A Virtual Intertextual Tour across Ancient Entrepreneurship Erasmus Project

Project Title

A Virtual Intertextual Tour across Ancient Entrepreneurship

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 2014

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education; Creativity and culture

Project Summary

AVITAE was born out of our shared need to provide teachers and students with an entrepreneurial mindset, which means: an ability to tackle challenges in life, learning to focus and to work in team; to plan, risk, have a vision, to measure risks/benefits, to be creative and motivating, to use digital tools, to take on managerial roles and pursue professional success. This mindset is a way of being in life, an attitude to one’s “job”, mission and commitments, and not a tool-box for entrepreneurs exclusively. To achieve this aim, we have undergone a deep study of our common European roots, with a particular focus on the birth and development of the European entrepreneurial spirit; to enhance the project’s vision, we have organised the AVITAE team like the staff of a real company. The seven partner schools are both secondary (6) and vocational (1) schools, spread across Europe: they are located in Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Denmark, Slovakia, Finland, and Spain (Canarias). The students taking part in AVITAE were aged 15-18. Following team-work modality, they have been involved in a variety of activities; here are the highlights: creation of the project brand (layout and graphics of the newspaper, project logo and mascot, AVITAE posters, leaflets and ads); creation of a 14-issue high-quality newspaper, in both digital and traditional format (a collected volume has been created too); the realization of a digital coin database expressing the strategic role money has played in the development of European entrepreneurship; the creation of 3-D models of ancient ships, inventions and buildings connected with trading; the organization of an international market, an “agorà” of the future, made of virtual markets, futuristic market prototypes and models, a table game on the trading history of the seven partner countries; an e-cooking book on revisited and newly branded ancient recipes; videos and animations on the life of famous entrepreneurs from the seven countries, of past and present times; last but not least, the creation of real mini-companies making real profits. Six short-term exchanges have taken place to let students work side by side, exchange ideas, share and discuss the results of their work, practise their English, and acquire a better and more direct knowledge of their partners’ heritage and history of enterprise culture. The AVITAE Twinspace and Website have also been created to work as virtual meeting places for students and teachers, and as the project’s main disseminating tool. AVITAE has managed to promote an innovative approach to Europe’s classical and non classical trading heritage, and to teaching and learning models at large; focusing on the entrepreneurial mindset, it has enhanced cooperative, team-based learning and enterprise culture in the young, in order to make them more aware of their common roots, and more communicative and competitive individuals in the job market.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 256856 Eur

Project Coordinator

Istituto di Istruzione Superiore N.Machiavelli & Country: IT

Project Partners

• Oerestad Gymnasium
• Laniteio Lykeio
• 2nd Geniko Lykeio of Arta
• Pyhäjoen lukio
• Hotelová akadémia
• IES CANARIAS CABRERA PINTO