Peace is not free Erasmus Project

Project Title

Peace is not free

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 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Cultural heritage/European Year of Cultural Heritage; Inclusion – equity; Migrants’ issues

Project Summary

“Peace is not free” has been an exchange of good practices project that lasted 3 years, because of Covid-19 emergency. The idea of the project was born during a CLIL History lesson, when we were reflecting upon a sentence written on the wall near the “Korean war Veterans Memorial” in Washington DC. The sentence is “Freedom is not free” and means that freedom is always the result of the sacrifice of many people. In the same way Peace is not free: the period of peace that Europe is now living comes from the sacrifices of million people who died during different wars. Our project, has led people involved through a historical journey in which they have deepened their knowledge about places related to war events, commemorating them through the analysis of poems, music and songs, meeting people who experienced the war. All these activities created into the participants a new awareness of the value of the peace. They have also understood the motivations that compel emigrants and immigrants to leave their countries, escaping from material and immaterial wars (economical, racial and religious issues). Through these activities, people have understood the real reasons of migration flows.
Objectives
Our objectives have been the exchange of good practices, the social and European cultural heritage, the social inclusion and the knowledge of migrants’ issues. These were achieved by the knowledge of past events through the study of historical places, songs and music.The project has been written in collaboration with our partners from Romania, Croatia and Spain. We met on eTwinning Forum.
Participants
In the original project there were 4 short term exchanges of group of pupils and school staff, indeed only 3 of them took place. The last one was cancelled because of the pandemic. The most part of our students were attending online lessons, so also a blended mobility appeared impossible to realise. Nevertheless students realized the in between tasks. The selection of pupils for the mobilities has been based on their interest in the project, on their personal involvement and on their skills. Teachers have been chosen considering their knowledge of English, ICT practice and their social skills. In between the short term mobilities the school, as a whole, has been involved in the tasks. The selection has involved not only pupils with good results but also pupils from disadvantaged families as they are mainly subjected to early school leaving or ethnic or social discrimination. School teachers have been involved in project activities by helping and supporting pupils to achieve all of the activities of the project workplan. Pupils participated to project activities in school and other places like libraries, museums, historical monuments. The project information and products are currently used in extracurricular and interdisciplinary activities. Pupils’ age involved in our schools is from 3 to 20. Other beneficiaries have been teachers from other nearby schools who participated to dissemination activities. They can use our project outputs in their school courses as teaching support. We have involved pupils’ parents, local administration, workers in libraries, NGO’s volonteers, local people interested in project activities. Regular meetings have been held to inform parents about project activities and products, they regularly have helped teachers in the organization of activities and have also hosted pupils during the mobilities. Other local partners took part to exhibition events of project activities which were organized in school, local libraries, town halls and other educational institutions.
Activities
Places linked to war events have been described in brochures prepared before the meetings. The brochures are the result of a previous interdisciplinary work of selection and analysis of relevant places. The pupils worked in cooperative learning groups using ICT. The brochures are written in English, in order to improve language skills. During each meeting the students have fulfilled different tasks: logo contest in Romania, recital of poems about war and production of an e-book in Croatia, presentation of video interviews in Spain, research of war songs.
Methodologies
Inductive and deductive method
Learning by doing
Cooperative learning and tutoring
Brain storming
Outdoor training
Problem solving
E- learning
Developing multiple intelligences
Impact
The outputs of the project have been shown on websites, local newspapers and television broadcast. We are sure that all the stakeholders will have long term benefits from the work done. We hope that the new awareness acquired will have a positive influence on people’s attitude towards inclusion, remembering that real inclusion makes people feel equal, valued and important within society.

Project Website

https://sites.google.com/view/peaceisnotfree/home

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 86594 Eur

Project Coordinator

ISTITUTO COMPRENSIVO GRAZIA DELEDDA – SAN GIOVANNI BOSCO & Country: IT

Project Partners

• IES MIGUEL ROMERO ESTEO
• Scoala Gimnaziala Nr. 1 Marsani
• l. osnovna skola Cakovec