Emphasising Inclusion by Developing Mutual Aid and Solidarity in Europe Erasmus Project

Project Title

Emphasising Inclusion by Developing Mutual Aid and Solidarity in Europe

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 vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Inclusion – equity; Early School Leaving / combating failure in education; Disabilities – special needs

Project Summary

For several years, the vocational and technological high school ISSEC PIGIER in Toulouse, has been involved in various projects to fight against exclusion and discrimination. Always in the same spirit of openness to others, we now wish to work more on the inclusion of people with disabilities or disorders, visible or invisible, either physical, cognitive or relational.
The European colleagues we have met in previous projects are faced with the same problem as us, namely the need to improve the inclusion of people who are different so as to fight against discrimination of all kinds and to develop citizenship by changing the way we look at others.
At present, it is no longer enough to acquire professional skills in order to learn a trade. Developing relational skills, but also citizenship and acceptance of others in their differences, is essential, it is one of our objectives for all pupils and students. They must also develop their communication and language skills as well as their curiosity about innovation and what is being done in other countries. This project also aims at helping students who are failing at school or have learning difficulties to regain confidence in their potential, understand their difficulties and overcome them. To accompany them on this path, we aim to improve the didactic skills of the entire teaching team in order to provide teaching that is better adapted to the different types of disabilities.
We will carry out this project with five partners: the Paolo Savi Technical High School in Viterbo, Italy, specialising in communication, the Gheorghe Lazar General High School in Bucharest, Romania, a high school of excellence oriented towards artistic education, the Srecko Kosovel General and Technological High School in Sezana, Slovenia, and two Spanish high schools in Sant Joan d’Alacant: the Lloixa Technological High School and the El Somni, a Specialised Institute for young people with moderate cognitive abilities.
The activities will be divided into five steps. The first step will consist of researching information on the different learning difficulties and disabilities: nature, characteristics, origins, legislation and assistance available in each country. Posters, flyers, slide show or digital booklet as well as a glossary will reflect this. The next activity will be based on the discovery of these disorders and handicaps through meetings with witnesses, carers, professionals in material, technological and personal assistance. Thus, the students will meet people with disabilities at school and by visiting sites welcoming them, and will make a video report on their daily life.
During the third activity, the students will take part with these people in common activities (sports training, craft workshop…), but also in a “putting themselves in the shoes of” workshop and they will finally give their feedbacks. The penultimate activity will be devoted to the creation of tools to help inclusion and the setting up of an adapted classroom. A contest on the creation of a song on disability will also be organised. Finally, during the last activity, the inclusion tools will be tested and their results interpreted.
Each of these activities will be supervised by transnational meetings, phases of project follow-up, organisation, sharing and joint training with our partners. The productions of all will be analysed and compared; the training part of the coaches will be used as a springboard for the following activities.
This project will lead the pupils to open up to difference, to engage in a citizen approach of mutual aid and will facilitate the inclusion of pupils with difficulties by relying on the training of the educational community in innovative practices or those already applied by our partners.
We expect this project to have an impact on participants not only in the area of language and relational skills, but also in terms of autonomy and self-confidence. The same applies to relationships within the educational community, where an evolution in the relationship between learners and staff members is expected, based on greater confidence. Moreover, innovative pedagogical practices and the installation of a specific classroom will in the long term allow the welcome of all and will be at that point to present them to other schools of our LEA board (Local Education Authority), even in other European countries.
Partner associations will have the opportunity to make themselves known, to encourage volunteers to engage in sharing activities with people with disabilities and to create an agreement with our school to give the following promotions the benefit of these same openings and experiences.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 125375 Eur

Project Coordinator

ISSEC PIGIER (ADMINISTRATION AND ACOUNTING TECHNICAL SCHOOL)Institut Spécialisé de Secrétariat et d’Etudes Comptables & Country: FR

Project Partners

• COLEGIUL NATIONAL GHEORGHE LAZAR
• ITE P.Savi
• IES LLOIXA
• Solski center Srecka Kosovela Sezana
• COLEGIO PÚBLICO DE EDUCACIÓN ESPECIAL EL SOMNI