Children’s mission: Europe without borders! Erasmus Project

Project Title

Children’s mission: Europe without borders!

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 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning; EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy; Quality Improvement Institutions and/or methods (incl. school development)

Project Summary

We are born into a culture and through socialization processes, we learn about our culture which ultimately represents our reality and our worldview (Gollnick & Chinn 2002). Although it is extremely important that children learn about their culture, it is also important for them to learn that not everyone is the same. It is commonly accepted that children who attend preschool are more likely to succeed in kindergarten than those who do not. Participating in early education can also provide academic and social benefits that last well beyond kindergarten. However, researchers have repeatedly demonstrated that for children—particularly children from low-income backgrounds (migrants, re-emigrants families) —to benefit from preschool, it must be of high quality. To enhance teachers multicultural competency and to reduce discrimination and cultural isolation the project “Children mission: Europe without borders” prepared to the implementation. The most important priority of the project is enhancing the quality of early childhood education and care. It was a two years project. Project duration 01-10-2016/30-09-2018.Recent changes in Europe (migration and emigration) have challenged traditional views of childhood and child rearing: 1) growing ethnic diversity of countries, and 2) changing views on early education and the purpose of early education. These two changes have had important consequences for those who work with young children. Specific knowledge, skills and competencies are expected of preschool teachers.
The project involves 9 schools from 7 European countries and 1 French overseas territory (Reunion Island):
1. Karmelava kindergarten “Zilvitis”, Lithuania, Kaunas region – coordinator
2. Kindergarten “Pusynelis, Kaunas, Lithuania;
3. Kindergarten DIADRASTIKO EUROPAIKO SXOLEIO, Athens, Greece;
4. Primary school AMIRAL KARAMURSEL ILKOKULU, Karamursel, Turkey;
5. Agrupamento de Escolas Professor Paula Nogueira, Algarve, Portugal;
6. St. Michael’s National School and Centre for Autism, Dublin, Ireland;
7. ECOLE MATERNELLE FLORNOY, BORDEAUX, France;
8. Kindergarten IL GIROTONDO coop sociale, Lanciano, Italy;
9. Ecole primaire publique Ancien Theatre, Reunion Island, France oversea territory.

The main goals of the project to respond to the European priorities and nowadays educational challenges were:
1. to help preschool teachers to navigate the contradictions multicultural society and allowing schools to develop and reinforce their networks;
2. to break out cultural stereotypes existent in monoethnic societies and making preschool curricula relevant to the experiences, cultural traditions, and historical contributions of the growing diversity of the population;
3. we have shared and confronted ideas to remedy ethnocentrism and to build understanding among racial and cultural groups and appreciation of different cultures from an early age;
4. to familiarize early age children with other cultures (we created a set of educational activities for the children).
It has been a 2 years project to establish strong and durable multicultural values on schools’ identity. The total number participants of the project “Children’s mission: Europe without borders” is people (1255 children up to 7 years old and 108 teachers, teaching staff and principles) from Lithuania, Portugal, Italy, Turkey, Ireland, France, Greece and Reunion Island (French oversee territory). The survey during the project preparation revealed that 874 children involved in the project are with fewer opportunities. The main target groups are:
1. Preschool children, up to 4-7 years old. Children have learned about diversity through play, including music, clothing, foods, games, celebrations, and dramatic play. 2. Preschool teachers, other teaching staff, administrators. The teachers learned how to teach in multicultural class and exchange the experience.
The other beneficiaries of the project: primary teachers, the staff of the schools, parents and local communities, experts and practitioners of preschool education, trainers and local, national authorities, local or/and regional teachers communities and associations.
As the main target group is children up to 7 years old, cultural activities, games, ITC technologies adapted by preschoolers have been the main tools and content of the implementation of the project. The project served as a learning tool for pupils at the following levels:• Improving the awareness of multiculturalism;• Creating new „joyful learning“ situations and spaces. The main target groups of this project are preschoolers and preschool teacher. The teachers and the children are end-users of the project output – website https://childrensmission.weebly.com/. The website has been used as a learning/teaching tool by all interested preschool/primary school teachers. To achieve the most effective results the parallel e-Twinning project on the same topic has been implemented altogether.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 114417 Eur

Project Coordinator

Kauno rajono Karmelavos lopselis-darzelis “Zilvitis” & Country: LT

Project Partners

• AMIRAL KARAMURSEL ILKOKULU
• Agrupamento de Escolas Professor Paula Nogueira
• Kauno sanatorinis lopselis-darzelis “Pusynelis”
• Ecole primaire publique Ancien Theatre
• St. Michael’s National School and Centre for Autism
• IL GIROTONDO coop sociale srl
• DIADRASTIKO EUROPAIKO SXOLEIO