Building a Democratic School Culture Erasmus Project

Project Title

Building a Democratic School Culture

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 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy; Home and justice affairs (human rights & rule of law)

Project Summary

The starting point of this project, which is planned to be realized with 5 countries and 6 partner schools is that our students have communication problems due to their socio-cultural differences, apply violence, have strong negative prejudices against those who do not resemble them, have low
academical success and are reluctant to continue. It appears that students who especially tent to violent behaviors at the level of tyranny bullying are the
migrants who settled in this region and have difficulties in orientating the community they live in. It is being encountered with the problems such as the rising tendency of violence in students, not taking personal and social responsibility, the increase in behavior that is harmful to themselves and the environment, seeing violence as a solution, believing that they can exist only in this way and lack of empathy. It is considered that the problems are not only related to students and teachers in the light of the investigations made to solve them but also the solution is possible with the cooperation of
all stakeholders ,especially parents, who are interested in the school. In addition, schools that are part of life can make democracy a culture, but it is possible with the cooperation of all stakeholders. Based on these determinations, with this project it is aimed that being aware of the rights and
responsibilities of all sections of the school, contributing to forming a democratic school culture away from the traditional school culture by actively participating in all kinds of decision making, implementation and evaluation processes including learning activities carried out here. Schools adopting and understanding the culture of democracy become places where the stakeholders feel that they belong there, they are happy and they realize themselves. Having experience in a democratic school means to prepare students for a democratic life. It is an important step in the construction of the democratic societies of the future in a multicultural world, to learn that democracy is not to merge in one righteous way but also to respect one another’s right and to create a school atmosphere where mutual understanding and empathy are at the forefront in order to live in peace with individuals of different lives.

The main achievements we want to achieve as a result of the project are as follows:
Learning, implementing and reinforcing rights, freedoms and responsibilities as the principles that an individual should have in the school which is the area of life and learning.
Ensuring the active participation of all school-related stakeholders in decision-making and implementation processes related to school management.
Contributing to the creation of a cultural environment where all stakeholders gain skills such as critical thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving, where democratic values prevail.
Raising awareness about the need to include school administrators, teachers, students, parents, other employees and relevant NGOs in decision-making processes related to school and school in the establishment of democratic school culture.
Ensuring the development of the leadership of the school administrators within the framework of democratic principles by getting rid of the centralized structure.
Determining the roles and responsibilities of the school stakeholders and ensuring that they fulfill their duties with dedication.

There are 5 LTT Activities:
Involving 3 students and 2 teachers from each partner, “Examples of the transition to constitutional order and creating a school constitution” will be held in Greece.
Involving 2 teachers of each partner, “Caricature and Democracy” will be held in Turkey.
Involving 2 teachers from each partner, “Teacher Competencies in a Democratic School” will be held in Portugal.
Involving 2 staff, 1 student from each partner and parents from host country, “Being aware of their rights and responsibilities” will be held in Italy.
Involving defined students, teachers, management staff from each partner school and parents from host country, “Democratic Management of Schools Possible?” will be held in Germany.

So as to built a democratic school culture, it is necessary to reach out to all stakeholders about education and to raise awareness on this issue. In order to create a democratic school culture, it is necessary to reach out to all stakeholders about education and to raise awareness on this issue. Students, teachers and individuals from the school management staff will be able to participate in the Learning Teaching Activities of the project, while students’ parents, local government staff and education-related NGO staff will not be able to participate. Therefore, activities were planned in all
partner schools so that these stakeholders could be involved in the process.
In addition, all prepared activities, outputs and results will be published in social network accounts, especially in the project website, in e-platforms and in local press.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 112456 Eur

Project Coordinator

Gymnasiale Oberstufe des Schulzentrums Carl von Ossietzky & Country: DE

Project Partners

• TORBALIANADOLULISESI
• Escola Básica e Secundária Dr. Ângelo Augusto da Silva
• TORBALI PIRI REIS MESLEKI VE TEKNIK ANADOLU LISESI
• IIS Francesco Orioli
• Second Lyceum of Kalamaria