ADOPT YOUR HERITAGE Erasmus Project

Project Title

ADOPT YOUR HERITAGE

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 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Cultural heritage/European Year of Cultural Heritage; EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

Cultural heritage is an expression of ourselves, formed by many generations before us and sculpting the identity of generations to come. It dictates many of our customs, practices, artistic impressions and values. Our cultural heritage is intertwined in our music, our languages, our mythology and religion. Our tangible heritage, history and culture in the form of monuments, shrines, churches, mosques and landmarks are permanent reminders of the importance of understanding and knowing one’s heritage. In order to understand their cultural heritage, a person must see the value in it. By valuing their own cultural heritage, they begin to care about it and enjoy it more. Once they enjoy it, their heritage becomes much easier to understand and absorb.
 
The project “Adopt Your Heritage” brought together 3 organisations and 3 schools from UK, Bulgaria, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Turkey to help young people become more aware of their cultural prosperity, their own identity and characteristics, embedding this knowledge into future generations. The partners in this project expressed a need to promote cultural heritage not just in their schools but at a local, regional and national level through the Erasmus+ programme. By creating a wider network of teachers, youth workers and young people, the project furthered participants’ understanding of their own heritage while at the same time shaping and forging a common European identity through the realisation of the similarities between neighbouring countries and embracing their cultural differences.

The participants of this project were made up of students aged 15 -20 years old. During the project’s life cycle, young people become researchers, analysts, writers, video makers, journalists and more. They learned about their own cultural heritage (both tangible and intangible), shared information with their peers, created e-magazines, discovery programmes, tourist guides, brochures and played a central role in the development of the project mobile app.

The project raised awareness on the cultural prosperity in their communities and in those of their peers. The students developed new skills such as social responsibility, communication, problem-solving, initiative, creativity, planning, teamwork, flexibility, tolerance and acceptance towards different cultures.

Teachers/youth workers learnt about the cultures and lifestyles of their colleagues in Europe and immersed themselves in multiculturalism. The implementation of new pedagogical strategies and the use of new teaching materials acquired during the project led to changes in the curriculum, introducing an optional school curriculum that was based on the ideas implemented in this project.

Teachers and youth workers researched new innovative and effective teaching methods (integrating ICT in teaching, educational apps, active teaching methods, project-based learning, cooperative and peer-learning, game-based learning, interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary lessons and activities). They studied the pedagogical and methodological teaching of cultural heritage, read the latest articles, selected the best methods and teaching tools that could be used in activities during the project and in the classroom. Lesson plans were created with videos being recorded and made available to be used as an educative tool in the teaching of cultural heritage.
 
We are confident that not only the participant organisations but also the communities in the partners’ cities and countries benefited from the implementation of this project. The established contacts with international schools increased the educational level of students and helped the integration of young people in Europe.  At an international level, we had the opportunity to introduce the uniqueness of each partner’s traditions and culture. The project emphasised the learning of cultures and channelled in a positive way.

We believe that, in accordance with the “Lifelong Learning” strategy, our project strengthened communication between our organisations, educational representatives, local and international structures.

The project as a whole furthered the aims of the European Commission’s year of cultural heritage 2018.

Project Website

https://adoptyourheritage.com

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 124831 Eur

Project Coordinator

HANTA ASSOCIATES LIMITED & Country: UK

Project Partners

• Agrupamento de Escolas do Forte da Casa
• Incirliova Genclik Kultur Sanat ve Gelisim Dernegi
• SDRUZHENIE WALK TOGETHER
• IISS Jacopo del Duca – Diego Bianca Amato
• COLEGIO EL BUEN PASTOR