Spectrum – United by Diversity Erasmus Project

Project Title

Spectrum – United by Diversity

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 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Creativity and culture; Integration of refugees

Project Summary

At a time when the European Union is experiencing a difficult period, it is even more important to foster social cohesion between different nations in Europe and, above all, in our schools, where different nationalities come together.
Through this thought our project “Spectrum – United by Diversity” emerged. Our main goal is to bring groups together, which, currently, are splitted up by cultural, linguistic and economical differences, by working together and consequently opening their minds to see the positive aspects of diversity.
We are four schools situated in Germany, The Netherlands, Portugal and Spain, which have a diverse student community. The German school has about 80% of German pupils with a migration background. Furthermore, it has six classes for pupils from other countries who have to start learning German before joining the regular classes. Many of them are fluent in more than one language but can not speak German when they arrive. The Dutch and the Portuguese School have a similar situation. The Spanish school has less pupils from other countries, but a higher rate of pupils with learning difficulties. We chose to work with other European partners, two of which are Anglo-Saxon and the other two Mediterranean, who are in the same or similar situation in order to exchange different experiences and methods to reach our main goal.
We plan six meetings, in total, with our school partners in a two year time span. In the first and the last meeting only teachers will be involved, where the possibilities of eTwinning are going to be presented, agreements on procedures and details will be taken and the final evaluation will be carried out.
During the exchanges the students take part in four workshops: Theater, Sports, Global Issues and Debating. We have chosen these topics because we believe to reach our goals by offering two creative (Theater and Sports) workshops, in which they have the chance to express their creativity, reduce fears and gain confidence, and two formal (Debating and Global Issues) workshops, in which they become aware of the existence of different positions and attitudes, and the importance to afford compromise and the will to agree on a solution that everybody can support.
In the Theater Workshop students learn different ways of expressing their emotions and feelings, recognizing that others have similar ones. By designing self-potraits, sketches on the topic “stereotypes” or acting solely with body language, they develop understanding and tolerance on an emotional level, in order to fight prejudices. For the students in the Sports Workshop we aim at self-consciousness, self- confidence as well as the benefits of teamwork. Everybody will have the opportunity to learn a new type of sport (Korfball, skiing, relay race, traditional dances,…). With Global Issues we want to raise awareness for global problems (how we see ourselves and others, locally produced healthy food -visiting local farms-, ecological, ethical and health related consequences of meat consumption) and how to solve them together, by discovering that there are always multiple perspectives to an issue. In Debating we want to practice skills needed in democratic systems to raise awareness for democratic values. In simutlated committees, students discuss topics like multiculturalism or eating habits and their consequences for the environment. The students must then come to an agreement and present a solution.
All of the presented workshops are planned to be an integral part of our school curriculum.

With our project we aim to reach a successful integration and the consciousness that mutual acceptance of different socializations and cultural backgrounds are equally a starting point of the common life and learning. In addition its an important chance for our students to experience the European idea directly by working together and finding solutions in consensus.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 14750 Eur

Project Coordinator

Aletta-Haniel-Gesamtschule & Country: DE

Project Partners

• STICHTING OPENBAAR ONDERWIJS JAN VAN BRABANT
• Institut Antoni de Martí i Franquès
• Agrupamento de Escolas Nuno Gonçalves