I am a Part of We Erasmus Project

Project Title

I am a Part of We

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 : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Early School Leaving / combating failure in education; Creativity and culture; Inclusion – equity

Project Summary

IGS Gera and Olympus College Arnhem worked together in a partnership programme entitled “I am a part of We”. This entailed a project in which the two schools worked closely together and produced a visible and sustainable result.

Context and background of the project:

IGS Gera and Olympus College have a common interest which is the improvement of the quality and efficiency of education at our schools. We want to develop school in a way that students can make the maximum of their individual abilities and prevent school frustration and school leaving at an early stage.
In addition to this, we want to make the students actively take part in shaping school life. We want them to develop key competences, like self-competence and social competence and to enable them to see themselves as owners of the quality of their social environment in order to become responsible citizens.

Objectives of the project:

The first objective was to make students aware that they not only learn at school but are also active participants in everyday school life. They should be able to create a social environment that will make the school a more pleasant, more stimulating and more democratic place for all of the students and staff.
The second objective was that by working together the students overcame the existing perspectives and prejudices towards each other. By peer to peer learning, students should be able to understand another European school culture and themselves as students in Europe.
Furthermore, the students should improve the school society and in order to achieve that, they should recognize and use the neighbourhood as a resource. The neighbourhood in return should learn to embrace school as a partner and not as a burden.
Number and profile of participants:
30 students and 6 teachers work with each other each year. The participating students are 14-16 years of age. They are willing to take an active part in this project and invest time and energy for its success.

The project aimed at teachers who are cooperative, willing to reflect, to learn from other insights, who are able to share input in their schools, are prepared to travel abroad and to teach in another language.

Activities:

“Art in public space 1” (first year visit 2018-2019): 20 students worked together in various groups on a plan how to improve school surrounding by arts projects, planned and carried out together in Gera (the so called “Mauer-Projekt”) and Arnhem (photo exhibition entitled “I am a part of we”). They won local partners from advertising agencies to local authorities, artists, and business sponsors for their project ideas. To support cooperation there was a varied programme of team building activities, arts lessons, sports, and educational field trips to Amsterdam and Leipzig. Activities also included research on public art and meeting local artists.

“Art in public place 2” (second year visit 2019-2020):
Due to COVID-19, the second mobility was not allowed to take place and all activities and meetings were strictly limited or even prohibited. Nevertheless, we kept in contact with each other by video conferences and via e-mailing to ensure project progress. Part of that process was an online survey on the final drafts of the so called “Mauer-Projekt” with students and teachers in both cities as well as local residents in Gera. Furthermore, we agreed on exhibiting the best photographies of the Arnhem arts project in the city library of Gera.
As soon as the pandemic situation allowed, workshops were organized to design scale size models which are now presented to the public at school, on the homepages of Olympus College and IGS Gera. The local press will be asked to document the various outcomes.

Results and impact:

Two newly created works of art, made by students of the Art classes of both schools, instructed by their respective Arts teachers and local artists, will provide an improvement of the schools’ neighbourhoods, visible to students and local residents alike. In addition, it should be seen as a symbol for a new start for the sister-cities Arnhem and Gera. In Gera, based on the final models, the old wall will be turned into a piece of art with students guided by the prominent artist and graffiti designer Mathias Bribach. In Arnhem, the impressive photos were shown in an open-air gallery in the school’s neighbourhood and people were invited to a gallery walk and a picnic. A permanent photo show is displayed in the department of year 9 at Olympus College. School souvenirs were made, basing on the photos, available for teachers.

The impact is that the participating students have a higher identification with their school, noticing that their opinion matters, that they have influence and that they can make a difference. By working practically with their hands and having visible results they gained motivation for further tasks in and out of schools. They now are especially interested in the continuation of the students’ exchange which they have really missed in the time of the Corona pandemic.
Through their contacts and cooperation with local authorities, artists and businesses, they have gained an insight into job reality and might discover hidden talents and qualities, helping them in their future careers. Furthermore, it became obvious that the participants improved their social skills, social competence as well as political interest.
Another long-term effect of the project is that it inspired the partnership of the sister cities Arnhem/Gera which can be seen in the close cooperation with the local “Netzwerk Gera-Arnhem”.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 41155 Eur

Project Coordinator

IGS Gera & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Olympus College