Finding a “sense” through senses Fostering entrepreneurial mindset and sensibility by promoting own’s territory using all senses Erasmus Project

Project Title

Finding a “sense” through senses
Fostering entrepreneurial mindset and sensibility by promoting own’s territory using all senses

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 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Inclusion – equity; Cultural heritage/European Year of Cultural Heritage; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

We did it with all our senses! After three years of “challenges”, we ended a project with a strong educational impact. The last mobility took place in September in the city of Carpi, carried out with enormous willpower by the five participating countries, despite the pandemic that for about two years has severely tested the willpower and resilience of all partners.Even though, due to the pandemic, several of the activities originally planned had to be cancelled (e.g. the involvement of the rapper with Down Syndrome and the course in learning sign language, the collaboration with local supermarkets and museums for the installation of braille plaques) we can definitely say that the project was a success in terms of acquiring a spirit of resilience, first and foremost.Our main achievement was that we found the sense, and experienced all in the senses. The project has certainly raised awareness of the EU objective of social inclusion. By reflecting on “if and how” it can be achieved, we became certain that social inclusion and valorisation and transmission of cultural heritage can be closely linked. We experienced concretely the fact that “if social inclusion is to become a reality in Europe and social exclusion is to be overcome, then everyone must have access to all the resources needed in their society to achieve these goals”. We lived fundamental experiences concretely, for the sensory field, in society and first of all at school, we became aware of many possibilities that can be exploited to create real inclusion on several levels and applied them, albeit in a reduced form due to the pandemic.The confrontation with special languages and ways of expression that can help less able people not to feel excluded, helped us to understand and appreciate the profound value of experiences that for so-called ‘normally gifted people’ are too often taken for granted. Active collaboration with local bodies such as museums or other cultural organisations to create materials with Braille writers or working with augmented reality and sign language, although frustrated and reduced due to the pandemic, nevertheless fostered resilient attitudes even during the lock down and the enormous difficulties, practical and psychological, associated with it. During the mobilities, that we realised in spite of everything, we were confronted with specific experiences that represent excellence in the field of inclusion. Experiences gained also through the eTwinning platform, gave us the opportunity to reflect on how to be proactive, reacting appropriately to traumatic experiences, which prevented us from meeting in person for a very long time. Learning through experience relates to learning how to acquire skills and ability to seize every opportunity to learn from. People with an enterprising spirit are resilient and do not back down in the face of challenges. These were many and have sometimes tested our will to resist despite isolation and the impossibility of moving freely. A very important acquisition, was that of learning by acting and reflecting on one’s actions. The acquisition of relevant and high quality skills happens through reflecting on our actions and learning from what we do: from mistakes, practice, experience, what went well, but also from what didn’t work or what we were prevented from doing. We learned that social inclusion and positive cultural integration are two big challenges we have to face.Thanks to innovative methodologies supported by the ITCS, which have proved to be more crucial than ever in the last two years in overcoming isolation, students and teachers were able to become more resilient and develop key 21st century skills, such as critical and empathic thinking, creativity and the ability to work in a team: to team up despite distances.This resilient spirit developed during the various activities carried out in the so-called ‘normal times’ but emerged more and more strongly since our daily lives were disrupted.During the project and the interaction on the eTwinning platform,participants wrote texts and music for a final show.Its title would have been “I in the others” and was supposed to conclude the last mobility in Italy, but unfortunately, we could not perform it in the theatre in Carpi because of the pandemic. We did not lose heart, however, and continued collaborate remotely to create the various parts of a film that replaced what should have originally been our show “written by 5 hands”of the delegations. This was presented to the public on the occasion of the long-awaited final mobility which we managed to carry out, by gritting our teeth and resisting the disappointments which more than once threatened to make us throw in the towel and give up. Certainly a very important result, which goes beyond the concrete products that we managed to produce, is the fact that despite everything and resisting everything, we have maintained the will and the joy of interacting to achieve a common goal.

Project Website

https://twinspace.etwinning.net/75564/home

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 131092 Eur

Project Coordinator

LICEO SCIENTIFICO STATALE ” MANFREDO FANTI ” & Country: IT

Project Partners

• Gondensino – E.E.P., LDA
• Patrona Hungariae Ovoda, Altalanos Iskola Gimnazium, Kollegium es Alapfoku Muveszeti Iskola
• Freiherr-vom-Stein-Gymnasium
• IES LAS FUENTES