DEFRESBURG. Our hearts’ European city Erasmus Project

Project Title

DEFRESBURG. Our hearts’ European city

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 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Cultural heritage/European Year of Cultural Heritage; EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy; Cooperation between educational institutions and business

Project Summary

Framed in the context of 4 educational schools in 3 European cities: Hubertus Schwratz Berufskolleg, Germany (DE); Lyée Louis Feuillade France (FR) and IES María Pacheco and IES Universidad Laboral, Spain (ES) that together have constituted the new city, DEFRESBURG, formed by the cultural and social heritage of the three. Each one has contributed heritage, cultural and social elements, forming a common whole that has constituted and integrated a social and human community and that gives identity to those who are part of it.

AIMS
-The evolution of the society and culture of each country and its future contribution to the European sphere has been analyzed.
-The cultural roots of each country, the connection between their cultural and social heritages and their contribution to European culture have been worked on and studied.
– Communication channels have been established between the cultures of the different countries.
-The feeling of belonging to a European community has been reinforced: the commitment to its values, its rights and responsibilities.
-The company has been valued and understood as a dynamic element of the economy and work in European society and culture.
-Relationships between institutions and companies from different countries have been strengthened.
– Labor and professional mobility has been promoted.
-They have reflected on a model of a self-sufficient and sustainable multicultural city.

DEVELOPING
Developed during 3 academic years, having extended one more course than expected due to COVID-19. Distributed in 4 phases: PHASE I: the students of each school have studied, investigated and discovered the socio-cultural heritage of their city and worked on the development of the App, the virtual guide for the mobile phone, supported by training in the application App-Inventor, together with the faculty. PHASE II: the students have worked studying, investigating and discovering the techniques with which the socio-cultural heritage of their city is built. The activities have focused on the study of construction techniques and work organization and labour relations. Work has begun on the elaboration of the transversal theme, dedicating days to training on this subject. PHASE III: based on the information obtained in phases, I and II, the structure of the new city has been shaped. During this phase, each partner school has assumed the responsibility of working for the development of each of the fundamental sectors of the city’s operation: IES Universidad Laboral, Industria y Energía, Hubertus Schwartz Berufskolleg Administration, IES María Pacheco Cultural and Social Heritage and Lycée Louis Feuillade trade and services. Work continues on the elaboration of the cross-cutting theme as part of teacher training. PHASE IV, Due to COVID-19, the physical meeting could not be held, which has been replaced by a combined mobility: virtual with the German and French partners and physical between the Spanish partners. The activity has revolved around what we have called European “Week in Defresburg” with various activities: interactive exhibition, competitions on the web, virtual gastronomic exchange, workshops on the European Union. Training on PBL Project Based Learning.

DIFFICULTIES
Until the onset of the pandemic, there had not been any type of difficulty, the development of the project has been normal. Due to the situation generated by COVID-19, all activities that involved social and personal interaction of students and teachers were suspended, which had a negative impact on the normal development of the project.
A frustrated objective has been to use eTwinning as the base platform for the project, because, although it has been worked with, we believe that a full implementation of the project has not been achieved through it. Rationale: the limitations of the platform itself, compared to the ease of use and functionality offered by other existing tools, which has hindered and negatively affected the enthusiasm of students and teachers for make use of eTwinning. This and, perhaps also, the fact of the in-depth ignorance of its use has gradually reduced its use.

RESULTS:
– Work has been done on the elaboration of the polyurban city that includes the cities of the educational centers, as meeting places. Reflecting on what is common for students, and what differentiates them, united in diversity.
– A cross-cutting theme has been developed to be implemented in the curricula of the participating centers on social, economic and cultural reflection in the common city.
– An App has been developed for the mobile phone that can be used as a personalized cultural guide.
– A permanent team has been created in the participating centers to manage future collaborations
-A unique cultural guide of the cities and places of each participating country has been developed.
-A network has been created between the partner centers of the project for future organization of long-term mobility of students.
– The network of collaborating companies has been worked on and expanded for the exchange of trainees from the partner centers of the project
These results have had an impact on the students and teachers of the participating school: They have reached a detailed and committed knowledge of the cultural, social and productive heritage of their city and that of the participating cities. They have created tools and applications that will be of use to themselves and others in the future. His work has favored the mobility of students and professionals during the project itself and will do so in the future. The foundations have been laid for future collaborations between the school themselves and between them and the public and private institutions of the cities.

Project Website

https://www.defresburg.es/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 76525 Eur

Project Coordinator

IES UNIVERSIDAD LABORAL DE TOLEDO & Country: ES

Project Partners

• IES María Pacheco
• Hubertus-Schwartz-Berufskolleg für Wirtschaft und Verwaltung
• Lycée Louis Feuillade