From School Community Service to EVS and European Solidarity Corps Erasmus Project

Project Title

From School Community Service to EVS and European Solidarity Corps

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: International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; Inclusion – equity; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

CONTEXT/BACKGROUND
School community service and volunteering can offer solutions to several social and environmental issues in Europe, sharing the values of solidarity, social inclusion and active citizenship among young people.
OBJECTIVES
The main objective was to promote solidarity, social inclusion &cohesion and active citizenship by discovering and exchanging Good Practices of partner schools and supporting teachers with the enhancement of social and civic competencies (knowledge, skills and attitudes) of their students. We wanted to educate our students’ to become active European citizens, to develop their ability to work in multicultural groups, positive attitude towards European projects and tolerance towards different cultures.
NUMBER AND PROFILE OF PARTICIPANTS
There were 5 European schools involved in the project – from Belgium, Hungary, Portugal, Spain and Turkey, which all had their extra-curricular programs for social inclusion via community service. They all provide general education at secondary level, the Belgian, Portuguese and Turkish schools are state run, while the Spanish and Hungarian schools are maintained by foundations. Each school has involved participants aged 14-17 with gender balance and English skills at least at B1 level who were committed to school community service.
DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIES
1. Preparation – project management was set up, students were selected, their competences assessed and project workshops held in each school, while the project website was created and maintained by the coordinator school: https://comserv.poli.hu.
2. There were 6 transnational project meetings to discuss management issues, to plan how good practices can be integrated to community service programs of partner schools.
3. There was a staff training event in Turkey to learn about ESC and applying for Quality Label accreditation. Till the end of the project, each partner registered students on ESC platform, applied for ESC Quality Label, the Portuguese and Hungarian partners have obtained it.
3. We organized 4 short-term exchanges of groups of pupils – one in Hungary, Belgium, Spain and Portugal, where both teachers and students took part in community service activities organised by the host school.
4. We created our main products: a Teachers’ Manual – https://comserv.poli.hu/2019/12/26/1031/ and a video guide – https://comserv.poli.hu/2019/12/20/video/
METHODOLOGY
We used a non-formal, activity and competence based approach in the project. Our main method was ’learning by doing’ and ’peer to peer teaching’, i.e. students worked in transnational groups, presented home assignments, took part in interactive workshops, discussions with representatives of NGOs and carried out community service activities.
At project workshops between student exchanges, students worked in groups or pairs. They carried out school community service activities and prepared materials for the exchanges: made presentations, made and watched videos about community service, shared information about partner schools and countries. After each exchange, they reported to their peers: introduced the activities they had taken part in with photos and videos.
RESULTS
1. Main products – the project website for disseminating results, a Teachers’ Manual and video guide, uploaded to the website with free access for the public.
2. The project TwinSpace has been awarded a European Quality Label: https://comserv.poli.hu/2019/11/10/european-quality-label/.
IMPACT
1. On partner schools – the project has enlarged their community service programs with new activities and their European network, the Portuguese and the Hungarian partners have acquired a Quality Label in ESC.
2. On participating teachers – it has contributed to the development of their motivation, attitude, professional skills and methods, English and ICT competences.
3. On participating students – they have gained experience in project- and activity based learning and school community service in European context – their knowledge, critical thinking, communication, social and intercultural skills, attitudes and commitment to solidarity and active participation in society has improved. The inclusion of students with fewer opportunities has helped their social integration.
LONG TERM BENEFITS
3 of the 5 partner schools have started another collaboration in a KA229 project in September 2020.
Student participants might get involved in the activities of NGOs related to ESC.
There can be other schools in Europe, taking over school community service programs developed in the project.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 137530 Eur

Project Coordinator

KOZGAZDASAGI POLITECHNIKUM ALTERNATIV GIMNAZIUM & Country: HU

Project Partners

• Agrupamento de Escolas Henrique Sommer
• Sint-Janscollege
• Gerze Ataturk Cok Programli Anadolu Lisesi
• Fundació Escoles Garbí