United in Diversity: Language and Culture as the Fundament of European Identity Erasmus Project

Project Title

United in Diversity: Language and Culture as the Fundament of European Identity

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: International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy; Social dialogue

Project Summary

The European Union stands for diversity, respect and tolerance. Although we hold these values to be self-evident, the rise of nationalism all across Europe over the previous years has shown that we must never take them for granted: peace, stability and prosperity are the final consequence of intercultural understanding, a European core competence that needs to be acquired in school. As a result, we saw it as our duty as teachers to design a project that aims recognizing diversity and promoting interaction between people from different origins.

In this school exchange project the partner schools in Catalonia, the Basque Country, Andalusia, Brittany and Styria, are located in regions rich in cultural heritage: linguistic varieties, history, art, dance, music, food and social values. We want our students, aged 14-17, to encounter the variety of these regions’ local traditions and cultural habits. Learning about them is essential, but to experience them in reality will promote the development of a European identity: during the mutual exchange students will find out similarities and disparities among them. The will discover that cultural traits and differences contribute to a colorful, enriching and diverse European society, while joint values and shared opinions and common interests make it cohesive and strong.

The partner schools will develop a common curriculum covering a wide range of topics. These topics will be prepared and implemented in regular teaching in the respective schools. Progress, opinions and outcome will be shared online via e-twinning, documented on social media, collected and summarized during the exchange in Graz. The project’s results will be presented by students and teachers in an information fair during Europe Week in May as well as on the respective school homepages year books.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 81889 Eur

Project Coordinator

BG Georgigasse (Graz International Bilingual School) & Country: AT

Project Partners

• Estudio Agora SAU
• FUNDACIÓN LEGARRA ETXEBESTE
• Lycée René Descartes
• Colegio Compañía de María de San Fernando