A healthy mind in a healthy body Erasmus Project

Project Title

A healthy mind in a healthy body

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: Health and wellbeing; Key Competences (incl. mathematics and literacy) – basic skills

Project Summary

A HEALTHY MIND IN A HEALTHY BODY
Campus Russelberg is a secondary school for pupils from 12 to 19 years old in Tessenderlo. Since 2015, Russelberg have had several successful projects KA102 for all students of the technical education and VET. Escola Secundária Filipa de Vilhena is an intermediate and (mostly) secondary level school with general education from 12 till 18 years old.
In 2019, both schools want to make an application for our pupils of the 3rd degree/11 year general education to expand our internationalisation.

PROJECT GOALS
With this application we want to broaden our view with focus on health. Russelberg and Filipa de Vilhena have pillars such as engagement, ownership, contextual learning, talent development and well-being. We want to give our pupils the chance to take their own lives in their hands and develop their talents in a European setting. We want to teach pupils in a flexible environment, to increase the quality of education and to stimulate the personal and professional development of the participants. We also want to offer extra learning opportunities to pupils from socially fragile environments. We focus in this application on the theme A HEALTHY MIND IN A HEALTHY BODY.

PARTICIPANTS
This application concerns 38 student mobilities. The participants are 19 Belgian pupils of the 3rd degree general education and 19 pupils of the 11th and 12th year in Portugal. They consciously choose to participate in this project. 25% of the pupils come from socially weaker environments. These pupils do not get the opportunities and resources at home to engage in an international experience. This is an extra motivation for us as a school to make this application.

ACTIVITIES
For two years, as many lessons as possible will be taught in the theme of this project, and also outside the lessons, as much focus as possible will be placed on A HEALTHY MIND IN A HEALTHY BODY. The intention is that some pupils go on a physical exchange, but all pupils get started with the information that comes from it. In the first year of the project, 4 students from Campus Russelberg will be exploring the partnerschool in Portugal for 2 months and vice versa. The pupils will follow the lessons and shape the continuation of the project. In March 2020, 15 Portuguese students will come to Belgium for 7 days to work around the theme A HEALTHY MIND IN A HEALTHY BODY. In March 2021, 15 Belgian students will go to Portugal for 7 days to work around other subthemes within the same theme. The different themes will be organised by workshops, study visits, guest speakers,… to get a concrete and hands-on interpretation. Outside of the school hours, various activities will be worked out to get to know the cultures and to do some teambuilding. The students will stay in host families.

EXPECTED RESULTS
The pupils assemble new knowledge and skills through work in a context that is not available in Belgium. We expect all pupils to improve their competences. This exchange has an influence on obtaining their diploma in secondary education. The pupils also learn to cope with other life habits, values and norms. The ability to learn and collaborate in an unknown environment with unknown habits is further stimulated. This enables them to develop their personal competences. In their spare time they learn to cope with other values and cultures. Through this informal learning they become more independent, self-conscious and learn to know their boundaries (What I am capable of / what I still have to grow in). We also expect an increase in their enthusiasm to life-long and lifelike learning. Pupils experience that participating in an Erasmus project offers them many advantages. Pupils and teachers come into contact with foreign classes and make their learning process more intensive, but especially more fascinating. Finally, it also helps them to open their minds to others cultures.

LONG-TERM BENEFITS
The mobility project has a major impact on the personal development of pupils and teachers, but also on the operation of the school team. In addition, the teachers’ professional competences and work experience are greatly broadened by the other context. They look at Europe with a different view and are more convinced of the benefits of European cooperation. For Campus Russelberg, the exchange of knowledge and experience means an enrichment of our education. New methods are examined, exchanged and applied. Due to the international experience, graduates have a better chance at the labour market. In this way, both schools receive positive attention and reactions and invest in this way not only in their own growth and development, but also in that of their pupils and teachers. We hope to further develop the internationalisation at both school with our current partners, but also with new partners. We want to make internationalisation part of the DNA of our school through other international projects.

Project Website

http://www.russelberg.be

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 51682 Eur

Project Coordinator

GO! atheneum Russelberg Tessenderlo & Country: BE

Project Partners

• Escola Secundária Filipa de Vilhena