Young Eyes on Europe Erasmus Project

Project Title

Young Eyes on Europe

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

Project Summary

In 2017, a partnership agreement was established between Städtisches Gymnasium Delbrück and Petrus en Paulus Centrum in order to stimulate exchanges between both schools.The general purpose of this exchange project was to enhance the level of European consciousness of students of both schools and to have them discovering the culture of another European country from within the inside. To experience daily life of their exchange partners, it was originally planned that students were supposed to stay in host families. Unfortunately, due to some difficulties because of family problems, small houses or flats of partipants´ families, students had to spend nights in youth hostels or hotels.

By studying a series of challenges Europe is considering to be priorities, students were invited to cast a critical eye on the context in which these challenges emerge. They then analysed the problems these challenges bring about and formulated answers and provided solutions based on thorough research. They worked in mixed groups using English as language of communication.

The German and Belgian students participating in this school exchange were between 15 and 22 years old. The maximum number of participants is 30 students per academic year, i.e. fifteen students from each school. In the first year, the German side had problems of recruiting students – though it was advertised as a volunteer project right from the beginning – so that in the end eight students enrolled for participating in the project. In the second year, it was totally different and there were 23 students who were eager to come along. The Belgian school did not have this problem as certain classes were chosen to participate in this project, e.g. economy class.

When visiting Delbrück, the focus of the exchange was mainly put on the economic dynamics of Europe, while when visiting Ostend, students studied Europe from a historical and political point of view. The different company visits and city visits that were part of the program were organised according to what was studied in the working sessions. This way, students had a better understanding of the implementation of practices they discussed in their research.

The posts published on the project´s website (https://youngeyesoneurope.wordpress.com/) reflect the activities students of the exchange between GyD and PPC – since year 2 Sint-Jozef Petrus & Paulus – took part in. They are the result of an intensive program of reflecting on Europe from different angles (history, economy, politics, society, …). The students were invited to discover Europe not only through studying it, but also through living it. They connected, built bridges, but also casted a critical eye on the problems they saw and went in search of solutions.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 47834 Eur

Project Coordinator

Städtisches Gymnasium Delbrück & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Petrus & Paulus Centrum Sint-Jozefinstituut