European podcast project – We shape our own future Erasmus Project

Project Title

European podcast project – We shape our own future

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; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

Current developments and changes in European societies have an impact on democratic coexistence in Europe and its individual states. They require the strengthening and development of competences for a democratic culture of acting and living together, also and especially with children and young people, such as:
– Openness and appreciation towards ideological and cultural diversity,
– Trust in one’s own ability to act,
– Analytical and critical thinking,
– Knowledge and critical evaluation of politics, history, media, etc.

School is a substantial part of the world in which children and young people live. Therefore the learning of democratic action is of great importance at schools. In this respect, schools should enable their pupils to participate in a self-determined way in school, local and global contexts and make it possible for them to experience the effectiveness of their actions. The project creates such learning opportunities by allowing pupils from four European countries to jointly research and discuss pressing issues of the future and to develop ideas for their solution.

In transnational working meetings (short-term mobilities), five pupils (aged 15-17) from each of the participating schools will develop and produce podcasts in collaborative processes, which will make the various (European) perspectives and solution approaches on future issues visible. They are supported by two mentors per partner school. Between the working meetings, all interested pupils of the partner schools work in local project groups on the project: they research for the podcasts and create material for their production. They are in permanent exchange with all other local project groups via etwinning. The mentors advise them on research work and the use of etwinning. The project groups are not fix, so they can grow and change during the course of the project. These processes support pupils in developing and testing competences for a democratic culture at their school and between European partner schools.

The results of the research and the podcasts produced in the transnational working meetings are regularly presented by the local project groups to all pupils and staff in the participating schools. The podcasts are available to all participating schools as a source for different European perspectives on relevant social, political and cultural topics and questions. In this respect, the schools are able to present European future topics in an exciting way for the learners. They also have the technical know-how to create podcasts. This enables them to record podcasts independently even after the end of the project or to transfer their knowledge to other areas and/or other media.

In the course of the project, the participating schools expand their partnership and consolidate it. They can also enhance their international profile. The respective schools gain practical experience in European project management. If transnational cooperation is continued using etwinning, more teachers and pupils can acquire competences for the initiation and implementation of transnational partnerships.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 87914 Eur

Project Coordinator

Klax Sekundarschule Staatlich anerkannte Ersatzschule mit gymnasialer Oberstufe & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Västra Berga skola
• Vathorst College
• Sands School