VENSKAB PÅ TVÆRS AF GRÆNSER Erasmus Project

Project Title

VENSKAB PÅ TVÆRS AF GRÆNSER

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 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy; Cooperation between educational institutions and business

Project Summary

#PRESENTATION: CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND

The project VENSKAB PÅ TVÆRS AF GRÆNSER is an integral and comprehensive plan to bring two peripheral transnational areas closer to each other: the Castejón de Sos – Valle de Benasque region in Spain as well as the Sønderborg – Als Island – Sønderjylland in Denmark. This project was created and planned by two educational institutions of the mentionend areas, the Sønderborg International School (“SIS”) as main partner as well as the Instituto de Enseñanza Secundaria Castejón de Sos (“the IES”).

Both institutions have a goal in mind: open a channel of communication to create a bridge between two communities and invite other transnational and peripheral regions to join a tentative network.

The project started as a natural second step of SIS’ cooperation with the CRA Alta Ribagorza (located in the same area as the IES), in the frame of a previous Erasmus project which successfully opened our eyes in terms of awareness of the particular needs, challenges and opportunities of our both regions. As there are several important differences among both educational systems, we decided to take the next step and coordinating with an institution that would have the same profile as SIS and the CRA.

Being both small institutions in peripheral regions close to their respective borders, we were put in the position were we had to take a serious and truly international approach. Up until now, both institutions have had a very local based profile, with little to no contact to the international sphere. Both our institutions want and to some extend also need an international projection to put us and our regions in the map of international schools and to be active part of the European Construction process. We believe that this project will be an extraordinary positive experience to broaden our awareness of the global construction in general and our European integration in particular. This project has also the potential of having an enormous impact in both communities: Castejón de Sos and Sønderborg are two peripheral communities in the European Union that have had an ambivalent and sometimes contradictory relation to the European constructions and that sometimes feel lost by the European centres of decision. It might seem paradoxical, but tin this hyper connected world, geography still plays a role and both communities have a lot to contribute to Europe.

#OBJECTIVES

This project has several goals in mind, the most important of them being the following:

1. The students of both institutions will be made aware of thee European construction and the process and meaning of being European citizens.

2. We want to open a communication channel between both communities on different level: cultural, social, personal, political and economical. This is a very ambitious goal, but we want to start at some point and we believe that the educational sphere could take the lead in this project.

3. Establish a regular partnership at social, economical, cultural and personal levels between both communities and take

#ACTIVITIES

The project will orbit around two main activities:

1. An academic plan to be implemented in both institutions with the following central points:

– To be an European citizen in a global context: European identity and globality

– Castejón de Sos and Sønderborg: peripheral transnational communities and the European Construction

2. A student exchange where the students will get an in-depth view of:

– What are the challenges and opportunities of the citizens living in peripheral transnational areas?

– What are our concrete opportunities as global and European citizens to cooperate and work towards a shared future.

#PARTICIPANTS

The participants come from both institutions and are a group of 55 students in total. The students from SIS will visit the students at the IES and they are going to live with them and their families as part of the program.

#METHODOLOGY

The main methods to achieve our goals will be:

1. implementation of an academic plan, integrating first and second language lessons, as well as the history and social studies.

2. documentation by the students of the social reality of the partner school, main challenges and opportunities as young people.

#BENEFITS

Both institutions gain visibility raise their profile in the area, making the internationalization easier to achieve. Our schools will take the lead in the integration of the municipality in the European construction. The students will gain an insight of the issues, challenges and opportunities of other peripheral transnational communities in Europe they can relate to. Moreover, we will create the bridge for future cooperation, opening the door to an annual exchange and to the incorporation of other institutions with the same characteristics.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 19765 Eur

Project Coordinator

Sønderborg International School & Country: DK

Project Partners

• IES Castejón de Sos