Debating Our Way to Citizenship: from School Representation to the EU Parliament Erasmus Project

Project Title

Debating Our Way to Citizenship: from School Representation to the EU Parliament

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 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Reaching the policy level/dialogue with decision makers; Teaching and learning of foreign languages; EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy

Project Summary

Our project was conceived as a journey – we invited the actors of the project to go on a journey to apprehend their European citizenship and develop their knowledge of democracy thanks to the art of debating. Our project was also focused on the different forms of democratic life, from ancient Greece, where democracy was born, up to the EU Parliament in Strasbourg. This journey led them from their classroom to the European Parliament in Strasbourg – hence the title of our project: Debating our Way to Citizenship : from School Representation to the EU Parliament.

The partnership was composed of four high schools from France, Greece, Italy and Romania.

Students who travelled the world not as tourists and also students who worked on the project without taking part in the mobilities enjoyed greatly the Erasmus+ experience and improved their linguistic-technological and social skills very much. They became aware of their skills and of the beauty of diversity. In the meantime they also developed a sense of belonging to a wider territory which goes far beyond borders and they felt to be European citizens.

The objectives were to:
– compare the systems of democratic representation on different levels
– encourage democratic dialogue and train our students to debate
– develop a sense of belonging to the European Union, meeting their European peers
– accept differences and embrace diversity through a dialogue between cultures
– develop linguistic, technological and social skills

The tournaments of debates, during the mobilities, were a great successful experience in which students felt to be the real protagonists of the project and worked so hard and so well for the implementation of the project. The teams for the debate were international, mixing students from each country.
Coordinators and all partners were able to discuss and implement all the points which were in the project and easily found an agreement for everything, working in an extraordinary cooperative mood.
We managed to create bridges among our school communities and we were also able to follow some needs to push the project on an upper level.

What really makes this project a successful one is not only our unforgettable journey in time and space, but the great skills developed by our debaters mobility after mobility.
In the very end of the project we can state that our targets were achieved: students improved their language skills, both during debate activities and being in touch with their partners. So they managed to get a deeper knowledge and understanding of the new cultures, going beyond stereotypes.
Hence our students became more tolerant and able to express their desire to communicate with strangers using a second language, to read foreign newspapers, listen to foreign radios and media, watch movies with subtitles rather than merely dubbed for example.
By working with countries that are members of the European Union and especially reflecting on representation we built a sense of EU belonging, and a sentiment of European citizenship.
What is even more remarkable is that students improved their leadership and teamwork skills. They achieved performances in new situations, managed cooperation with people from different cultural, national, linguistic and social backgrounds. They found new interests hence strengthening their open-minded attitude towards diversity.
We also managed to bridge the gap between professional politicians and “people in the street” involving local political representatives and EUMPs. Each country was in touch with their EUMP and managed to meet them at Strasbourg Parliament, which was somehow the climax of our Erasmus+ project.
Indeed, all the project activities had a strong positive impact on our students who were deeply inspired by all these great opportunities.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 102402,99 Eur

Project Coordinator

Lycee General Alain Fournier Bourges & Country: FR

Project Partners

• Liceul Tehnologic Iorgu Vârnav Liteanu
• Istituto di Istruzione Superiore “Enrico Fermi”
• 6o GENIKO LYKEIO OF AIGALEO