Building Bridges Erasmus Project

Project Title

Building Bridges

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 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Integration of refugees; Creativity and culture; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

Looking at Europe’s present situation we felt the need to deal with the occurring development concerning the continuous flow of refugees and immigrants who try to make a new living in Europe. Our aim as teachers was to sensitize our students towards understanding people coming from different cultural backgrounds against the tendency of a mentality to build fences as a final solution to the current problem. Hate and separation doesn’t contribute to a unified Europe whereas information and knowledge will lead to sustainable solutions.The main objective of our project was to educate our students towards a multicultural awareness and creating a high empathy towards people who are from different ethnic communities. This is the only way to establish a more humanitarian society in the close future and tearing down fences instead of building them up. Our common foreign language (English) helped us to express ourselves to our partners and additionally the use of electronic and social media accomplished this task. Most of our students were of different levels and half of the teaching staff was involved in the project to ensure a diversity of skills, ideas and knowledge. Different humanitarian organizations (Caritas, Volkshilfe) enabled us to get in contact with real life situations. Our local tourist association supported the exchange of information of regional life and background.We started with introductory activities via riddles, photos, blogs, videos and etwinning activities. We created quizzes about customs and geography of our countries as well as padlets and postcards on subjects like ancestors and family histories with the main emphasis on where the families originally came from. We also interviewed refugees and immigrants from our local area. In some areas the students worked on their own and researched in the internet, found out about their own families through interviewing family members and made notes to create the padlets with the help of the teachers. The teachers advised the students how to go about and helped them to improve their ongoing results. The teachers provided extra information on certain topics which was delegated to finish in groupwork. All the knowledge our students acquired during the project helped them to become open and self-determined European citizens so they can create a common cultural identity. Through contacts within Europe our institutions provided the possibility as a potential model of an integrated multi-european school.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 55200 Eur

Project Coordinator

NMS Neukirchen an der Vöckla & Country: AT

Project Partners

• IES Carlos III