“Local reflections of European common cultural heritages and values” Erasmus Project

Project Title

“Local reflections of European common cultural heritages and values”

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: Creativity and culture; International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; Early School Leaving / combating failure in education

Project Summary

Our project in general is about local cultures of European countries. The main aim of this partnership, consisted of eight partner schools coming from countries with very rich cultures from all parts of Europe, north, south, east and west was to assist in the cultural richness of Europe and to enhance students’ cultural awareness, while improving the quality and increasing the volume of partnerships between schools in different Member States. Taking this into consideration, we have worked on a variety of activities, in order to introduce our cultural values, not only to each partner school involved but to the wider European community also.
While studying and reintroducing our own values/culture, we had the opportunity to find out the differences and similarities among the different European Countries. We managed to make all applicants, relevant people and students, conscious of these beauties and we increased the awareness of our students, colleagues, and parents by including them in our activities and by giving them a very active role to the implementation of all activities.
During the three years period of cooperation in this project, all partner teachers and students have elaborated specific common project activities, exchanged work and contacted one another through e-mail communication and scheduled project meetings and exchanges. Our activities and project results have been focused on the theme of our project, related with cultures of participating countries. We created books with traditions-celebrations and traditional cooking of all partner countries, a project calendar with pictures of celebrations-traditions, CD’s of local traditional songs and music, DVD’s on our schools, teachers and pupils, DVD’s on our hometowns and on cultural presentations of hosting countries during meetings 2-3 times per project year. We also organized yearly exhibitions in each school with products of activities and established a project web page being updated in regular basis.
The main envisaged impact on the participants was the cultural consciousness and awareness. Our pupils managed to become more outgoing and their horizons have been broadened because we gave them the opportunity to be introduced to different cultures and communities. The teachers developed a renewed enthusiasm for teaching, exchange of experiences, direct knowledge of the other institutions and about their educational systems, knowledge of the language of other countries in the group, knowledge of the different methods of teaching within the different schools in the group etc.
While working on this project, our students, teachers and educational authorities, learned more about Europe and appreciated the differences and similarities of the cultural background, schooling and local diversities, exchanged significant experiences and accepted cultural and linguistic differences, raising a positive attitude to the united Europe.
Generally, every person involved with this project had some longer term benefits because he/she was able to come closer and understand more of the world beyond his/her local community and finally managed to develop a very positive attitude towards a more intensive cooperation and awareness that we all live and cooperate in the same continent without giving the opportunity of racism and xenophobia to become restraining factors in our cooperation and progress.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 174681 Eur

Project Coordinator

DIMOTIKO SHOLIO MESIMERIOU & Country: EL

Project Partners

• AGRUPAMENTO DE ESCOLAS DE ARRIFANA, SANTA MARIA DA FEIRA
• Szkola Podstawowa Nr 59 im. gen. J. H. Dabrowskiego
• ABDURRAHIM KARAKOC ORTAOKULU
• SIAULIU GEGUZIU PROGIMNAZIJA
• Colegio Montesclaros S.L.
• Croftcroighn school
• école du centre ville Perros Guirec