Friends at home, Friends abroad Erasmus Project

Project Title

Friends at home, Friends abroad

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: Inclusion – equity

Project Summary

The values of freedom, tolerance, respect for diversity and non-discrimination are cornerstones of European societies. Bullying at schools damages these values. It is a key factor in early school leaving, and has serious and long-term effects.The theme of our Project is connected to 2015 Paris Declaration on promoting citizenship and the common values of freedom, tolerance and non-discrimination through education. In the strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training (ET 2020) “Inclusive education, equality, nondiscrimination “ and “tackling discrimination, racism, segregation, bullying, violence and stereotypes” are some of the priorities.After searching the bullying phenomenon around Europe, the coordinator designed a survey at school asking questions to the students: ” Have you ever been bullied or met a child who had been bullied?” A quarter of the students answered “Yes”. To share good practises for preventing bullying with other European schools, we created a post on e-twinning and 5 schools with same aim came together. There are 5 primary schools from Turkey, Romania, Belgium, Spain and Portugal in our Project. Nearly 3000 students and 110 teachers will directly and indirectly will be involved in the Project from 5 partner schools.There will be an opening meeting in Turkey where we will discuss about the dissemination, implementation of the Project and next LTTs. There will be a short term joint staff training even in Spain and 2 short term pupil Exchange activities in Belgium and Romania. We will also organize the final meeting in Portugal where we will write the end report together.

Concrete results and outputs are the website and the twinspace, short films by pupils and families , a rap song composed by students on befriending, posters created by the students on “ befriending not bullying”, workshops , teachers and parents, an informational brochure on the theme, tshirt designs, “Draw and paint your rights” contest , a calendar with the pictures from “draw and paint your rights” contest, a project logo, an e-twinning project the same as our KA229 project and the Project website . The project will contribute to raise awareness on violence against children and to respect diversity in our schools and to promote peace and tolerance among pupils of different European countries, enriching intercultural awareness. We would like to work on the bullying problem in an international level. Exchanging ideas and experiences would open us new doors to feel ourselves as European Citizens.

Objectives of our Project are to reduce bullying at the schools by 10% by teacher trainings , students’ and parents” activities and pupil exchanging activities. To share European good practices . To make the participants aware of children rights, discrimination and bullying. To increase the degree of awareness about bullying and to develop an anti-bulling school policy. To compare the causes and effects of bullying in schools. To promote peace and mutual understanding among pupils. To strengthen and enrich intercultural awareness and dialogue between different ethnic groups, migrants and refugee, by the project activities such based on music and art, which are international languages of communication. To learn to empathise with others to challenge prejudice and discrimination.To strengthen students’ and teachers’ digital skills and the level in foreign languages. To challenge prejudice.

The methodoligies to be used in carrying out the projects are critical thinking , peer works and team works, pre-surveys and the last surveys, observation forms, presentations, evaluation forms after each LTT and the final report.

The expected results are: Increased motivation to learn English, a strong feeling of belonging to “the one European community”, reduced violence in partner schools. A newly developed anti-bullying school policy, an increase of the academic level of the students who were bullied before, improved digital skills, higher adaptation of the teachers in European educational community. Lastly teachers and parents will learn their roles and responsibilities to deal with bullying.

In the long term, the violence at partner schools will decrease due to the activities with friendship messages. Once the project ends, the students and teachers will continue studying these languages. Their digital skill will help them use their improved digital skills in their lives, professions and new EU projects in long term.

Project Website

https://www.friendsathomefriendsabroad.eu/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 90390 Eur

Project Coordinator

Vrije Basisschool – Montessorischool De Sterrenkijker & Country: BE

Project Partners

• C.E.I.P. FRANCISCO ARRANZ
• Escola Básica do 1º Ciclo com Pré-Escolar da Marinheira
• T.C. MEB ONDER ATA ILKOKULU
• SCOALA GIMNAZIALA NR.1 BRANESTI