Discovering our heritage and facing modern challenges Erasmus Project

Project Title

Discovering our heritage and facing modern challenges

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: Ethics, religion and philosophy (incl. Inter-religious dialogue); Cultural heritage/European Year of Cultural Heritage; Labour market issues incl. career guidance / youth unemployment

Project Summary

A partnership of three schools (Szent Gellért Katolikus Általános Iskola és Gimnázium from Hungary, C.E. MANUEL LORA TAMAYO from Spain and Le Cheile Secondary School from Ireland) carried out the project titled “Discovering our heritage and facing modern challenges”. The motivation for the project was to raise awareness of our own cultural and religious identity, exchange good practices and explore how our religious values work and can be used in today’s modern world, in our student’ adult life (especially in the fields of job-related issues and family life) and in the European context, so that our students become constructive individuals in the society.

The main target group of the project was students aged 15-18 in all schools. About 30 students from each school worked on the project locally (taking part in local workshops, discussions, making videos, etc) during the full time of the project. Three project meetings for students were included in the plan. Before each meeting 6 students were selected from each school to travel to the meeting, accompanied by 3 coordinator teachers from each school (Originally we planned 10 student mobilities/ country each time, but the proposal only won the grant for 6.) Project meetings included a wide range of activities (workshops, drama performances, exhibitions, cultural evenings, dramapedagogy, lectures, role models, cultural trips, etc.)

Each project meeting focused on a different topic. The first meeting (in Ireland) was aimed at introductions and the discovery of our common religious heritage and values. The second meeting, in Spain, focused on job-related issues. The third meeting was organised in Hungary and concentrated on family-related challenges. At the beginning of the project, a preparatory meeting for teachers was organised in Hungary, so headmasters and coordinator teachers were able to discuss the details of the upcoming tasks. In the time between project meetings students had local activities (making videos, taking photos, reading articles, putting on plays, informing the schools’ community about the project, writing the booklet), so even those students who did not travel and other colleagues benefited from the project.

One of the short-term aims of the project was to equip pupils with practical skills such as tolerance, open-mindedness, cooperation in intercultural environment, problem-solving skills, self-confidence, independent use of foreign languages so that they can have better opportunities in the future and become better citizens both at national and international levels, which is the long-term aim. This goal was completely achieved, with special regard to tolerance, open-mindedness and intercultural environment, as all partner schools represented a huge variety of cultural differences, bigger than primarily expected (e.g. the Irish school had students from about 70 different nationalities).

Another short-term aim was the promotion of intercultural cooperation and communication. Despite the fact that our Catholic traditions and roots connect us to Europe and connect the 3 partner schools, students and teahers all encountered difficulties initially in communication and cooperation. However, awareness of possessing similar values helped us get to know different cultural backgrounds and promoted the use the English language for effective communication.

The final product of the project was the publication of a booklet introducing participating schools, their practices, the traditional values they cherish, and the methodology and techniques used in the project to put these traditional values into practice in the modern world. This methodology that is included in the booklet can be integrated into the curriculum of participating schools. What is more, this publication can be given as a present to other schools and colleagues, so that other institutions can also try the methodology, resulting in positive effects in the long run as well.

Dissemination took place throughout the whole project. Target groups were participating schools’ students, staff, parents, as well as other schools near the location of participant schools, the local community and other religious schools. Information about the project has been available at the schools’ homepage, at the three schools’ common Erasmus+ homepage and on the school buildings’ notice board. The local community and other schools in the area have been informed via the local newspaper and the project’s booklet.

In conclusion, the project “Discovering our heritage and facing modern challenges” tried to find answers and solutions to the use of religious values when facing modern challenges and aims to develop new practices that can be used to train students to become useful and responsible citizens in the European Union. We hope it has equipped students with useful skills and find practices which will be essential for participating schools as well as other educators in the future.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 48813 Eur

Project Coordinator

Szent Gellért Katolikus Általános Iskola és Gimnázium & Country: HU

Project Partners

• C.E. MANUEL LORA TAMAYO
• Le Cheile Secondary School