Developing Interculturally Competent Students as a way of Overcoming Cultural Conflicts Erasmus Project

Project Title

Developing Interculturally Competent Students as a way of Overcoming Cultural Conflicts

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 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Gender equality / equal opportunities; Social dialogue; Access for disadvantaged

Project Summary

As key words of our project; “interpersonal», «intercultural” and “social competences” share common values. These are all integral components of the “Intercultural competences” that an individual should have to take part in the life of a society in an efficient and constructive way and to be able to solve conflicts if it becomes necessary. Obtaining knowledge of generally accepted rules and types of behavior in different societies and understanding the role of intercultural dimensions in other societies are our main concerns. Intercultural dialogue in our countries permeates the whole fabric of daily social life and, in the fluid reality of the epoch of globalization, students need the appropriate tools to find a shared context of meaning in a world of diversity that is prone to conflict. This will be achieved in both formal and non-formal learning environments and students will have to learn and “unlearn” attitudes and behaviors, which is inextricably linked to respect for human rights as a precondition for peaceful coexistence amongst different nations.
To achieve the goal of reaching a state of intercultural awareness, a variety of proactive activities aimed at facing cultural disparities amongst the participants will be implemented. The rationale of these activities is structured on three basic pillars:
1) Acquisition of intangible or soft skills designed to help make the transition. These include cross-cultural empathy, intrinsic curiosity and motivation, behavioral and cognitive flexibility, conflict management, multiperspectivity and openness to synergy.
2) Production of an intercultural communication resource pack for teenage students with practical examples of applying intercultural education and strategies for increasing engagement in culturally diverse groups; it will be in the form of an e-book with free access to external stakeholders
3) Development of transversal skills within the scope of attaining intercultural skills; digital literacy, foreign languages (primarily English but also exposure to vocabulary in the native language of all partners), participatory citizenship, national history of partner countries, human rights and social justice issues, sustainability and the sensitive issue of religion from the angle of inter-religious dialogue based on democratic values and respect for human rights
Thanks to CLIL based activities, all participants will have a chance to make a social interpretation of other cultures, share their attitudes and experience the whole continuum of feelings on the way to cultural awareness (parochial- ethnocentric-accepting- synergistic-participatory Quappe & Cantatore, 2011); from being astonished, alienated and confused to being, accepted or rejected. The growth of the appropriate dispositions and the acquisition of transferable skills in the course of this project will form the basis of the participants’ transition to international mindedness bridging in this way the gap between theory and practice.
In conclusion, this project is expected to have an impact on the education policies of European schools considering that the increased migrant flows across Europe over the last decade make it imperative that social cohesion through the integration of migrant students be given priority. The development of pedagogical tools and resources through the activities in this project and their diffusion in the educational community can be used to address the new challenges within the context of a pluralistic Europe.

Project Website

http://culturalawarenesska229.com

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 135550 Eur

Project Coordinator

IES ELS EVOLS & Country: ES

Project Partners

• Zespol Szkol Ogolnoksztalcacych i Zawodowych imienia Jana Pawla II w Gromniku
• Gymnasio Stefanovikeiou
• Sule Muzaffer Buyuk Mesleki ve Teknik Anadolu Lisesi
• ADEMINHO/Escola Profissional do Alto Minho Interior
• Ankara Öncü Kolej Saray Anadolu Lisesi