Exchange Sweden, Vallentuna/Germany, Krumesse 2020/2021 Erasmus Project

Project Title

Exchange Sweden, Vallentuna/Germany, Krumesse 2020/2021

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: Teaching and learning of foreign languages; Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning

Project Summary

Swedish school Karlslundsskolan Norra (former Hjälmstaskolan) in Vallentuna and German school Stecknitzschule in Krumesse, already have a two year old shared partnership which has been well developed together and has given many pupils during that time great experiences and new found knowledge in life. We want to continue working together with this exchange and offer upcoming pupils of 7th grade the same opportunity as their predecessors.

By travelling with only teachers and friends at the same age, but without your parents, living in a foreign host family, participating in their every day life as it comes to language, family life, school, activities, food and new customs, we are convinced that the participant teenagers will broaden their minds and see differences between people as a resource in a global perspective.
When you get to know a person, no matter the culture or ethnicity you become more easily engaged and it leads to connections between people in ways that wouldn´t be possible without a physical meeting, which is what this exchange program offers.
To be able to communicate with others in a foreign language and learn from other cultures are some of the basic skills and key competences that we have in mind when we choose priorities in the project.

To be able to empower young people you have to build strong and brave humans which requires a high self esteem and that is also something we have seen the result of in our previous exchanges and want to develop further through this project.

We plan to include 15 Swedish and 15 German pupils in the exchange, accompanied by 2 teachers from each country. We believe that this amount suits the age of the pupils since some of them might be on their first journey without their parents and the teachers must be able to fill the roll of an abscent parent and help the pupils to become more secure and independent. This is more doable in a smaller group and the teachers can focus on all individuals´ personal growth easier. The language mainly focused on is English which is the first “second language” in both countries.

The German Stecknitzschule in Krumesse share the Hanseatic history with Sweden and partly through this we will engage the puils in shared projects. Together we will explore our common history through The Medieval museums in Stockholm as well as in Lubeck. If the pupils understand their shared history we believe that they will have an easier task to create a common future in a Europe “without borders”.
In mixed groups, the German and Swedish pupils will create video presentations about their shared experiences and learning during the exchange.

These presentations will be presented to the rest of the group, the parents and the schools, both in Sweden and in Germany. This way we will also be able to spread information about Erasmus+ exchanges and the positive results that merges from it.
Since we look upon this as a long term project, we plan to use the presentations as an introduction to next years exchange as well.
Hopefully it will lead to an even greater interest among the following years´ pupils, both in Sweden and in Germany.

In a long term perspective and in a modern society, no matter what country, within EU or further, young people of today are expected to be flexible, mobile and to master at least one more language than their mother tounge. Communication is essential on more than a speaking level. These skills will be bred through the exchange with Germany and also become a stepping stone for the pupils and for their future as working, participating grown ups in a multi cultural society. The more we help these young teeneagers “over the borders” to other countries and to other ways of thinking and living, the more aware and engaged they will become and through that better world citizens. A possible way of eliminating intolerance and discrimination.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 32416 Eur

Project Coordinator

Karlslundsskolan Norra & Country: SE

Project Partners

• Grund- und Gemeinschaftsschule des Schulverbandes an der Stecknitz