Memory – a memorial Erasmus Project

Project Title

Memory – a memorial

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: Creativity and culture; Ethics, religion and philosophy (incl. Inter-religious dialogue); EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy

Project Summary

Memory – a Memorial!
In the project “Memory – a Memorial!” six schools have addressed the issue “cultural heritage”. Our aim was to help people find their own positions as individuals in their everyday surroundings, in society, in town or country. Our work was meant to provide the possibility of continually learning among friends. Participants were supposed to learn about their own roots and traditions, to deal with objects and subjects of history and learn about and explain the social patterns of their towns. The fact that fairly long-term research work and some thorough work with documentary material would be necessary was to act as counterbalance to the fact that schools are permanently confronted with quick changes, with a fast-paced flow of information and a shrinking confidence when dealing with knowledge.
Particularly important for us was to add to the curriculum not only new contents and techniques, but simultaneously we wanted to further develop fields of knowledge and experiences which we already have. Thus, we, the teachers, succeed in perpetuating our students’ knowledge and in overcoming their tendency to adhere to current trends in a rather selective way. As we selected our topics and organized the research work in view of the students’ knowledge, we were able to realize our intentions throughout our project work.
Thus, we have created a fairly solid basis for the development of the individuals’ security, for the knowledge of their own roots; their origins and history were used, enlarged and updated within a greater (European) context. This becomes more and more important in a world which is continually changing in the course of streams of refugees, of immigration and the constant movement of strangers, and which therefore seems to show only little constancy.
In the project “Memory – a Memorial!” we did research work on facts and figures in order to become aware of and add to the cultural knowledge which we already possess to a certain extent. Finally, we worked on reforming and preserving it. We intended to connect and further develop conservative i.e. established elements (e. g. knowledge about literary theories or aesthetic positions) with progressive, i.e. modern elements (e. g. new cognitive and emotional insights, or new spontaneous creativity). This plan proved to be a good starting point.
To know that we have long traditions in the fields of sciences, arts and literature, to know where the names of certain streets and schools derive from and which are the origins of memorials or names of town districts, to learn of the development of regional terms or linguistic peculiarities, all that serves as an element to help the individual find his position in life. To know of important persons, to prepare their biographies, and to trace their impact up to the present and in the process realize in which networks they acted centuries or decades ago is a further element which may develop its very own dynamics. It strengthens the concept of ourselves and produces connections between past, present and future.
The additional value of a transnational cooperation is evident when we intend to use different approaches in order to achieve the best possible impulses by relying on synergy effects. This is also true of the challenge which today confronts schools and teachers in the context of the current problems of immigration. Here it is particularly important on the one hand to be open for new impulses, on the other hand, however, to be consequent and consistent when protecting and confirming basic values (freedom, democracy, a culture of discussion). In this way good impulses arose in order to convey who he or she is, how to explain their respective origins and finally show that our cultural heritage and our individual impressions are to be taken seriously.
In view of the present turmoil in the EU In particular, we found it extremely important to show that there have always been contacts and transnational cooperation in Europe concerning the important issues of the time. The same is true with reference to the impact and appreciation of important persons and groups at different places and in different countries, which have formed the citizens of the EU up to the present. Such connections and relations have been emphasized and elaborated on in this project in particular.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 72579 Eur

Project Coordinator

Westfalen-Kolleg Paderborn & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Kontiolahden lukio
• Polhemsgymnasiet
• 127-MO SU “IV.N.DENKOGLU”
• Kauno jezuitu gimnazija
• Oskara Kalpaka Liepajas 15.vidusskola