Here or There…Proud to be ME. Erasmus Project

Project Title

Here or There…Proud to be ME.

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 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Cultural heritage/European Year of Cultural Heritage; Inclusion – equity; Integration of refugees

Project Summary

CONTENT AND BACKGROUND OF PROJECT:
Both primary schools have been working in partnership for 4 years and met in the eTwinning platform. Both schools face similar difficulties regarding immigration, inclusion, children’s self knowledge and self-esteem and own culture awareness, settling in the welcoming European country. Children from both schools are learning a foreign language and have no chances to practice these languages in real life situations outside their schools.

OBJECTIVES:
– To develop participant children’s awareness of their identities and cultural backgrounds.
– To analyse and reflect on the subject of Inclusion in society.
– To understand the mechanisms that the European Union has in place to welcome and support migrants in our local areas and beyond.
– To recognise similarities and differences between our personal situations and that of our UK and Spanish peers and to develop tools to support each other at school, community and international level.
– To develop the MFL studied at both schools in real life environments.

NUMBER OF PARTICIPANT:
Twenty year 6 children from each school and 4 adults accompanying in the transnational trips. Most participants will have an ethnic minority background but there will be some children with a Spanish or British background. Some of these children have mild medical needs, self-esteem issues and financial difficulties.

DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIES:
Both schools will work on the objectives mentioned above from September to the time of visiting the partner school. The activities will involve :
– Research on their cultural backgrounds. families and community organisations to be involved.
– Exploration of their personal profiles, characters, challenges, personal skills, abilities and ambitions. Identify similarities and differences among themselves and partner school peers.
– Exploration and research about inclusion mechanisms that exist in European countries and how this is reflected in their environments. Investigate and understand how they and their families can benefit from these facilities and impact on other community members that are in similar situations.
– All activities will be conducted in the MFL studied as much as possible and children will acquire a greater command of these languages.
– Transnational trips: 6 days trips to both schools. Activities are planned in such a way that the partner peers can have time to bond, exchange the knowledge and experiences acquired through the duration of the project, get to know the host school and the day to day routines and participate. Some of the activities planned are: sharing international lunches provided by the children’s families and the schools; debates; learning traditional songs and games from the UK and Spain; sharing work produced during the project; reflect and evaluate the project and sharing the outcomes of the project with their parents and the school community. Trips to cultural places for opportunities to learn about the history, arts and way of life in both countries.
-Dissemination will take place via a range of media platforms and local and national organisations like the Education Departmentsand the London Network for Languages besides of through activities for parents and other children.

METHODOLOGY:
Both participating groups of children will follow a structured programme that will include tasks related to each objective and parts of the project: There (cultural background); Me (exploration of the self and circumstances); Here ( new environment, challenges and opportunities. Inclusion issues); transnational exchange; dissemination (detailed above). All areas will be covered in the MFL studied in each centre as much as possible and all four strands (speaking, listening, reading, writing) will be included in all modules. There will be opportunities to record family members’ opinions and contributions and to visit certain community centres and even places of worship to promote better understanding of other cultures and community cohesion. During the trips abroad, the visits will be carefully planned so that the children learn about European art, history and ways of life. Similarities and differences will be noted, discussed and reflected upon.

IMPACT:
Participating children will be more self aware and will learn about their own cultures and the European heritage. They will understand the way that the EU has implemented Inclusion tools in the community; will be aware of social issues and challenges and will be equipped with skills to face them and become ” Agents of Change” who promote community cohesion and multi-cultural understanding. They will be prepared to face new challenges at secondary school, society and life in general. The positives derived form the project will benefit both school communities as both organising teachers will ensure that dissemination and building up on results takes place in the long term.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 32844 Eur

Project Coordinator

Sandringham Primary School & Country: UK

Project Partners

• CEIP DOÑA MENCÍA DE VELASCO