Europe is what we make of it Erasmus Project

Project Title

Europe is what we make of it

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 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy; Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning

Project Summary

Holidays in the Adriatic, skiing in the Alps, street food of foreign countries on the menu, hits in English and Spanish …. Our students experience Europe daily without realizing it, Europe is always there, limitlessly enjoyable. But what does Europe really mean? And what does it mean for us? And what does the EU have to do with it? And what if our limitlessness changes? Is that possible? What do we want from Europe, what are we afraid of?

Do not we take life in Europe (and in the EU) for granted? At the same time, the Europe in which we live was not accidental. It had to evolve, with the help and support of people who needed to build a solid community that cared about each other and planned a future together.

It is our job as teachers to make the students in Europe aware of where and how they live and what life in Europe means. Of course, it is also about the geographical aspects, but above all about the sensitization to important things like the tolerant togetherness, the importance of democracy and free will. It is important to us that our students think along when it comes to future issues. It does not take much to shape the world and our homeland. We just have to start on a small scale – and these are our students.

About 500 students aged 6 to 12 from the Czech Republic, Austria and Germany participate in our project. Our project partners are our long-standing partner school “Elementary School of German-Czech Understanding” in Prague and the Austrian School of Newcomers “School Association Komensky” in Vienna. Our students are guided by six project coordinators and other interested teachers from the respective colleges. other stakeholders include parents and family members of the children, senior citizens, experts from extracurricular institutions or institutions as well as selected politicians.

Planned activities:
1. Europe introduces itself: a joint celebration of the 20th anniversary of the European School in Schildow
2. We learn to help: Donate and craft for a good cause
3. “How was it in former times?” Europe before the founding of the EU: Interview and debate with contemporary witnesses
4. The EU and myself: General information about Europe and the EU: brochure “The EU and me”
5. “The rabbit Felix travels around Europe”, continuing with European countries and creating own little books
6. Festivals and traditions in Europe: everlasting calendar
7. EU – the best place to live ?. Reading workshop “I am for myself” for democracy building
8. My home is Europe: Musical
9. Across the European cuisine: European cookbook
10. Schools in Europe: Photo presentation
11. Music unites Europeans: Musical
The implementation and methodology depends on the respective age groups of the students. The following are planned: storytelling, active listening, crafting, text and internet work, interview, presentation, group work, role play, theater, didactic games, PowerPoint, Skype, lecture.

We want to transform our students into little “diversityists” who appreciate and respect other people, their traditions and religions; to people who care about helping others when things are not going so well as they are for themselves. Children should understand the benefits of EU membership and that the EU can bring prosperity, security, freedom and peace. For this they should work for a lifetime.
And as a result, we want to work with the students to find out what happens if members of this European Union no longer want to participate (Brexit). What does that mean for us, what for the future? Do we want to continue or even get out? What happened if?

All these aspects and considerations make up our project. Because:
Europe is what we make of it!

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 89360 Eur

Project Coordinator

Europaschule am Fließ & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Zakladni skola nemecko-ceskeho porozumeni a Gymnazium Thomase Manna, o.p.s.
• Skolsky spolek Komensky- ORg