MORE POWERFUL TOGETHER Erasmus Project

General information for the MORE POWERFUL TOGETHER Erasmus Project

MORE POWERFUL TOGETHER Erasmus Project
July 7, 2020 12:00 am
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Project Title

MORE POWERFUL TOGETHER

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: Early School Leaving / combating failure in education; International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; Inclusion – equity

Project Summary

This project has brought together 1000s of young people from across four nations to learn about the impact of prejudice and discrimination and how to challenge it. From open and frank conversations about life as an LGBTQ+ young person in the UK to the pain faced by young people living with body dysmorphia in Norway we have faced up to big issues head on. It was clear from our first planning meeting in Turkey that we had a lot of diversity in the group of staff that would go on to learn alot from and about each other. We were called More Powerful Together because it might be easier to work alone but far more is achieved when working together. As one wise young person told me in Norway “little streams are nice but when they come together to make a river they can change a landscape”. Our first transnational meeting in the UK saw student from three non english speaking nations speak in english to 1400 young people about the challenges their nation faced around the issue of prejudice and discrimination. It was a powerful moment as a 13 year old Kurdish refugees spoke quietly yet clearly about her dreams of a united world were all got on with each other. In France the visit to the slave quarantine museum followed by the sugar cane plantation gave a living history to the impact of slavery on present day prejudice. Being apart of such a multicultural community helped bring the hope and the truth that we can be More Powerfull Together. To then speak on behalf of Erasmus to hundreds of young people at European Commision Conference in Reunion was a great honor.

Context and background of the project:

Discrimination is a process related to all negative attitudes and behaviors that are prejudiced against individuals or members of a group. Prejudice, can lead to negative attitudes that range from dislike, contempt, avoidance and hate. These need to be challenged and education is the best place, out side of the home, to start. That is why we choose the name “More Powerful Together”. Today we know that there are “people” in the world; different, black and white, male and female, sexual orientations, races, religions and abilities. The person/student who was exposed to discrimination or social exclusion, unfortunately may tend towards low self esteem, mental health issues and social isolation. The partners in this project want to highlight equality between different people, the concept of justice and the power of education to change understanding.
In Turkey the school works supporting and teaching Syrian refugee and Kurdish students. They have first hand knowledge of what if feels like to discriminated against as a refugee. In the UK a lot of work has been done in challenging homophobic abuse to the LGBTQ+ community. Again schools play a key role in informing and inspiring young people to have greater understanding of the history and challenges this community has experienced. In Norway body image and self esteem are seen as one of the greatest challenges faced by young people today. Social media, cyber bullying and negative peer pressure have see a rise in mental health issues including self harm. The slave history and cultural mix of the French Reunion Island teaches us the part that many colonial powers had to play in using people from a different race to make money for counties 1000s of miles away. As part of present day France they have a ongoing challenge to speak out against the rise of the Far Right agenda across mainland Europe and beyond.

As a result of this project the students and staff have…

– a greater understanding of discrimination and prejudice and know their rights about being a ‘human’.
– the confidence to work together in their area of interest without discrimination of race, gender, age, sexualty, religion disability.
– developed their ICT skills enabling them to adapt and raise awareness and campaign in the digital era.
– witnessed first hand good examples of equality and diversity among European countries.
– been able to experience and increase skills in foreign language
– learnt how to effectively collaborate across nations and exchange ideas and learning. This had been passed on to parents, families and the wider community via events, exhibitions and presentations.
– be able to support other students who have a negative attitude against school and lessons because of social exclusion. This has encouraged them to continue their education life.
-learnt the skills to be global citizens in an ever shrinking world.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 144460 Eur

Project Coordinator

The Littlehampton Academy & Country: UK

Project Partners

  • Bergen Katedralskole
  • Congregação Religiosas Escravas S.Eucaristia e Mae Deus
  • Collège MONTGAILLARD
  • Inonu Ortaokulu