Making school a home for each student – unity in diversity Erasmus Project

Project Title

Making school a home for each student – unity in diversity

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 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Inclusion – equity; Migrants’ issues; EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy

Project Summary

“United in Diversity” is the motto of the European Union.The realities of the past century have made Europe more culturally, ethnically and religiously diverse than ever. The current wave of refugees is merely the most recent and pressing iteration of this process of multiculturization, a process which places even greater demands on all our institutions And, of course, this global citizenry is also reflected in our student populations in our schools. So, if we are to live out our stated and implicit purpose—to reach and teach all of our students, those students new to our schools, students with disabilities, and immigrants—we must strive to meet the needs that walk in the door. Therefore our six schools intend to study different ways of integrating all students and making school an environment to which they truly belong. Unity, diversity and inclusion will be the focus of our projectInclusion means that students with different backgrounds—age, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, health, academic ability—are culturally and socially welcomed, accepted, and treated with dignity. Despite the diversity of our students we want them to feel a sense of belonging and of unity, we want them to feel respected and valued for who they are. This concept does not only mean tolerance of other groups. It aims higher: promoting the idea that each group plays an important part in the success and beauty of the whole. Our six schools from six nations (Gymnasium Casimirianum in Coburg, Germany, Sint-Pieterscollege in Blankenberge, Belgium, Liceo Niccolò Macchiavelli in Rome, Italy, Ecole Privée Marie-Consolatrice in Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg, IES Santiago Rusiñol in Aranjuez, Spain and Lysingskolan in Ödeshög, Sweden) are of course very different with different experiences of inclusion. Why not learn from each other and with each other? How can we achieve inclusion? What methods can we use? Our Erasmus project will examine diversity in formal and nonformal education, develop social, civic, and intercultural competences in our students, stress media literacy, and combat discrimination and bullying. The goal is to create schools where our students feel at home.Our project group will be students aged 14-17. These students will be get the inventory of existing methods and initiatives that support inclusion from us teachers, they will evaluate their effectiveness, and work to develop new ones. The project students will then use these methods on our target groups, who will range from newcomers to our schools, students with disabilities, learning difficulties, or emotional challenges, students from underprivileged backgrounds, migrants, asylum seekers and refugees.To this end each country will focus on one particular topic:- Belgium: Digital learning and ICT- Germany: Extracurricular activities: music and theatre, school trips, traditions, “Schule ohne Rassismus – Schule mit Courage”, science camps etc.- Italy: Social sciences and active citizenship- Luxembourg: Intercultural competences- Spain: Art, photography, film -Sweden: Sports and gamesThere will be two “Transnational Project Meetings” for all teachers, one in Italy and one in Belgium, to discuss the details of all our project meetings. Then there will be six meetings—one in each country—for delegations of 7-8 students and 2-3 teachers from each country where the students will share, test, and evaluate the methods each school is specialized in and envision new interventions.In between the meetings and throughout the 3-year project, students and teachers will cooperate through the Twinspace of the project on the eTwinning platform and on Twitter. The results will be summarized in a booklet and a calendar and will also be published on the eTwinning platform so other schools can also use them.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 158125 Eur

Project Coordinator

Gymnasium Casimirianum & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Lysingskolan
• Lycée Technique Ecole Privée Marie-Consolatrice
• Sint-Jozef Sint-Pieter aso
• IES SANTIAGO RUSIÑOL
• Liceo Statale Niccolò Machiavelli