Gaelic Occitan Together For language Users Through United Roots and Experiences Erasmus Project

Project Title

Gaelic Occitan Together For language Users Through United Roots and Experiences

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 school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2014

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Teaching and learning of foreign languages; International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; Pedagogy and didactics

Project Summary

The preservation of regional linguistic and cultural heritage is as much as the conservation of biological diversity, a duty to future generations. The development of a territorial identity conveys values of generosity, brotherhood, humanism and exchange and allows to better understand other European cultures.
The overall objective of the project was to share experiences and good practices with teachers and experts from other European countries, in order to :
– enhance and develop the teaching of a minority language and the promotion of a regional culture ;
– reflect on common methods to raise public awareness of the value of regional language and culture, and create innovating teaching and dissemination tools ;
– highlight the value of regional languages in various fields of knowledge and also the importance of regional cultures as a reference of and a means for sharing European citizenship values.

7 partners have been involved in this project, three partners in France (Département du Gers, Collège de Samatan, Association pour la Culture Populaire en Pays Gascon) , three partners in Scotland (Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, West Side School, Comunn na Gàidhlig) and one partner in Ireland (Gaelscoil Mhíchíl Cíosóg).

To achieve these objectives, several activities were implemented:
. Transnational training seminar and study visits
. Creation of an educational toolkit
. Development of a digital application in connection with the educational toolkit
. Design of a quality book of photographs from the Occitan and Gaelic/Gaeilge regions, with pupils’ involvement
. School exchanges between French, Irish and Scottish pupils
. Dissemination through suitable media to increase the promotion of the project results

Results achieved:
– three transnational training activities were carried out (training seminar, study visits), one in each country. Through these activities partners could realize both pedagogical and cultural differences between countries regarding regional language learning. These exchanges allowed participants to strengthen their knowledge.
– the educational toolkit was produced. The lead partner on this activity was the school of Samatan, in close cooperation with the Scottish (West Side School) and Irish (Gaelscoil) schools. The work on this intellectual output also required a considerable commitment from other schools’ teachers (contributing voluntarily to the project) and from the Gers Department and the Comhairle staff.
– the book was printed. It is a book of photographs, enriched with comments in each partner language, written by pupils of the schools involved in the project. The French association ACPPG was responsible for the management of this output, with the help of the CnaG (Scotland) and of the Gaelscoil (Ireland).
– the digital application was developed. This responsive website can be used in the five project languages (Occitan, French, Gaeilge, Gàidhlig and English). It gives access to the content of the educational toolkit in a digital version. It also incorporates games, interactive activities and resources. The Department of Gers was lead partner on this activity, in collaboration with all partners.
– school exchanges were materialized thanks to two trips: first, a one-week trip during which Occitan pupils could visit the Western Isles, organised by the School of Samatan in France and the West Side School in Scotland; a second trip, organised by the School of Samatan, the West Side School and the Gaelscoil, allowed Scottish and Irish pupils to travel to France and discover Gers.
– partner countries involved in the project carried out dissemination of results in different ways. In France, dissemination seminars, two of which in partnership with the CIRDOC (Interregional Centre for the Development of Occitan), were held in several places of the « Occitanie » region. Coordination and organisation in the Gers was taken care of by the Department. All French partners participated to the process.
In Scotland, partners chose to present the project results during a « Gaelic day » organised at the Lews Castle College (University of the Highlands and Islands) on the 30th of August 2017.
To promote the project results in Ireland, the Gaelscoil organised an open day, to which persons connected to the learning of Gaeilge were invited.

In the long term, this project aims to upgrade the regional languages through the European education system. To do this, it has developed new sustainable ways of working, transferable from one country to another.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 257442,63 Eur

Project Coordinator

DEPARTEMENT DU GERS & Country: FR

Project Partners

• Collège François-de-Belleforest
• Sgoil an Taobh Siar (West Side Primary School)
• Comunn na Gàidhlig
• Association pour la Culture Populaire en Pays Gascon
• Gaelscoil Mhíchíl Cíosóg
• Comhairle nan Eilean Siar