Living Europe – Identity, Diversity, Unity Erasmus Project

Project Title

Living Europe – Identity, Diversity, Unity

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: Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning; EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy

Project Summary

We are living in a society which is increasingly characterized by globalization and multiculturalism. The togetherness of different cultures and the diversity of society offer chances for all people who are part of this community: exchanging experiences, insights and new perspectives as well as learning from each other.
Unfortunately, the living together of different cultures is not always without problems or conflicts. Prejudices against people of different origin, ignorance and fear of contact, which sometimes cumulate in discrimination and xenophobic violence, impede integration. Successful integration requires openness, approximation and understanding. Children and young people as active creator of our society play an important role in this.
School education has to contribute to the emergence of an understanding for European cohesion among the adolescent generation’. Furthermore, school education has the task to arouse interest and edurchzunehmenxpand respect and interest for the diversity of cultures, languages and people. In order to realize this dimension of education, school has to transmit competences which enable successful living in a common Europe

The overall priority we have selected is that of Social inclusion. With our project we address the themes identity, diversity and unity. We want further our students’ competences as regard social, civil and intercultural competences needed in order to live Europe.
We address this through a number of different learning and training opportunities linked to our objectives in the framework of the project. These are addressed in more detail in the next section.
The concrete objectives of our project are:
1) Supporting the development of personal and social competences (self-confidence, team work, intercultural competences, tolerance, empathy etc.)
2) Encouraging and fostering social and cultural awareness and inclusion
3) Enhance the student’s ability to communicate in a foreign language
4) Fostering the creative expression in a range of different media
5) Enhancing knowledge about the European Union and creating an awareness for European togetherness and unity
6) Equipping the teachers / project staff with the necessary skills and competences needed for the successful implementation of the project

There are two partners in the project: The school “NEXT Baltorp gymnasium” in Ballerup/Denmark, near Copenhagen, and the IB Berufliche Schulen Böblingen/Germany, near Stuttgart, which is the coordinating school. The project is aimed at the students of both schools. 60 students in total will participate in the exchanges but a larger number of students at each school is going to be involved in the project through a number of local activities offered through the project and in the classes.

The focus of the project is primely the own identity and the identity as a member of the European community; further on the EU as an institution and its working methods in order to shape it to their “own” Europe to the project-participants. For both years two student-exchanges (in both countries each) and several periods of local project work are planned. In addition there is one short-term staff training event at the beginning of each project year.

Most of the activities are based on a workshop format. The advantage of this format is the commitment of the students. They are asked to bring their own experience to bear in the topic of the workshop. Therefore, the project might become a real students-project by influencing the content and the outcome of the project. There are as well some expert-lectures, which are useful to gain expert-knowledge. That is necessary for further project-work and also very interesting for all actors. There is as well at least one excursion to European institutions in Straßbourg to keep the subject of the project concrete and not to theoretical. The final project event will take place at the school in Ballerup and is going to be an action day, which involves the whole school community as well as parents and external guests.

The results of the project are mainly to find in the expected changing attitude of the students. While dealing with subjects as identity, diversity, tolerance, discrimination and unity the students become more sensitized to these topics and will become active able European citizens. A number of small concrete results include videos, postcards, posters and collages on the themes of the project. All that will lead to a changed atmosphere not only at school, but also in families and other places of daily life.

This mentioned changed atmosphere at both schools does not only apply to the participating students and teachers, but will be spread over the whole school-community and will last for more years, because the attitude of all school-actors is going to change. Also, the schools have committed themselves to become schools against racism – schools with courage.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 23196 Eur

Project Coordinator

IB Berufliche Schulen Böblingen, Internationaler Bund e.V. & Country: DE

Project Partners

• NEXT UDDANNELSE KØBENHAVN