Tyrrhenum Erasmus Project

Project Title

Tyrrhenum

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: EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy; Creativity and culture; Early School Leaving / combating failure in education

Project Summary

France and Italy are founding countries of the European construction project. These two countries have maintained close historical, cultural, human and economic ties long before the contemporary era. Their respective cultures, rich in their cross-cultural contributions, are fundamental elements of Europe’s cultural heritage. France would probably not be the same without Italy and the Italians and vice versa. However, beyond a few clichés, one may wonder about the real knowledge that these two peoples have of each other today, especially for the younger generations. From ignorance to animosity or even hostility, the distance is tenuous and history teaches us that it can be crossed quickly.
Faced with the rise of populist movements advocating withdrawal into the national fold, Europe is undeniably going through an identity crisis. The sense of belonging to a community of European citizens seems to be eroding. The aim of the Tyrrhenum project is to enable pupils to become aware of the European dimension of their identity by showing to what extent the French and Italian national identities and cultures were initially constructed and even co-constructed in a close, fruitful and almost permanent relationship nourished by exchanges and economic, artistic or scientific contacts coupled with substantial human mobility.
From an educational point of view, the study of the cultural heritage of the countries of the partner establishments, the J-P de Rocca-Serra high school in Corsica and the IIS R.Cartesio high school in Italy, and the highlighting of the influences received and exerted between France and Italy should make it possible to understand European cultural and social diversity while highlighting the deeply integrating nature of the European cultural heritage.
Working in collaboration with schools in different countries, around common projects based on the European cultural heritage understood as a synthesis and overcoming national cultural heritage, should help us to build a common future around the values of European citizenship, in a peaceful and constructive framework.
The project of creating a bilingual Franco-Italian intercultural quiz exploring cultural and human but also economic, political, scientific or social relations, over time, between these two countries will allow each one to discover the other and their European identity. The development of this quiz will be based on the setting up of a virtual e-twinning class bringing together the pupils and teachers participating in the project in the two partner schools. This joint project will be an opportunity for teachers to collaborate and share professional skills and learn from each other’s practices. In addition, the use of innovative teaching aids and the setting up of binational groups of pupils will be a motivating factor for the most vulnerable pupils and will help to combat early school leaving. The project is developing a strong focus on inclusive education by enabling pupils with disabilities to participate in the project in their home school.
More than a hundred pupils will be directly involved in the project and mobility, as well as around twenty teachers and the two principals. The participants have been selected among the pupils of the 2nd year classes who are following courses in Italian or French. On a voluntary basis, the first 50 participants in the project for the year 2020/21 joined the project from the very beginning in December 2019. The group of pupils is composed of 38 girls, completed by 12 boys, all aged between 15 and 17. One of these pupils is severely disabled and one is from the J-P Rocca-Serra vocational school . In addition to the knowledge of the language, which is an obvious factor in the selection of the volunteers, social and cultural criteria have been integrated to favour the greatest number of volunteers. In 2021/22, 50 students will be added in the public of new students entering the 2 high schools with the same criteria. The 15/17 year old students will spend 3 years in our high schools, which ensures continuity of the project over time. This project is supported by a rich partnership with cultural actors from both countries to ensure a wide diffusion, on local TV in Corsica or with writers and a theatre company in Italy. This collaboration will federate a network of high schools and will deepen an exchange already underway between IIS R.Cartesio and European high schools on new bases for the construction of shared knowledge.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 65848 Eur

Project Coordinator

Lycée Jean-Paul de Rocca Serra & Country: FR

Project Partners

• IIS CARTESIO