Culture – inclusive or divisive? – A look at how culture can work as a force for inclusion and peace or division and alienation within societies, paying special attention to host societies and migrant/minority communities Erasmus Project

Project Title

Culture – inclusive or divisive? – A look at how culture can work as a force for inclusion and peace or division and alienation within societies, paying special attention to host societies and migrant/minority communities

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: Early School Leaving / combating failure in education; Inclusion – equity; Creativity and culture

Project Summary

The proposed project’s title is: “Culture – inclusive or divisive? – A look at how culture can work as a force for inclusion and peace or – if we look at the current news: ever so often – division and alienation within societies, paying special attention to host societies and migrant/minority communities”. The project is based upon the fact that under-performance in education is much more common in Austria and Italy than in Denmark and upon the notion that educational under-performance and migrant/minority background go hand in hand and that there may be cultural issues involved. The project aims to involve students with a migrant/minority background and to draw them into the discussion: What is the prevailing culture? What is my culture? Do I feel alienated or do I alienate others on cultural issues? What are my aspirations, what are the aspirations of others? Together with other students, including students on both ends of the academic spectrum, culture in all its forms and inclusion are topics at the heart of this project. The participating schools are middle and higher secondary education schools of roughly the same size from the north, centre and south of the European Union. Together they intend to visit important cultural sites, explore the often divisive cultural history in monuments and museums, interview and enter into cultural discussion with representatives of minority/migrant communities, see or visit examples and practices of integration and catering to minorities, let their students reflect on their aspirations and debate on cultural issues and educational perormance. While doing these activities and writing reports, presentations and internet content on them, participating students develop and improve their transversal skills of language, reading and digital skills while being motivated to play an active role in the project and take the initiative, helped along by those participating students from the upper end of the academic spectrum. These more able students, on the other hand, also profit by being able to transfer and therefore deepen and reflect on their own knowledge and skills. Mutually the participants benefit of each other by breaking down cultural barriers and misconceptions. Without such cultural barriers or misgivings the participants with a minority/migrant background will be and feel recognized and accepted by the surrounding educational environment whilst other participants, especially those on the upper end of the academic spectrum, will come to understand how hard it is to “arrive”. This has the potential to dissolve the issues holding back students from a migrant/minority background, subsequently reducing the rate of drop outs and under-performers among them. Reducing the rate of under-performers especially among migrant communities, is in our view the best way to inhibit alienation and disenchantment and all that stems from these (right up to terrorism, unfortunately) – indeed it is the only way forward, if we are to enjoy peace and prosperity in the future to come. Sadly, current news bears witness to this fact.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 57004,69 Eur

Project Coordinator

Bundeshandelsakademie und Bundeshandelsschule Wien 13 & Country: AT

Project Partners

• Istituto d’Istruzione Superiore Leonardo da Vinci
• Vejlefordskolen
• IIS Gen. A. Cascino