Come, my friend, get to know our culture Erasmus Project

Project Title

Come, my friend, get to know our culture

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 : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Gender equality / equal opportunities; Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education; EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy

Project Summary

“Come, my friend, get to know our culture” is a two-year project that involves six countries: Slovenia, the Czech Republic, France, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Europe is undergoing a change. The EU’s task is to tackle unemployment, migration and marginalization. Some countries face a brain drain; others with school desertion. Our time requires compassion, responsibility, entrepreneurial spirit and the school must respond. We will overcome the current challenges only with European cooperation
At the initiative of the students and after analyzing the situation among adolescents, the partner schools decided to present a project that will strengthen the awareness of European citizens through international cooperation, promote tolerance and social inclusion, put the participants in real intercultural and linguistic situations and give them business knowledge and practices
A joint travel agency will motivate all participants and encourage them to know and value the wealth of our National and European heritage. Accepting the differences, we will discover shared intercultural democratic values. New friendships, mobilities, welcoming foreigners into homes will develop empathy in the whole school population, which is decreasing drastically among young people and it will promote non-discrimination in terms of gender, nationality, religion, appearance and other forms of exclusion. Through these exchanges we will spread the vision of the business world, in real situations, we will improve linguistic skills, we will acquire digital skills and we will have better job opportunities
A joint international travel agency will be the main long-term result of the project, which will allow for a lasting impact on creativity and entrepreneurship. Students will learn the work of a tourist guide from real experience, from job searching, travel and being a guide, editting a Guide for Young Travelers, learn about the laws of youth work, and the creation and promotion of the company. With informal learning, they will reinforce their attachment to European cultural heritage: they will explore and visit partner countries, make a video, and attend classes with classmates. All this will allow students to recognize the social, cultural and educational value of their European cultural heritage and its contribution to job creation, economic growth and social cohesion
By working together at home and by travelling, adolescents of different ages, interests, nationalities, religions, beliefs and health with the support of teachers will work on tolerance and respect for diversity. They will live with host families, learn about their habits and discover common values. Girls and boys will use digital technologies to create products (films, digital books, padlet, prezi) and communicate through social networks, and educators will educate them about the responsible use of the Internet, privacy, bullying, violence, and false information
Partner schools face early school desertion caused by psychological, educational and student learning difficulties. Teachers will find an effective way to deal with these problems using the Montessori pedagogy, a friendly educational approach that promotes independent work and the acquisition of work habits, while students mantain the joy of discovery, research and learning
The project also plans to have a seminar on innovative practices, ICT workshops, and eTwinning, job shadowing, visits to emblematic European places, which will make the teaching profession more attractive and diverse, since it will allow them to cooperate, to have a cultural and linguistic experience, to learn new methods and promote professional development
The project will involve the entire community of six countries (students, teachers, school administration, staff, families, local authorities, associations), which is a very large number of participants, who will address the project issues during the classes, create products, welcome guests, acquire new knowledge and skills. The project foresees five days of mobility by 120 students between 12 and 16 years old and 66 teachers from six countries
The project will have long-term benefits since the established travel agency will be permanent. The students will transfer the knowledge and skills they have acquired to the next generations and will train their colleagues in tourism, corporate management and ICT use
An online travel agency will include the new partner schools which will participate in the next eTwinning, Erasmus or school exchanges and will negotiate virtually through eTwinning
The results of the project will be published in local and youth media, on websites, TwinSpace, School Educat. Gateway and in Erasmus+ Projects Results.
This will benefit all those who know our project. Last but not least, the families of the students, the teachers, the school staff will benefit from the project when planning their vacations, since the project website will become a useful database for all.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 195720 Eur

Project Coordinator

Institut montessori & Country: SI

Project Partners

• OGEC LE LIKES
• Zakladni skola, Brno, Hercikova 19, prispevkova organizace
• Holyrood Secondary School
• Katolicka Szkola Podstawowa im. Jana Twardowskiego
• IES TEROR