Quo vadis European Union? Past, present and future of the European Union Erasmus Project

Project Title

Quo vadis European Union? Past, present and future of the European Union

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: EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy; Cultural heritage/European Year of Cultural Heritage; Migrants’ issues

Project Summary

The EU is a unique project in history. A targeted economic integration should serve to secure peace in Europe in the future and thus increase the prosperity of its citizens. In the 21st century, however, it faces new challenges that threaten its cohesion. This polycrisis of the EU makes it clear that there can be no future for the EU without the youth. Many young people feel insecurity and lack of understanding when it comes to political and financial stability in the EU. They do not trust the existing political system and have little interest in questions of political and social life. They also feel unable to form their own political opinion about the European Union. The two-year project “Quo vadis European Union? Past, Present and Possible Future of the European Union” aims to change this situation by giving young people knowledge, skills and a positive attitude towards the EU, which will encourage them in the future to publicly stand up for European integration and its values. The project, which was mainly integrated into regular lessons, thus also strengthens the European dimension of the individual schools. Schools (5 secondary schools, 1 vocational school) from 6 different countries (England, Poland, Belgium, Romania, Italy, Germany) participated. The primary working languages were English and French. The pupils of the 5 project schools dealt with different aspects of the EU for more than two years. The focus in the first year was on important historical events, but also on the cultural, historical and political elements that unite us as Europeans. The individual partner schools worked on these topics on a division of labour and the results were made available to everyone on the E-Twinning platform. Video conferences via G-Suite and email exchange of the coordinators took place at regular intervals to inform about the status of the project. At the first AUL in Liège, exemplary results from the individual schools were presented in their mother tongue, English and French and were discussed in terms of content as well as methodological and didactic aspects. Topics were among others: the most important steps of European unification, famous personalities, the myth of Europe etc.. According to their own account, the students of almost all partner schools had little or no knowledge about the institutions or policy areas of the EU. Many young people do not feel addressed by the EU or are overwhelmed by the flood of information or non-transparent structures. By dealing with the historical development, current problems and the question of how the EU can be made attractive for young people, the students were able to expand their knowledge and question attitudes. A visit to the European Parliament and the House of European History also helped to illustrate the influence of the EU on our everyday lives. The AUL in Liège was evaluated by an evaluation sheet prepared by the Polish school. In addition, each school evaluated the project at the end of each project phase. At the ESS e.g. also on the basis of the quality handbook but also through classroom interviews. In the second year of the project the focus was on identifying areas of EU policy such as refugee problems, environmental protection, freedom of travel etc. in order to highlight the need for European cooperation. Subsequently, the question of how young people can be inspired for the idea of Europe followed. The students developed concepts, flyers, films and social media to present content in a way that is suitable for young people. The partner schools worked on these topics in a division of labour. For example, the Belgian school examined nationalist trends, the Romanian school presented aspects of the freedom of travel. Results such as Powerpoints, films and flyers were uploaded on the results platform as well as on e-twinning and a specially created website. The Corona Pandemic did not allow for a second AUL, instead a video conference was held under the leadership of the ESS and the Italian school. In this conference, the results, which had been developed on the basis of a division of labor, were presented and discussed. 4 students and 2 teachers from each partner school participated. At the end of the project, the students showed an enormous increase in knowledge and interest in European topics. At the ESS, for example, the wish was expressed to set up a regular discussion group. The final evaluation of the coordinators was also carried out via video conference. It also became clear that the e-twinning platform and collaborative forms need to be given greater priority.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 58972,81 Eur

Project Coordinator

Edith-Stein-Schule, Akademie für Erzieher, Bischöfliche Fachschule für Sozialpädagogik & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Scoala Superioara Comerciala Nicolae Kretzulescu
• The BRIT School for Performing Arts & Technology
• Athénée Communal Maurice Destenay
• V Liceum Ogolnoksztalcace z Oddzialami Dwujezycznymi im. K. J. Zamoyskiego w Dabrowie Gorniczej
• Istituto Tecnico Industriale Statale Luigi Dell’Erba