100 years after, our future begins Erasmus Project

Project Title

100 years after, our future begins

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 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Migrants’ issues; Home and justice affairs (human rights & rule of law); EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy

Project Summary

Our project “100 Years After, Our Future Begins” dealt with the impact of World War I on European development and as a hallmark of a common European identity. Current European topics have been linked to historical dimensions. The four schools from Germany, Poland, Turkey and France brought their different historical perspectives and experience into the processing of current European topics.

The project was divided into four phases, each of which had its own theme complex:

1st phase 08/2017-01/2018 topic: migration; meeting: Frankfurt, Germany – Friedrich-Dessauer-Gymnasium
2nd phase 02/2018-07/2018 topic: populism; meeting: Samsun Tr. – Özel Samsun TAKEV Anadolu Lise
3rd phase 08/2018-01/2019 topic: change and transformation; meeting: Bialystok Pl. – Zespol Szkol Ogolnoksztalcacych Nr 2 w Bialymstoku
4th phase 02/2019-07/2019 topic: creating a common future; meeting: Lille Fr. – Eocle Ozanam

In phases one, two and three, aspects were considered, which were then put together in phase four. In each of the first three phases, two schools worked alternately to work closer together, and then, in phase four, to bring together a European Youth Peace Conference 100 years after the Paris suburbs treaties. The subject of the conference was the creation of a common peaceful future. Current topics from the first three phases of work, migration, populism and change, were the challenges facing young people and what they need to do as active European citizens. In the concluding conference, the young people discussed lively and also showed the internalization of the topics.

The participating students became ambassadors of the European idea, but at the same time showed a realistic understanding of problems in Europe. Especially the independent research and the direct exchange with other learning groups from the participating schools can be seen as the biggest added value of the Erasmus + project. 100 years after the Paris Agreements of 1919, the projects provided up-to-the-minute and exchange opportunities to experience and understand peace as the greatest achievement. A common European identity that addresses and respects diversity but, in contrast to populism, does not understand it as a dividing element, but understands the lived European diversity as an opportunity for the future to be shaped, was experienced by the participants. Expert interviews and discussions with politicians and social groups and associations were important sources of information for the students.

The playful implementation of the experiences in short plays at the first three project meetings allowed for an active processing of the experiences and demanded from the students their own reflection on the contents. Nonetheless, at the fourth project meeting, the conference formed a merger that took up the previous methodological approaches and places the evaluation in the hands of the students.

“100 years after, our future begins” was filled with life in content and methodology and since then bears fruit in the respective schools through further contacts and new projects resulting from them.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 91825 Eur

Project Coordinator

Friedrich-Dessauer-Gymnasium & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Zespol Szkol Ogolnoksztalcacych Nr 2 w Bialymstoku
• Özel Samsun TAKEV Anadolu Lisesi
• Ecole Ozanam