Migration matters Erasmus Project

Project Title

Migration matters

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: International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; Migrants’ issues; Creativity and culture

Project Summary

Due to the massive influx of refugees and economic migrants from the Middle East and Africa into Europe in 2015, migration has become very important and remains at the center of public interest, even though migration numbers have declined in the meantime. However, the host societies and therefore the schools still have to face major challenges.

Many of us were unaware that migration has been practiced for millennia, has influenced and shaped our culture in many areas and that it has shaped our daily lives.

As part of our project, we found that schools’ curricula focus solely on historically significant migratory movements of people, outstanding discoveries or social achievements and crimes (colonization, ideals of the Enlightenment, industrial revolution, ethnic cleansing) and cultural development.
On the other hand, even after three years of migration crisis, a binding political framework for the member states of the EU, which takes into account our current living reality as well as the strong population increase in Africa and the Middle East, and openly discusses and considers the positive and negative effects of migration still does not exist.
The project participants recognized that the current migration movement in the partner countries is assessed very differently. We got the impression that this topic divides the EU and a common solution is still not in sight.

In the course of our joint work, we have been able to gather information on the motivation and consequences of migration, using different perspectives and approaches of the partners, and to discuss EU migration policy by referring to various media and statistics.

With a total of 9 partners from general secondary schools and vocational schools, we formed a team of seven long-term and two new partners, including an Erasmus + freshman.
The project language was English, but the participants also communicated in French, German and Spanish.

The participants worked project-oriented in multinational teams, which simulated the later professional activity of today’s students. They decided, organized and independently controlled the project tasks and the use of the relevant documentation.
We communicated and cooperated with digital media across borders and implemented effective cognitive interaction in peer groups at international meetings. Participants shared their existing expertise and fact-based knowledge and expanded it with new approaches and insights through the international project approach.
In addition, scientific analysis and interpretation methods could be used, which deepened the school’s practice and prepared for the standards of the universities.

The social interaction with people of different backgrounds, religions and cultural backgrounds led to a reduction of reserves and prejudices, stereotypical thinking, xenophobia and racism. The social integration of migrants and students with a migrant background helped to better understand their situation and their migration motives.
The participants were given an insight into manipulation techniques, the effects of the polarization of the mass media and the rhetoric of populist party languages. They learned about the existence of one-sided mainstream thinking as well as the recognition of “fake news” and “hate speech” and their possible instrumentalization to restrict freedom of expression.

We conducted expert interviews, interviewed contemporary witnesses and migrants, and organized an art workshop to achieve creative results.

As products we created videos, posters, photo collages, sculptures, role plays, a debate as well as a virtual map about “forced exile”.

We deepened knowledge about the history, culture and society of the home country, the partner countries and recognized parallels in the development of Europe. In addition, we improved the competences of the participants in the critical reception of media contributions and the detection of manipulation techniques in speech and text.
Our project promoted differentiated thinking, qualified debates and an appreciative debate culture as well as language skills in native and foreign languages.

Existing technical qualifications and theoretical knowledge were supplemented and improved by soft factors such as group formation and leadership, organization and hands-on work in international teams – also under pressure of time – implementation and motivation, social and intercultural competence, use of modern media, presentation techniques and assessment methods.

In order to share our Erasmus+ activities and results with a larger public, we published them in local and regional newspapers, on our school homepages and on our twinspace homepage.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 200815 Eur

Project Coordinator

August-Horch-Schule BBS Andernach & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Agrupamento de Escolas de Montemor-o-Novo
• I.T.E.T. Leonardo da Vinci – Milazzo
• Gospodarska skola
• LYCEE GENERAL THEOPHILE-GAUTIER
• 3 Geniko Lykeio Galatsi
• Vilniaus Zveryno gimnazija
• IES Manuel de Falla