Odkrivanje kulturne raznolikosti z učenci in njihovimi starši Erasmus Project

Project Title

Odkrivanje kulturne raznolikosti z učenci in njihovimi starši

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 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; Inclusion – equity; Migrants’ issues

Project Summary

Our school stands amid blocks of flats in a culturally diverse part of town. We have coped with issues of migrant students for a number of years. We have developed several methods for their successful integration. Wishing to take a step further, we decided to bring our challenge to an international level. Four other foreign schools with similar issues and students were invited to participate in our project.
The project aimed to: promote tolerance, mutual acceptance and integration of migrant and other students by discovering cultural diversity at school, local and genral public levels; discover different cultures of students through various methods and activities in different areas (music, dancing, cuisine); encourage active involvement in project and school activities;improve students and teachers’ IKT skills and use; provide students with opportunity and encouragement to express their cultural identity; teach students how to live in harmony and help them develop positive attitude towards other cultures;make students understand that learning about other cultures broadens their knowledge and horizon, especially in Europe, which is a mixture of cultures; make students aware of changes in society (migrants, refugees…) and help them develop a positive attitude towards them; enable exchange of good practices on international level;include students, parents, teachers, other school workers and local community in international cooperation; promote the project on local, regional and international level.
Primarily it was students, parents, teachers and other school workers who participated in the project. Local community was actively involved, while various societies took part in project activities. Many other schools got included by taking part in two international fine arts contests in two countries thus expanding the project internationally.
Partner schools organized many activities to reach project goals. Certain traditional school events were adjusted to meet project requirements, others were added. Schools sent each other New Year’s greeting cards with cultural characteristics of individual countries, made by students. All schools placed cards on display. Each school also organized an event, where dances of students from different cultural backgrounds of each school were presented. Students learnt and performed one traditional dance from a partner school. Migrant students’ parents helped with presentation of their dances and culture. Schools used project activities to participate in events of regional cultural societies. Fine arts contest was dedicated to our project and depiction of diverse cultures. At the end of school year, each school worked together with local community to organize an event, where we presented project results, distributed project material and carried out project activities for general public. Students, parents, school workers, local societies, local community members and community representatives were all invited to these events. The second year schools exchanged video greetings in December with students showing Christmas and New Year’s traditions of their cultures. We also prepared an exchange of traditional fairy tales from partner countries, which we did in pairs. Each partner country wrote a script of its traditional fairy tale and sent it to a partner school. Next, students of both schools performed each other’s fairy tale and shot a video of it. Finally, a cultural day was held at schools, on which students could see both fairy tales. The second project year, Turkey set up an exhibition called Child and Peace. Students created works inspired by multiculturalism and peace.
Short and long-term results and effects: migrant students feel better and more included; they have become more successful, school atmosphere has improved, whereas parents and local community have strengthened their ties with the school. Our school successfully cooperated with partner schools and learnt examples of their good practices. Some teachers have overcome their fear of international cooperation. New teams for international projects were formed. Students have learnt about different cultures, have become more aware of them and have developed a positive attitude towards them. Tolerance for marginalized social groups, including migrants and refugees, has increased. We gained new knowledge and experience in an active way. Because of cooperation between schools students could make new international contacts. Students and teachers also became more skilled in IKT and have been using them more often. Different project material was prepared for the purpose of project dissemination. The final product is a collection of material presented in an e-book, dictionary and a short film. We have become aware of fear that foreign cultures may cause, but have also proved that by learning about them, this fear is unnecessary and redundant. This is the message we disseminated on school, local, regional and international level.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 67950 Eur

Project Coordinator

Osnovna sola Jakoba Aljaza Kranj & Country: SI

Project Partners

• Leyla Kahraman Sevim Ertenu Secondary School
• IS “Duca Abruzzi – Libero Grassi”
• Scoala Gimnaziala nr. 1 Voluntari
• Szkola Podstawowa w Pobiedziskach