Creativity knows no borders Erasmus Project

Project Title

Creativity knows no borders

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 2014

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning; Creativity and culture; Teaching and learning of foreign languages

Project Summary

The project “Creativity has no borders” was implemented by a partnership consisting of ten secondary schools from ten different European countries – Poland, Italy, Finland, Portugal, Slovakia, Lithuania, Romania, Turkey, Belgium and Spain. Most of the partners were state general education schools, one was a private school and two were technical schools. The project was student-centered, both in terms of our aims and in the students’ involvement in almost all project activities at all stages – from preparation to evaluation and dissemination of its results. It was an answer to the need to shape young people in a comprehensive way – to develop them as individuals, but also members of local communities and nations, citizens of their own countries and united Europe. The partnership used the great potential inherent in the arts and culture, and also in international cooperation, in this aspect. We dealt with various forms of art such as dance, songs, poetry, theatre, film, photography and visual arts, and use them to trigger and develop artistic and cultural activity of students to help them enrich their personalities and make their lives more fulfilling. By using non-academic activities of artistic creation we attracted students achieving worse results at school or students who were marginalised at school and local community, and gave them a chance to feel important, building their initiative and self-confidence. Moreover, working together with representatives of other nations and cultures, speaking different languages, we raised awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity of Europe, increased language skills and motivation to learn foreign languages. By distance cooperation and the need to use modern equipment and ICT in many activities at home, we developed their skills to use them. We created the following joint end products: the logo of the project, the anthem of the project, a joint theatre play, a joint poetry book, a film showing students of all partner schools dancing folk or modern dances, a film and a photo album presenting their localities in their own eyes, a photo album showing the favourite products of the students’ own artistic creation, a set of audio-descriptions of famous paintings of all cooperating nations for the blind and a set of lesson plans for lessons conducted in museums, art galleries, theatres, cinemas or other cultural institutions. To achieve this,we used various kinds of activities, such as workshops, group work, competitions, exhibitions, collaboration with other institutions like other schools in our localities, culture centres, music schools, cinemas, amateur theatres, choirs, dance groups, music bands, children homes, old people homes and others. To ensure active involvement of the students in the activities, we used enquiry-based learning approach, hands-on method and place-based education. The activities were aimed not only to create the end products, but most of all to form attitudes of initiative, entrepreneurship and leadership, to teach teamwork skills and ability to perform well in new situations and to cooperate with people of different backgrounds. Conducting lessons in museums, art galleries and other cultural institutions, as well as using existing resources of culture and the arts in different ways, we tried to form a sense of national identity. Getting to know the culture and the arts of other nations we attempted to build awareness of similarities and differences among nations, to fight stereotypes, to form attitudes of tolerance, openness and respect of the right of others to be different. In a way, the project was also community-centered. By collaboration with various local institutions and informal groups of people doing things together we tried to enhance the local social capital in our city and make it a better place to live. In general, the project was an extremely stimulating and developing experience for the students. We hope it has changed their attitudes and perception of the world, influenced their life choices, given them the drive to pursue their aims and helped them to become active and conscious members of their local communities and nations, and truly European citizens. Also, we believe that the teachers, richer with the experience and knowledge shared with the partners, gained in workshops abroad and while doing the project together, will pass them on to next generations of students, allowing the project results to live in future generations. Finally, the school as an institution, maintaining some curricula changes, new extracurricular activities, as well as newly gained contacts and forms of cooperation with external institutions, will be able to offer a chance for comprehensive development to new students and keep its position of modern, open, European school.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 423603 Eur

Project Coordinator

Liceum Ogolnoksztalcace im. Stefana Zeromskiego & Country: PL

Project Partners

• Sesim Sarpkaya Fen Lisesi
• Lappeenrannan Lyseon lukio
• Gymnazium Mikulasa Kovaca
• VSI Klaipedos licejus
• LICEUL TEHNOLOGIC NR.1 CAMPULUNG MOLDOVENESC
• Vrij Handels en Sportinstituut Sint-MIchiels
• INSTITUT VILATZARA