Let’s Discover Europe Together Finding Harmony in Differencies Erasmus Project

Project Title

Let’s Discover Europe Together Finding Harmony in Differencies

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 Schools Only

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning; Inclusion – equity; International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation

Project Summary

The project EUROPE’S FRIENDS aimed at attaining the strategic goals common to the 5 partner schools from Romania, Greece, Poland, Portugal and Turkey, namely:
-An educational system compatible with the EU norms by a reconsideration of the approach to the teaching act from the part of the teaching staff
-Reducing school dropout rates
-Ensuring equal opportunities to education for students
The horizontal priorities underlying this project, according to the Erasmus program, were:
-Improvement of students’ basic and transversal competences
-Development of students’ social, civic, cultural skills
-Formal and non-formal education as a basis for long-life learning
-Combating discrimination and segregation
-Social inclusion
The project’s major objective was represented by the development of students’ competence through a combination of formal and non-formal education.
Specific objectives proposed were attained:
70 students developed their English language, sign language and IT communication skills
70 students developed their social, civic, intercultural skills necessary for an openness to life-long learning, in order to build up a personality capable to adapt itself to the requirements of the labor market
55 teachers developed their IT and English language skills needed in their teaching activity
55 teachers combined formal and non-formal education in their teaching activity
55 teachers learned/developed sign language
The target group was made up of:
-28 hearing-impaired students from schools in Romania and Poland, middle school, aged 12 to 16
-42 students without special educational needs from schools in Portugal, Turkey and Greece, middle school, aged 12 to 16
-55 teachers from the 5 partner schools
During the project there took place:
-two transnational meetings in Portugal–January, 2018 and Romania–June, 2019
-an IT course for teachers, held in Turkey, March 2018 – where they learned interactive teaching-learning-evaluation methods, got acquainted with IT software necessary in the teaching activity
-“Traditional Handicrafts and the Art of Photography Camp“-Poland, in the mountainous region of Bieszczady, in May 2018
-” UNESCO Patrimony Camp” -Greece, Athens, May 2019
In each camp have participated 7 students, accompanied by 2 teachers from each school
Following their engagement in this project:
Students:
-participated in weekly English language activities where they learned about the history, geography, culture of EU countries, which have enhanced their competitive spirit and motivation for the acquiring the English language; students with the best results in the evaluations of these activities went to the camps
-developed their English language communication skills following participation in English language activities conducted in each school throughout the project and the two camps organized in Poland and Greece
– developed their IT skills
-acquired knowledge about the history, geography, culture and traditions of EU countries
-got acquainted with the UNESCO sights and objectives specific to partner countries
-developed their social, civic, intercultural skills necessary for an openness to life-long learning, resulting in an increase of self-esteem
Teachers:
-developed their IT and English language skills necessary in their teaching activity, following participation in the IT course (12 teachers from each country) and the camp activities (50 teachers-10 from each country, including host country)
-combined formal and non-formal education in their teaching activity
-learned/developed sign language
In the course of the project the following products have been achieved:
-the project’s site
-10 interactive lessons on the history, geography, culture and traditions of European countries
-5 guidebooks about the history, geography, culture and traditions of European countries, written in the native language of the partner schools, in English and translated into sign language
-2photo albums
-1photo exhibition
-2 films presenting the camps in which the students have participated and the activities conducted together with their teachers
Access to the project’s site is free of charge, limitless
After the project:
-The prestige of each school has increased, at local, national and international level
-The European dimension of each school engaged in the project has been heightened
-Each teacher has become a trainer, capable to transfer European models of good practice to the field of formal, non-formal and informal education, thus contributing to a more dynamic teaching practice in the 5 partner schools.
The project was concluded with the International Conference EUROPE’S FRIENDS taking place in Romania, in June 2019, attended by 200 persons. The results of the project will be disseminated, exploited and valorized through workshops organized in all partner schools in the next years

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 134320 Eur

Project Coordinator

Scoala Profesionala Speciala pentru Deficienti de Auz “Sfanta Maria” & Country: RO

Project Partners

• GYMNASIO ANOIXIS
• Specjalny Osrodek Szkolno-Wychowawczy nr 2
• AGRUPAMENTO DE ESCOLAS DE BARCELOS
• bakirkoy cumhuriyet ortaokulu