‘At the Heart of Communities’ – Developing Learner-Led Active Citizenship Initiatives for Community Cohesion Erasmus Project

Project Title

‘At the Heart of Communities’ – Developing Learner-Led Active Citizenship Initiatives for Community Cohesion

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 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Civic engagement / responsible citizenship; Inclusion – equity; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

This project brought together pupils, teachers, community members and education specialists (ourselves) into a shared space that encourages openness and curiosity to the other. The core group of 35 pupils leading on the project included a wide range of ages — with the youngest being KS2 pupils in a Turkish school and the eldest being 18+ attending a Public Vocational Training Center in Valencia. Pupils shared knowledge and project goals with other students from a diverse range of age groups and backgrounds.

We had a core group of 8 committed teachers facilitating the project, with different levels of experience of Erasmus+; some had been taking part in Erasmus projects for many years, while for others this was their first one. Lead teachers had members of their staff supporting them.

Roles were reversed, so that young people gained ownership over what they felt is necessary for them to learn within this context, and teachers developed skills and knowledge on how to facilitate pupil-led initiatives.

Educational specialists stepped out of their role as the ‘expert’ and engaged in their role as ‘facilitator’ so that they were more inquisitive than instructive. Community members engaged with their local schools, rather than seeing them as separate entities in which they have no say. All of this was underpinned by the desire to make the local community a better place through global methodology and perspective.

A global perspective is one that considers larger issues that affect us all as inhabitants of the earth – environmental sustainability, social justice, equality and equity, diversity. Because a global perspective is based on the recognition of multiple world views and diverse cultural backgrounds, the use of Communities of Enquiry/Philosophy for Children is an ideal methodology, which we used in earnest. In each location, we trained project participants to use this methodology that begins with the understanding that there is no one answer, no single truth, to larger-than-life questions. We learnt how to have conversations around difficult topics and controversial issues, with care, creativity, criticality and collaboration -all whilst sitting in a circle, a powerful physical assertion of the equality of everyone in the space. This was key to our central vision of ‘role reversal’ so that pupils are on equal footing with adults.

We also worked with the global methodology of Head, Heart and Hands, so that we were thinking rigorously, engaging emotionally and taking action collectively. Each session was framed, formally or informally, by a framework of Thinking, Feeling, and Acting, so that it is Critical, Creative and Active. This also complemented our holistic approach.

The methodology we adopted was focused on three core principles:
1. Content for Critical Thinking: learning about global issues such as sustainability, poverty and development, understanding, mutual respect, fairness, equity and interdependence – the big challenges to humanity that are universally relevant and concerned with issues requiring judgement as opposed to ‘facts and figures’. Thinking together about how this applies to local contexts, the European context, and to the wider Global context.
2. Heartful Connection: learning through emotive methodologies that allow us to connect with others beyond a rational approach. Mindfulness techniques such as the Metta Bhavna (a loving-kindness meditation) were adopted to allow us to connect beyond a pragmatic level, also utilising the philosophy and pedagogy of the leading international academic, Vanessa Andreotti, on the intertwining of lives and fates.
3. Active Participation: participatory learning techniques (Philosophy for Children and Communities techniques and exercises that implement Hart’s Ladder) that allowed pupils to unpack, critique, reflect on and consider their values and attitudes to develop creative solutions in local communities.

Project Website

https://globallearninglondon.org/resources/hoc-toolkit-2/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 183626,76 Eur

Project Coordinator

London Borough of Tower Hamlets & Country: UK

Project Partners

• DENEYIMSEL EGITIM MERKEZI DERNEGI
• City of Hanko
• ISTITUTO STATALE DON L. MILANI
• Centro Integrado Público de Formación Profesional Misericordia