Our European future, a Belgian and German dialogue Erasmus Project

Project Title

Our European future, a Belgian and German dialogue

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 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Teaching and learning of foreign languages

Project Summary

During the Erasmus + regional seminar ‘Ecole sans frontières! Schools without borders! (January 2020 in Saarbrücken) the partner schools ‘Community School Friedrichsort’ (Kiel, Germany) and ‘VKO BB’ (Opwijk, Belgium) have decided on a project with the two schools.
The eTwinning school VKO BB was looking for a way to upgrade its classes ‘modern languages’ and to offer students learning opportunities in other countries and cultures.
The comprehensive school Friedrichsort was looking for a long-term exchange project for its older students in oder to give them the opportunity to get to know other European cultures and languages ​​and to deepen their knowledge of the second foreign language, French.
The project ‘Our European future, a Belgian and German Dialogue’ was developed at the seminar in Saarbrücken.
Schoolchildren of class 12 (age: 17/18) deal with various topics within a school year that currently affect their own daily life. One of the main goals is to strengthen the European idea and to develop a differentiated view of European problems and opportunities through personal encounters and shared discussion of various topics. Among other things, the students deal with stereotypes, with national peculiarities, with the effects of climate change and the possibilities of climate protection in their own school and region.
Thanks to eTwinning, which is also used in the KA229 project, a large group is able to participate in the international project and exchange material. There are also two exchanges planned. At the end of September, the German pupils will welcome 15 Belgian pupils and two teachers. In March the Belgian pupils will host 15 German pupils and two teachers.
The pupils participating in the exchange are selected on a voluntary basis and deepen the above-mentioned topics during the project in partner and group work. One advantage is that there is a lot of room for creativity and independent work and the pupils are always forced to review their own perspective. Furthermore, the pupils are instructed to work in a comparative and discovering way and to engage more intensively with their own region and the neighboring country through regular exchanges.
The project takes place in French and German and will encourage students to improve their skills in the target language by alternating between French and German at work to communicate with each other. The students also deepen their ‘21st century skills’: working together, being creative, being critical, solving problems, developing ICT skills, communicating and refining how to use new media. The teachers also improve their ICT skills, work together, exchange material and deepen their knowledge of the respective neighboring European country.
The result of the project is a European or a German-Belgian logo that can act as an advertising medium on postcards or bags and can stand against nationalism and racism for a strong, united Europe, on a small or large scale. These results can and should be passed on to various European institutions in order to reach the largest possible audience. They will of course also be made available to the two school communities. A TwinSpace, a website / blog and an eBook are also created and all products are linked.
The experiences that the pupils and teachers gain during the project convey to all participants an intense examination of a European neighbour. They strengthen the European idea of ​​overcoming rigid borders and they support openness and liberalness.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 6000 Eur

Project Coordinator

Gemeinschaftsschule Friedrichsort & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Vrij Katholiek Onderwijs Opwijk