CROSS THE BRIDGE Erasmus Project

Project Title

CROSS THE BRIDGE

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 school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy; Inclusion – equity; Integration of refugees

Project Summary

Due to today`s reality of rising mobility and big move of people in Europe, educational systems of many countries (both those faced with the task of adapting refugees and those striving at integrating first and second generation migrants) are faced with numerous challenges. One of the weakest points in educational systems is primary education, where successful integration is supposed to begin, but where it also so often fails. Lack of help and guidance for students with foreign background (especially, newly-arrived) at schools exposes them to higher risks of bad attendance, low grades and, eventually, dropping out of school.

CROSS THE BRIDGE addresses the problems of three groups in a comprehensive way:
-For students with foreign background – by creating a structure and capabilities for meeting their needs in a new environment;
-For local students – by involving them in activities aimed at helping students with foreign background and through that bridging the communication divide between them, as well as improving tolerance levels in schools;
-For teachers – by identifying strategies that are effective in dealing with students, providing technological solutions, training and other activities that would boost teachers` ability to successfully integrate even younger children.

The main aim of Cross the Bridge is to combine all of the above activities under one brand-initiative, which is the Welcoming Centre. Preparation, set up and operation of them, which will provide space, materials and solutions for involved teaching personnel, will become integrated with partner schools` activities to ensure that all needs of students with foreign background are met.

Practice partners are missioned to test and implement the Welcoming Centers, mobilize the students and the teachers and product Theatrical plays.

Knowledge partners are missioned to monitor and document the project’s social innovation practice, create staff trainings, develop intellectual outputs, multiplier events and to help turning documented practice into useful knowledge, guidance material, evaluation, assessment sustainability and dissemination resources. They will offer increased opportunities for professional development for the staff.

Our project is an innovative example of using Welcoming Centers as key role in filling the gaps of growing rates of social exclusion of students of foreign background. Its mission is to make a significant contribution by implementing new ideas and solutions at the same time offering added value to our schools and communities through creating resources and promoting bottom-up initiative-taking among young students in difficult situations. Thus it will bring positive and long-lasting effects in our schools.

Our project is innovative as we will produce innovative product to address the needs of our students :
-Mobile app: a “road map” to provide direct information of every day schools curriculum, activities, meetings, materials for different subjects e.t.c for informing students and their families
-QR codes: will be situated on spots at the selected important places to school and city. Students will link places information to QR codes.
-Quizlet to teach foreign languages.

Through our project work, we want to have an impact on teachers from lower secondary schools and secondary school in our towns and local area. Teachers will improve their teaching methodologies on inclusive education helping their students accepting other attitudes and cultures and supporting students with foreign background.

We will organize trainings to pass on the knowledge we gained to the other teachers in local area. We will instruct other teachers how to create programs of international seminars, how to work with international groups of students, how to plan and implement students’ exchange programs. We will establish co-operation with local NGOs and Universities to enable our students to address their own needs in very different ways.

In Sauðárkrókur region and other partners’ regions we will influence local and educational authorities to implement friendly policies which will result in creation of more inclusive and friendly school environment for all students. With our project we pressure decision makers formulate policies adequately addressed our issues.

Through dissemination, local events and awareness raising the project will try to impact the mentality and social inclusion innovation readiness of those NGOs or institutions, including mind-sets.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 143053 Eur

Project Coordinator

Árskoli & Country: IS

Project Partners

• Cross Culture International Foundation Cyprus Ltd
• Lykeio A Ethnarchi Makariou III Pafou
• IIS G. B. Pentasuglia
• TARTU ULIKOOL
• DIRECTORATE OF SECONDARY EDUCATION ILIA
• Anna-Pröll-Mittelschule Gersthofen