Come together – the Fritz Winter Comprehensive School Ahlen in Barcelona for a common Europe Erasmus Project

Project Title

Come together – the Fritz Winter Comprehensive School Ahlen in Barcelona for a common Europe

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: EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy; Teaching and learning of foreign languages; Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning

Project Summary

Fritz-Winter-Gesamtschule (comprehensive school) Ahlen is Europe! It was the goal of the project to be part of the European community and to help actively creating it. Due to the Corona-pandemic the originally planned meetings could only take place digitally. There was a lively digital exchange between students of our upper secondary school and students of Salesians Sarrià School in Barcelona.

Most essential goals we were striving for in the context of the project, could have been achieved. The digital exchange and the preliminary activities created authentic language learning through speaking and writing, which intensified individual multilingualism. Moreover, the young people gained insight in the life and environment of same-aged students and also learned about moral values, culture and topical challenges. As a result of that, they have widened their intercultural communicative competence. Despite the distance, the connection between both partner schools could be strengthened and for the students Europe has moved a bit closer together as also their “European consciousness” has been enhanced.

In order to achieve this consciousness, many authentic writing and speaking activities have been created during the preliminary planning phase, as well as during the term: personal contact, writing a curriculum vitae, presentations about the school system and the production of videos about the school and twin town.

By means of democratic negotiation processes and adoption of several responsibilities, the students could strengthen their democratic abilities and they could gain skills which will be helpful with respect to their future professional career. They will definitely benefit in a Europe, which moves closer together. The participants of the project could experience that there are common interests even beyond borders of the countries. As a consequence of that, they have actively adopted their role as citizens of the European Union and gained knowledge the outstanding meaning of Europe for them (as young adults). This will definitely have an effect on their future way of thinking and acting. The products they have been working on, will be available for future participants and could be of use for further visits.

The mutual overlap with respect to sustainability, as well as social, economic and political effects of the Corona-pandemic are an enormous challenge. In view of future cooperation with our partner school, those might be aspects which are worth working on so that young students can profit from their mutual engagement on a European level. Despite impairments because of the Corona-pandemic, both partner schools are looking forward to the future and many further years of reliable cooperation.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 9000 Eur

Project Coordinator

Fritz-Winter-Gesamtschule & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Escoles Professionals Salesianes, Institut Politècnic