Unity in diversity – Bridging cultural gaps in Europe’s Baltic Sea region Erasmus Project

Project Title

Unity in diversity – Bridging cultural gaps in Europe’s Baltic Sea region

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: Teaching and learning of foreign languages; Cultural heritage/European Year of Cultural Heritage; Key Competences (incl. mathematics and literacy) – basic skills

Project Summary

Inspired by the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018 and by the idea of preserving and cultivating traditions, our schools, the Bernstorff-Gymnasium Satrup and our former partner school, the Forssan yhteislyseo in Finland, wanted to initiate a new long-term project. As schools from two cultures in the Baltic Sea region, we aimed to discover, document, question, and, above all, live common European, but also nationally and regionally different roots, customs and traditions.
Over the two years of the cross-border and interdisciplinary project having started in September 2018, German and Finnish students in year eleven and twelve together with their teachers wanted to compare the cultural values of the two countries Germany and Finland on different levels (national, regional, institutional, individual). The aim was to show that cultural differences can be overcome by exploring common European as well as individual country-specific values. The shared connection was to be felt and experienced to live up to our project title “Unity in diversity – Bridging cultural gaps in Europe’s Baltic Sea region”. Representing the countries of the Baltic Sea region, Germany and Finland were studied and compared with other countries in the same region.
What was typically German, what was typically Finnish and what was typically European? Shared European roots and values were to be found by exploring German and Finnish cultural heritage and landscapes, as well as by analysing language and cultural activities. At the same time, differences and stereotypes were to be critically examined in order to further the intercultural competences of all those involved.
A large number of students and teachers were involved in the project. In the next two school years, fifteen German and Finnish students aged fifteen to eighteen and two accompanying teachers from each of the schools took part in the mobility each year, as part of a reciprocal six-day student exchange (November 2018/19 and May 2019/20). The aim was to gain experience with a foreign, yet at the same time European culture on a family, educational and national level, and to work on the project topic in direct dialogue with each other. On top of this, two short exchanges (4 days) for two teachers in each case were held in September 2018/19 to prepare and follow up the individual aspects of the project. In addition to the student and teacher exchange, the project was supported by students in the whole year and their subject teachers, as whole classes, or in Finland whole courses, worked on aspects of the project as part of an interdisciplinary approach.
Communication and digital skills were promoted by a poetry slam, a staged play and/or a role play about the topic “Clash of cultures”, as well as the documentation of the play in form of a film. This supported the holistic approach to the learning and teaching of languages.
Language and social competence were the focus of a country-specific celebration under the heading “Baltic Sea region – transnational, national and regional traditions” organized by participating students.
The search for cultural traces, which was developed and undertaken by students, for instance on excursions to chosen German and Finnish cultural landscapes, was a milestone of the project.

What do memorials and street names tell us about our cultural past? Where do regional and national customs come from? Are there parallels in Europe?

These questions and many others were answered. That search awakened curiosity and interest in historical, geographical and cultural similarities with and differences from the partner country.
Expert-interviews and surveys on traditions, cultural roots and values were prepared, conducted and interpreted in the arts and humanities subjects. The evaluation of the empirical survey was visualized and published on the internet pages of both schools, as well as on the Finnish web-learning platform Peda.net in order to make the results accessible to other schools, parents and anyone else who may be interested.
The same goes for other project results and products – these were shared with the public through the internet, or with exhibitions in the schools and communities and through local press.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 55208 Eur

Project Coordinator

Bernstorff – Gymnasium Satrup & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Forssan yhteislyseo