Migration – an incentive for tolerance & civil courage Erasmus Project

Project Title

Migration – an incentive for tolerance & civil courage

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: Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning; Civic engagement / responsible citizenship; Cultural heritage/European Year of Cultural Heritage

Project Summary

Both partner schools, the city of Triest and the market town of Telfs, are directly confronted with refugee and migration issues as well as with the complex problems associated with them in a historical context but also with regard to the current migration situation. While it was the traditional “multinational state” of Italians, Slovenes, Germans and Jews, which influenced social structure and social interaction In the eventful history of Triest, it is the influx of refugees from Africa, Syria etc…, which poses a major challenge for Itally and also Triest. In the market town of Telfs there has been an increased influx of labour migrants for many decades and has resulted in a multiculturally mixed population. Despite intensive attempts and initiatives to promote intercultural life and to avoid ghettoisation, there are still problems and steps in the wrong direction.
Especially with regard to interculturalism (in which inter-religious dialogue is also a decisive factor) a transnational meeting is educationally valuable, since it helps students to expand their own limited cultural horizons and promotes mutual respect and tolerance.
The schools involved in the project are the BRG/BORG Telfs with a curriculum focus on natural science subjects (BRG), twp branches focusing on arts subsjects (BORG) and one branch focusing on technical subjects. The partner school in Italy is the Liceo Petrarcha, one of the most traditional schools in Triest with two branches: one with a curriculum focus on modern languages and one on classical languages. The school has been cooperating for many years in the preparation and management of international projects and has been implementing different pedagogical innovations concerning the teaching of foreign languages. Last year a bilingual class, in which subjects are taught in Slovenian and Italian, was introduced. The school in Telfs has always striven to integrate ICT in teaching and learning. Consequently both schools can share their knowledge and thus, learn and profit from each other. In recent years, both partner schools have already gained valuable experience in various exchange projects.
The project activities from September 2018 to May 2019 included two project meetings with students and accompanying teachers. In workshops and meetings with experts and representatives of relevant organisations in Trieste and Telfs students had the chance to become aware and develop an understanding of different cultures. Activities focused on showing them the long history of immigration on a regional level with the intention to make them more open to people from different countries and cultural backgrounds and less afraid of welcoming them. It should also encourage and empower them to show civil courage in everyday life and stand up against prejudices, xenophobia and human rights violations.
The project started with a kick-off event in Telfs in a public place, to which two authors were invited. They both talked about their work with asylum seekers and migrant workers in Europe. The first meeting of the partner schools was held in February 2019 in Triest. In the second meeting of the partner schools – in May 2019 in Telfs – the projects were continued and students and teachers prepared the individual contributions for the big multicultural festival held on May 17, 2019 in which students, teachers, representatives of the community, the school board, organisations and clubs took part and perfectly rounded up the project.

With the following activities wider appeal could be gained:
– dissemination of the project through the web pages of both partner schools involved
– designing project- and event-related posters
– exhibition “Bitter oranges”
– publishing newspaper articles
– a song that students and teachers texted and composed in German including Italian stanzas
– role play in which actors exhibit immoral behaviour, inviting viewers to interrupt it at any point and suggest moral conduct
– multicultural festival, in which in which students, teachers, representatives of the community, the school board, organisations and clubs took part
– publishing the reports on the Erasmus Project Results Platform

The potential longer-term benefits include the institutionalisation of the multicultural festival at school and ties that have been established with organizations, local bodies and the university. And also closer ties with the partnerschool will be cultivated.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 31184 Eur

Project Coordinator

BRG/BORG Telfs & Country: AT

Project Partners

• Liceo Classico statale Francesco Petrarca