Stand up! – Europe’s youth unites against discrimination! Erasmus Project

Project Title

Stand up! – Europe’s youth unites against discrimination!

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 2015

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Access for disadvantaged; Gender equality / equal opportunities; Romas and/or other minorities

Project Summary

Unfortunately, many people are discriminated in countries all over the world. This project wanted to raise awareness for and the readiness to fight against discrimination in various areas and on various levels, in general and especially at our schools and within our communities in Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Germany. The four participating schools were secondary schools and the participating students were between 15 and 19 years old. The main idea of the project was to make the international students realise that discrimination and racism are deeply rooted in our society and that they are a European problem which all the countries have to stand up against together, especially if we take a look at the current political events. The core aim was to fight racism and the discrimination of underpriviledged people and minorities and to help increase tolerance and acceptance.

Comparing the different situations of groups being discriminated in the different countries, it was very interesting for the students to see that discrimination is partly linked to the culture and the history of their country and also that discrimination has been a part of human existence throughout history and still plays an important role in our modern society as well. The students became aware of the reasons for discrimination, how it works and what can be done against it.

Lots of the students in all the participating countries (at least 100 at each school) dealt with the topic within four project periods. The research methods were interviews with people (audio, video, text) as well as online researches. The students documented their results with posters, (power point) presentations, audio, video and text files. They created role plays, group discussions and self-learning material.

Besides, some of the students (10 of each country for one meeting) involved in the project met at four transnational learning activities (TLA) at the four partner schools during the two years. At these meetings the students presented their results, compared them and discussed the differences linked to the history and culture of their country as well as universal aspects. Additionally, specific workshops and visits to specific organisations or monuments related to the topic discrimination in the region of each participating school were organised by the teachers. Two teachers of each country accompanied the students for the TLA.

During project period I the students dealt with the topics “foreigners/minorities/religion and discrimination”, “sexual orientation and discrimination” and “discrimination at schools”. The first TLA took place in the Netherlands in December 2015. The students compared and discussed the results of their researches at school. They also got a workshop on discrimination led by two members of the local LGBT communitiy. At the excursions the students dealt with Dutch slave history and the nazi occupation of the Netherlands.

During project period II the students worked on the topics “low income and discrimination” and “disability/age and discrimination”. Some students conducted an interview at a local retirement home. The TLA took place in Germany in spring 2016. After comparing and discussing the results there was a Cinema Forum and the students had a guided tour at the Concentration Camp Memorial Site in Ulm. Last but not least, the students organised a “flashmob” at the main square in Friedberg, where they showed the STAND UP slogan of the project as “human letters”.

Within the project period III they dealt with “gender discrimination”, “discrimination in literature”, “roles of men and women in history”, “linguistic discrimination” and “gender pay gap”. The TLA was held in Spain in October 2016. There was an exhibition from the Spanish Institute For Women organised at the Spanish school and a visit to ONCE, the national organisation of Spanish blind people, as well as to the Prado museum where they saw paintings on the topic. The Spanish students had also written a drama on discrimination and performed it for their international guests.

Within the project period IV the students examined the following topics: “Roots of discrimination and Reasons for Discrimination” and “Disability at School”. The last TLA was held in Italy April 2017. Besides presenting and comparing the results, the students had the chance to interview two migrants from Africa about their dangerous journey to Europe and the reasons for their flight.

Out of all the material the students created a calendar 2018. These calenders will be spread in all the schools and in the communities of the participating cities. The students learned that discimination is a European problem which they have to tackle transnationally.

After every TLA the meetings were evaluated and the students of each school wrote articles for the local newspapers and the school websites as well as diaries about their experiences for the eTwinning site. The material produced has also been publishe

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 86400 Eur

Project Coordinator

Staatliche Fachoberschule Friedberg & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Istituto Istruzione Secondaria Superiore Aldo Moro
• Osg Willemblaeu
• IES JUAN DE HERRERA