Connect! Create! Communicate! Erasmus Project

Project Title

Connect! Create! Communicate!

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 school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2014

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Disabilities – special needs; Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

This was a 3 year project between five schools, three of which are special schools and two of which have large special needs departments. The project aimed to do two things:

1) Equip children and young people with ‘9 European Super Powers’, enabling them to feel confident, valued and empowered to make a positive contribution to their local and wider communities. The nine European Super Powers were:

Motivation – Confidence – Pride – Independence – Respect – Creativity – Enterprise – Courage – Co-operation

Project activities were designed to enable acquisition of the above ‘powers’ whilst supporting the development of communication and interaction skills. The idea was to help pupils in all participating schools to become less insular and to enjoy their lives, enabling them to participate more fully in their communities and to become more socially integrated. Participating in this project helped a large number of children and young people from five different countries build confidence and to develop transferrable skills that will be useful to them in all aspects of life, especially in the world of work.

2) Provide opportunities for specialist teachers and education staff to improve their own practice through the sharing of ideas and professional expertise with European colleagues.

A particular focus in this project was communication and interaction. Staff in participating schools were given the opportunity to develop skills in teaching and working with children and young people who have specific difficulties around communication. Each school has a unique curriculum for children and young people with a wide range in needs and abilities, and different areas of expertise. Many staff in each of the participating schools were able to experience and learn from this first hand through visits, job shadowing and organised training events.

Approximately 400 children and young people participated in this project, the majority of whom have learning difficulties and / or disabilities, particularly around communication. In-school based activities were built into the curriculums of each school and included film making, arts and craft activities, story writing, enterprise activities, community events, learning about traditional games, outdoor education and responsible citizenship. Pupils were able to develop a personal profile of personal and social development skills (or European Super Powers) through participation in these activities and were able to make a practical and positive contribution to their own school and local communities. They were also able to gain a better understanding of different European countries in terms of the diversity between their physical environments, language, cultural differences and traditions. Through activities that were designed to promote employability skills, some pupils were able to see how the ‘world of work’ could be a realistic option for the future, thus raising personal expectations and aspirations.

Participating in this project also had a positive impact on the staff in each school, in terms of professional development. They were able to compare education systems, training, curriculum models, teaching and support strategies used in different countries in order to share good practice and enhance their own.

A longer term benefit of this project is that it has inspired a new project idea that has since been approved for funding. Some of the participating schools are therefore looking forward to working together again and introducing two new partner schools, further strengthening and widening our network of European colleagues with the shared value of improving life outcomes for children and young people across Europe, particularly those who are most disadvantaged due to disability or social circumstances.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 220250 Eur

Project Coordinator

Thomas Bewick School & Country: UK

Project Partners

• Kalevalan koulu
• SBO Merlijn
• Marino School
• Oyakkent Ortaokulu