Europe: Our common project. Erasmus Project

Project Title

Europe: Our common project.

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for Schools Only

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Reaching the policy level/dialogue with decision makers; ICT – new technologies – digital competences; EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy

Project Summary

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVES

Many European issues are constantly appearing on the title page of newspapers and are part of current affairs. Faced with all these challenges, it goes without saying that young people have many questions. Our project wanted to provide at least some information and answers to our students.
We wanted to address some of the key issues of the European project that affect all citizens. It was not only a matter of giving only elected representatives and institutions a forum, but also ordinary citizens (and also our students, in particular, by taking part in numerous debates) in the most open manner possible. So we wanted to:
– further anchor Europe and a civic approach based on exchanging information and debates in our projects and practical activities
– opening up the school even more to the outside world through partnership with non-school organizations and out-of-school activities
– promote the use of French as a language of communication, implementing IT and free educational resources (OER).
– (re-)motivate students, especially those with academic difficulties, by proposing stimulating and different activities

NUMBER AND PROFILE OF PARTICIPANTS

Approximately 40 students per school, of which 16-17 participated in mobility. The total number of students was about 230 for the 6 schools. We strove to involve students with heterogeneous and complementary profiles. We paid special attention to the 45 students with fewer opportunities (7-8 per school). Between 11 and 12 teachers per school, about 70 in total participate in the project.
In addition to these 300 or so participants, there were between 200 and 400 pupils and teachers “indirect beneficiaries” participating in certain activities.
Other school actors were needed to carry out our projects (managers, accountants) and external partners (European information centers, elected officials).

DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIES

All activities involved students (except those related to coordination / management) and were normally documented by films. All results were in French or bilingual. The list below is not exhaustive:
– training activities involving joint meetings: C1 Bulgaria: video / film workshop; C2 Spain: debates on EU representations and objectives; C3 Luxembourg: quizzes and visits by EU institutions and discussion with MEPs; C4 Italy: preparation workshop for a Europe Day; C5 France: Simulation of a session of the European Parliament; C6 Belgium: simulation of a televised debate and visit of the EU parliament in Brussels
– local activities between the joint meetings which serve to prepare or implement common training activities: debates; Workshop on the EU; Interviews with political representatives; Surveys in streets, families, retirement homes and schools and formatting of results; Films documenting activities; European Day
– dissemination: Erasmus + space in each school, articles for school websites and the press, website documenting our project, Etwinning, Youtube films, project logo, European Day in each school on 9 May 2019
– internal evaluation with an evaluation grid with components for all participants
– external partnerships: elected representatives, European information centers

METHODOLOGY

The local coordinators, assisted by a team, coordinated the project at their school level and the Luxembourg coordinator coordinated at the school and transnational level. Two meetings were planned at the beginning and end of the project and six training activities were organized by the schools (one per school). An evaluation grid was used to evaluate the progress of the project and to respond to potential problems throughout the two years. Students were at the heart of the project and actively involved. All participants were “multipliers” in order to be able to transmit the skills acquired.

IMPACTS AND RESULTS

The main impact expected was civic: Our students could develop their critical thinking in order to become “savvy” citizens. They could realize their knowledge and their commitment by organizing well-argued debates and a European Day in May 2019. Our schools and teachers could open up more to the outside world: invitations from elected representatives, partnerships (partner schools, centers of information).

LONG-TERM BENEFITS

The activities and results are sufficiently multifaceted (debates, simulations of parliamentary sessions …) to benefit many other pupils and teachers. Partnerships between European schools and information centers as well as political representatives can easily be sustained by similar projects. Partnerships between schools can be continued through projects, activities and occasional mobilities. Europe Day can be easily sustained once it has been set up for the first time.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 133198 Eur

Project Coordinator

Deutsch Luxemburgisches Schengen Lyzeum & Country: LU

Project Partners

• Athénée Royal Nestor Outer
• IES JOAQUÍN ARTILES
• Maison Familiale Rurale Agencourt
• ISISS ITN-ITG-IPS-ITC
• Lycée bilingue de langues romanes ” G.S.Rakovski”