School as Peacemakers for Europe Erasmus Project

General information for the School as Peacemakers for Europe Erasmus Project

School as Peacemakers for Europe Erasmus Project
September 14, 2022 12:00 am
172

Project Title

School as Peacemakers for Europe

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: Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning; EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy

Project Summary

The joint project of the German school Europaschule Friesenschule Leer and the Belgian school in Diksmuide with the project name “School as a Peacemaker for Europe” (in German “Schule als Friedensstifter für Europa” SAFE for short) is based on showing young adolescents that dealing with their own history helps to understand the present, to better shape their common European future. If young people are to act as responsible global citizen, knowledge of the economic and political circumstances that affect our lives is essential. We will address current economic and political crises and democratic efforts help students understand that such political circumstances can result in fascism, communism or other forms of dictatorship that later led to national, political freedom and the expansion of the European Union. Hate, agitation and discrimination have recently flared up again in Europe and should not be underestimated as a new danger. There are also terrorist attacks and racially motivated acts of violence, most recently in Hanau. Schools should offer an answer due to students’ interest.
We see our common path to the future based on an understanding of peace processes and opportunities that governments have neglected to manage conflicts. These events have shaped the political and economic change in Europe in the 20th century: We are committed to ensuring that our common Europe and values ​​are safe in the hands of our young people. We have to help them to become the future enlightened Europeans.
The world is again on the brink of a possible (world) war as international leaders such as Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Recep-Tayyip Erdogan endanger peace in Europe and worldwide through dangerous threats. Recognizing the consequences of a war and the associated dramatic experiences should make it clear to the participants aged 15 to 17 that war is not a satisfactory solution to problems. For this reason, today’s students should experience the horrors of war with countless victims and total destruction at former war sites in Flanders in Belgium and at former war sites in East Friesland and Emsland in Germany and use their new knowledge to help ensure that history does not repeat itself. They should take action to preserve peace in Europe.
Our project should include experience-oriented history lessons, which should have lasting effects through the experiences of the students at historically authentic sites. These sites should affect the project participants in such way that they come to the realization that they must actively participate in the peace process.
We summarize our main goals as follows: The students and teachers develop awareness and understanding of different countries and different cultures and are aware of their own cultural identity. In addition they expand their knowledge of different views and develop tolerance and respect for other people and opinions. Thus, they recognize that they understand the current political and economic situation better by dealing with the common European past and develop an understanding of the cause and effect of history in order to apply specialist knowledge when formulating opinions and to take decision taking tolerance and acceptance into account instead of stereotypes and prejudices. Our studetns will be encouraged to see themselves as mature and critical global citizens or Europeans who will be actively involved in politics in the future. By working with other European youths our students learn to take responsibility and learn about the consequences in terms of sustainable development regarding project activities and results.
Our above goals should be achieved by joint visitis to former battlefields of WW1 in Flanders (Belgium) and Memorial Sites of WW2 in East Frisia and Emsland (Germany) to affect the students emotionally and mentally to aim and support empathy. Self-designed workbooks on these topics ensure an intensive discussion of the joint topics and are the basis of the later booklets of the results that will be made available to the community.
Joint visits to museums and original locations allow a better understanding of the common European history.
Walking and “feeling” places and historically significant objects make history understandable and has a much higher learning effect than conventional history lessons. The active participation in commemorative events (Last Post at the Menen gate in Ypres, Belgium) sensitizes to a great extent and gives impressions that the students will not forget for a lifetime in accordance with sustainable development.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 54240 Eur

Project Coordinator

Europaschule Friesenschule Leer & Country: DE

Project Partners

  • ‘t Saam Campus Aloysius