vernor Muñoz Villalobos, pointed out that inclusive education is a matter of morality and that the focus should always be on the individual child with their special characteristics, capabilities and learning requirements.