We lost something, we gained something, and we love each other… Erasmus Project

Project Title

We lost something, we gained something, and we love each other…

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; International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation

Project Summary

The project We lost something, we gained something, and we love each other… deals with the division of Czechoslovakia in 1992. This contemporary historical event, which happened 17 years ago, is only a historical moment for the present young generation. The project is focused on current students of Grammar School Olomouc-Hejčín, Tomkova 45, in the Czech Republic, and students of the Milan Hodža Bilingual Grammar School in Sučany, Slovakia, to provide an opportunity for to learn, through informal learning and a historical-comparative study about the detailed circumstances, reasons, and processes that led to the dissolution of Czechoslovakia. The students´ own field research into the historical experience of survivors in the Czech a Slovak Republic is implemented. The project includes the two schools that participated in a common project to implement a bilingual grammar school education in the Czech Republic and Slovakia with the methodical assistance of the British Government represented by the British Council. Both schools have recently resumed their cooperation and a common project on the topic of their contemporary history will further support their cooperation. The project is realized by Grammar School Olomouc-Hejčín, Tomkova 45, one of the largest grammar schools, offering 3 types of study programmes, including a bilingual Czech-English six-year programme offered since 1991. The partner is the Milan Hodža Bilingual Grammar School in Sučany, Slovakia, which offers a five-year bilingual Slovak-English study programme opened in 1992. Both schools teach through English, so the project activities and outcomes will be conducted in English, which increases the portability of the project to other EU Member Countries. The project will support 30 pupils (15 from the Czech Republic and 15 from the Slovak Republic), as well as 8 teachers. The project conceives several activities that have a unifying theme and lead to the project’s goal – to create a comparative study that will support the pupils who have not experienced the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1992 but who will understand the social and historical facts, causes and main processes. Communication will be carried out using the electronic eTwinning tool and 5 eTwinning conferences will be prepared during the project. Two activities will be carried out in the project to support the target group of teachers to gain experience with eTwinning in education and leadership. By adopting eTwinning and the methodology of working with it, pupils will be able to carry out activities for supported persons.
Other activities will include the visit of the Slovak supported the group of pupils in Olomouc and the Czech supported the group of pupils in Sučany. During these visits, several field interviews with people who directly experienced the dissolution of Czechoslovakia will be carried out and their testimonies will be analyzed, which will complement the previously acquired knowledge.
The project fulfills important key objectives of the Erasmus + program – development of working competencies of supported persons, teaching communication with other generation members, developing critical thinking in analyzing their statements, working with collected material, systematizing it and stating the partial and global conclusions, developing language competences, delivering the educational value of Europe’s cultural heritage through informal and non-formal learning, intercultural approaches to heritage, as well as educational initiatives aimed at promoting intercultural dialogue between pupils from both countries and giving practical support to pupils in line with the idea of the EU – unity in diversity. The projected outcome will be a comparative historical study that shows that, despite the locally escalated emotional atmosphere of the break-up of the common state, the division process was without serious conflicts, both parties had an understanding for their partners and was an example of respecting international principles of international communication. However, the link between the two states is so strong that even after 17 years of their independent existence, the degree of integration is high and involves not only diplomatic, political and economic relations, but also cooperation between educational institutions and ordinary people. The method chosen to build the project on events from contemporary history is easily transferable to other topics and countries.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 44948 Eur

Project Coordinator

Gymnazium Olomouc-Hejcin, Tomkova 45 & Country: CZ

Project Partners

• Bilingvalne gymnazium Milana Hodzu