Finding Our Roots Erasmus Project

Project Title

Finding Our Roots

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 : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; Cultural heritage/European Year of Cultural Heritage

Project Summary

“If we really wish to put an end to our ongoing international and social problems,we must eventually declare Earth and all of its resources as the common heritage of all the world’s people.” Jacque Fresco. Each nation has a set of cultural values such as customs,practices,places,objects,artistic expressions,which they have created together and expresses the ways of living developed in thousands of years.The sum of these values could be called cultural heritage.On a globalized and standardized world protecting and promoting cultural diversity and dialogue were the main current priority.Since 2018,the European Year of Cultural Heritage,in our modern global society,it is essential that young people are able to navigate through different cultures with a clear understanding of their own background.Many young people are likely to have an education or a job in another European country,which makes it even more relevant to work with language and communication skills and develop intercultural competencies.“Finding our roots” was a partnership project between the Swedish,Bulgarian,Greek,Italian,Polish and Turkish schools.Our most important aims were to create awareness of the historical and cultural heritage of the partner countries and to view them from another’s point of view.We were sure that this comparison and analysis of different aspects of the cultural heritage would be of great interest to the students of all the partner schools.Sharing knowledge of each nation’s culture built an understanding and tolerance between partner countries. The students explored aspects of their own and the other’s heritage including historical facts,festivals,ceremonies,crafts,traditional folk dances,traditional clothes,regional dishes and traditional songs.In this way,all the students were hand in hand with the historical and cultural heritage.The students were fully integrated within the project through different activities and this gave them the opportunity to communicate,have foreign friends,visited other countries and gain life-enhancing experiences.We believed they could become aware of themselves as responsible learners as well as European citizens.Our target groups were students,teachers,school communities,parents and the Ministry of Education.The participants in the project were mainly teachers and students (6-16 years old) from the partner countries, as well as the parents.The participants of this project had the chance to find not only their roots but also the partners’,being involved in different types of activities such as workshops,seminars,discussions,performances,videoconferences,etc.We planned to organize mobility in each partner country.After each visit the partners organized a special day (Swedish, Italian, Polish,Greek,Bulgarian and Turkish) for activities in their schools to present the most important facts about the historical and cultural heritage of the host country.As the final products, we produced a webpage,a DVD with traditional songs and poems,a book of customs and a short guide about the history of the participating countries.We wished to make our project’s results widely available over the longer term so we will try to open access to resources (providing bibliography,Internet sites and newspaper articles) we developed during these two years and making sure information becomes integrated into the practice of all school organizations.
In our long term benefits the students:
-improved learning performance;
-increased self-empowerment and self-esteem;
-improved foreign language competencies;
-enhanced intercultural awareness;
-provided an intercultural dialogue and education to maintain lively interests observing the similarities and discussed the differences of other cultures. The inter-relationships created to realize the project may continue between students and teachers,also after the conclusion of the project itself,we implemented a real exchange to improve the information of other countries’ cultures and ways of living and respecting diversities.
The teachers:
-improved competencies, linked to their professional profiles (teaching,training,youth work,etc.);
-broadened understanding of practices,policies and systems in education,training or youth across countries;
-improved the quality of their work and activities in favor of students;
-increased greater understanding and responsiveness to the linguistic and cultural diversity;
-improved foreign language competencies.
Our organizations:
-increased capacity to operate at EU/international level;
-improved management skills and internationalization strategies;
-reinforced cooperation with partners from other countries;
-increased quality in the preparation,implementation,monitoring and follow up of EU/international projects;
-found an innovative and improved way of operating towards their target groups, by providing for example more attractive programs for students,in line with their needs and expectations.

Project Website

https://sites.google.com/view/findingourroots/welcome?authuser=0

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 137943,26 Eur

Project Coordinator

Paradisskolan & Country: SE

Project Partners

• ISTITUTO COMPRENSIVO EX SM PASCOLI MATERA
• DIMOTIKO SHOLIO PALAGIAS
• Misak-i Milli Ortaokulu
• Szkola Podstawowa im. Marszalka Jozefa Pilsudskiego w Galkowie Duzym
• Bacho Kiro