Gezonde Buren / Gesunde Nachbarn / Healty Neighbours Erasmus Project

Project Title

Gezonde Buren / Gesunde Nachbarn / Healty Neighbours

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: Access for disadvantaged; EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy; Health and wellbeing

Project Summary

Introduction

Many children from our school, due to the socio-economic background of their parents, by definition hardly go abroad. They often have an impression of residents of other countries based on prejudice and misunderstanding. Certainly in relation to our closest neighbours, the Germans due to the recent history of the Second World War. Underlying this is in many cases a fear of the unknown. Through the project we want to remove the fear of unknown cultures from the children. This is best achieved by having the children come into direct and positive contact with their peers from another country. This contributes to the cross-subject area of citizenship education.

Because of the international skills that the children will acquire through this project, they will also get a better connection with Secondary Education in relation to the English language. This can also be seen as a first preparation for foreign internships that they will follow in their future school career at secondary and vocational education. This will make it easier for them to make this step. In addition, they ultimately increase their chances on the labour market in the future. They broaden their horizons by looking beyond their own borders and environment.

Current Situation

In recent years, various international parties have visited SBO de Súdwester in Sneek. Our European visitors have included delegations from Belgium, Norway, England, Sweden and Spain. These visits were part of the ‘ROC Friese Poort’ (a Dutch Vocational School with locations spread around Friesland) Internationalization project. During these visits, students and teachers meet with their foreign counterparts and specific. The visits are always highly appreciated and prove to be of great added value for both sides taking part.

During the evaluation of one of these visits, the coordinating teacher for the Internationalization ROC Friese Poort project and the Deputy Director of SBO de Súdwester, came to the conclusion that such an internationalization project both at teacher, student and pupil levels, especially for the Súdwester, would have a great added value for all involved and should therefore be explored.

With regard to teaching Foreign languages at the Súdwester, we begin in the eigth grade with a methodical offering of English. However, scientific research has shown that the earlier you start acquiring a foreign language, the easier it is and the better you master it. Based on data we have been collating, we feel we start relatively late to teach a language at the Súdwester. This means that our students are lagging behind in their command of English and may have a disadvantage when they enter the Dutch Secondary Education System.

Desired situation

The special relationship between SBO de Súdwester in Sneek, Education Care and Welfare (teaching assistant / pedagogical work) from the ROC Friese Poort in Sneek, the Berufsbildende Schule in Varel, the Pestalozzischule from Jade anchors this in an Internationalization Project in which teachers, students and pupils from the organizations involved annually visit each other through exchange trips.

The Internationalization Project therefore contains learning content for all target groups mentioned. In concrete terms, this means that a reciprocal visit will be made annually by a delegation of teachers and students from the Regional Training Centres in combination with teachers, students and pupils from the schools for Special Primary Education. The ROC Friese Poort participates indirectly in this project, but has its own financing flows with regard to internationalization activities.

The learning content is expressed both in the visit to be made abroad and in the preparation for the visit in advance to be received in the home country. Teachers, students, and pupils who do not physically go on an international visit abroad also benefit from the internationalization activities by preparing the visit of the visiting delegation, the great thing about this set-up is that it is not necessarily to go abroad to reach the internationalization goals.

What do we want to achieve:

– We want to teach the children to communicate in a different language (English).
– The children can show each other where they come from, what their customs and traditions are.
– The children can let each other experience these habits by taking part in activities in the field of art, culture, sports and healthy food.
– The children can travel to another country under supervision, become independent and self-reliant!

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 22840 Eur

Project Coordinator

Stichting voor Christelijk Speciaal Basisonderwijs Sneek e.o. & Country: NL

Project Partners

• Pestalozzischule Brake