Paper: Past, Present and Prospects Erasmus Project

Project Title

Paper: Past, Present and Prospects

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: International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Cooperation between educational institutions and business

Project Summary

The idea of the project was created during a visit in Penig of 2 teachers from Kemi. Realizing that both cities have a past and present in paper production, the main topic of the project was confirmed after considering the importance of paper in mankind’s daily life, its global history of use in our societies over the centuries and its possibilities of change for our global future. This complexity of a material, which accordingly relates to every school subject, seemed to us a very fruitful theme for an intercultural project between Kemin lyseon lukio in Kemi, Finland, and Freies Gymnasium in Penig, Germany. Secondly, both schools are located in a rural area and lack very lively contacts between age-mates of different cultures. Both schools share the wish to increase their international contacts and are open to collaboration with schools in Europe as well as with local partners to widen their network.

During the project, 28 pupils in the age of 15-17 from Penig and Kemi and several teachers will work together in intercultural groups on the topic of paper. Participants will improve their competencies of intercultural exchange, digital communication, project management, research, working and presentation as well as communication in foreign languages. To open up the participants’ perspective, the project is accompanied by the local paper production enterprises and educators with focus on paper technology. These collaboration partners will be mentors for our pupils.

The project is monitored by 2 project leaders. In preparation of this application, with two visits to each school, phone calls and emails, common objectives and goals of this project have been agreed between the two schools in order to verify a successful working progress.

The project will create a core group in each school of 14 pupils that is going to work on the project for the full school year 2020-21. Participants of this group will have to apply for their participation. This will ensure their long-term commitment and will give an insight to the project leaders about each pupil’s motivation, expectations and English language skills. Pupils from Finland are also able to improve their skills in German through this project.

The core groups of Kemi and Penig will figure out specific questions for their individual research, which focuses on specific thematic fields of paper, e. g. What is the role of paper in human culture, society and economy? How to make our usage of paper sustainable? Questions will be elaborated in intercultural pairs of German and Finnish pupils on consideration of local issues and with collaboration partners. Supported by the project leaders, teachers of connected subjects and mentors, the pairs will develop a common working strategy and timetable for research, building competencies, communication and evaluation by using sharing platforms like eTwinning and other digital tools.

To improve personal relationships and working progress, to set commonly agreed goals and to discuss ways of presentation results, two visits are planned, where pupils meet in each of the others’ city. Experiences of intercultural exchange, getting to know a new culture and new ways of life are also a part of these trips, as well as establishing the wider network by meeting collaboration partners and exchanging working experience and temporary results. Creating pilot projects during the project phases, which can be tested in daily school life or at the city councils’ administration is part of the strategy to keep the project active all year round and helps to change the daily habits of the whole community. The shared evaluation process will help to improve these projects and strengthen their success as models for further influential assets.

As the main result of this project each pair will find answers to their specific questions. The presentation of these answers refers to the topic of the question – pupils will have to choose between an activity project, exhibition, lecture, podcast, movie/video, brochure, etc.

Next to necessary meetings, chats and follow-up presentations within the core groups and their supporters, the project will be implemented in the schools’ annual plans whereby all pupils will come in touch with the topic of paper through launches, presentations, information on websites, social media and printed press. To prepare media content like texts or videos, to create a public relation strategy of the project as well as to manage different media channels, the project leaders will start a press group.

The highest goal of the project is to put as many people as possible in touch with the project’s theme through direct impact or public relations. This would be the base for a sustainable and long-term implementation of the ideas of this project and prepare the school communities in and Kemi for further exchanges even with more European partners.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 35336 Eur

Project Coordinator

Kemin lyseon lukio & Country: FI

Project Partners

• Freies Gymnasium Penig