Schengen 2.0, Life without frontiers in Europe Erasmus Project

Project Title

Schengen 2.0, Life without frontiers in Europe

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: EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy; Labour market issues incl. career guidance / youth unemployment; International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation

Project Summary

Our project Schengen 2.0 – Life without frontiers in Europe – can be considered an answer to the current needs as well as the problems and demands of the European Union. Due to our geopolitical situation in Europe we agreed on this topic.
So our aim was to convince young people that everybody deserves understanding, openness and friendship regardless of ethnic origin, race and nationality. Furthermore our aim is to evoke a certain responsibility for the European idea.
The aim of our project is to reduce the number of high school dropouts and to limit the disadvantages by getting to know the good practical experience that we have in Germany. At school there is the offer of careers advisory service and professional job preparation for the step into the world of work. It was shown that kids with a migratory background can also be successful. Due to the factory tours we made in the participating countries we were able to link the schools and the local companies.
Before and during the first meeting in Hungary, the participants learned a lot about the history of Europe before and after “Schengen”. The information was provided by History and Social Studies teachers as well as history research institutions like the museum Emlekpont. As the students collected documents, passports, permits, visa and texts they became aware of the tendencies of national freedom on one hand and the unification of the national states throughout Europe on the other hand. After that the results were evaluated and compared to current facts. The results are on display in our showcases. At our visit of the popular fence at the Serbian border the students got the possibility to look at the refugee crisis from a different perspective. The first tour of a company led us to Villeroy&Boch where interviews with the employees became a practical insight into the world of work.
At our meeting in Poland students got to know the history of the Carpathian foreshore and the national varieties there. The students also worked together on a calendar (with national holidays and celebrations) for the participating countries. Diversity became also obvious when the kids had a workshop where each country performed their own national dance and students from all counties learned and performed a Polish dance on stage together. At the visit of the center of glas manufacturing students were able to discover their own skills in this handcraft and widen their knowledge of the job market.
The next meeting in Germany was also concerned with exchanging practical knowledge. Students gained key competences to stand up to the challenges of the job market in a workshop called “careers advice”. It was highly important to include the group of immigrant students to the tour of the Villeroy and Boch company to show that, education – not the ethnic origin – is relevant for the job market. In the conference “Job perspectives in a Europe without borders” considerable experts of economy and politics took part. The administrator Mrs Daniela Schlegel-Friedrich even gave a lecture on the topic. At the European Parliament in Luxembourg and at the European museum in Schengen we got various information about the European Union.
The tradition of music and its transnational function was the topic for our fourth meeting in Romania. At home the students had translated the chorus of the song “Stand by me” from Ben E. King in their own language. At our stay in Romania they had to perform the song together on stage. Furthermore the students and teachers took part in a flash mob, that was recorded and published. Our connection to the job market in Romania was the inspection of a violin factory. The cultural highlight of our visit certainly was the mutual attendance of a concert at the palace of culture of the city. These musical activities aimed in the realization that music has a certain uniqueness and can function as link between different cultures.
Participating colleagues were either experts in the field of careers advice or specialist teachers who supported the students in the preparation. The participating students were suggested by teachers.
We aimed in teaching the students to collaborate, to solve problems and to develop a personal opinion. Our activities have aroused a European Thinking and have led to acceptance and tolerance.
On a national and international basis we have contributed to the decline of prejudice and consolidation of the European Idea.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 123878 Eur

Project Coordinator

Gemeinschaftsschule an der Saarschleife & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Liceul Vocational Reformat Tg-Mures
• Collège Sainte-Anne
• Németh László Gimnázium, Általános Iskola
• Zespol Szkol Ponadgimnazjalnych Nr 1 im. Jana Szczepanika w Krosnie