Cooperation of students (aged 13-15) from Denmark/Spain/Poland and Austria with people with special needs carrying out activities and workshops on a national level in different cultural / social / sports / environmental and arts contexts in order to foster social inclusion. Throughout the course of the project, there will be various opportunities to involve people with disabilities and special needs to foster social inclusion and to bring them in connection with students from participating schools. Project partners will find one or more institutions or training facilities for people with special needs in order to cooperate with them on a national level. Students will get an in-school training carried out by professionals for handicapped people in order to integrate the topic “inclusion” at school and to put it on the daily curriculum. As a following step students will transfer their knowledge gained in the theoretical training at school to practical training sessions at local institutions that care for handicapped and disadvantaged people. As a third step experiences gained in in-school training and in the cooperation with handicapped people at the local institution will be transferred on a European level and exchanged with project partners. Transnational exchange of experiences, knowledge and best practices in relation to social inclusion of challenged people on a European level through students' exchanges is carried out. On transnational project meetings students and teachers should exchange their training experiences, best practices and knowledge with other project partners. Apart from exchanging experiences and knowledge gained in the national workshops the project should also foster social, linguistic and cultural exchange between the partners on a European level. Therefore city tours, social, cultural and sports activities should be carried out during the transnational visits and students' exchanges in order to intensify European integration, values and cooperation and the attitude towards European projects and institutions. Participating partners have also planned various products to dessiminate gained experience and knowledge: e.g. blog, Facebook-groups, brochure, videos, pictures, virtual platforms, eTwinning project etc.. Students will also participate in the implementation and organisation of the project through meetings, discussions, production of output and communication via virtual platforms with other partners which also promotes students' entrepreneurship. Students will also acquire self-confidence and when they are confronted with new experiences and people with difficulties and; they will gain new skills and competences useful to their social and personal development. What is more, when going abroad they will learn about formal and informal techniques of social inclusion on a national and international level, about other people's culture, language, arts and lifestyle and they will learn to appreciate diversity. The main purpose of the project is to encourage social inclusion and to raise cultural awareness. For this reason, the expected impacts to be achieved are: increased competence in foreign languages and digital competence, greater understanding and responsiveness to social, linguistic and cultural diversity, increased motivation and satisfaction in daily life, to develop and activate the principles of diversity, tolerance and the intergenerational solidarity, to appreciate different points of view from people all over Europe. This project, through its methodology and dissemination measures will have immediate effects on the students in terms of creativity, self confidence as well as their motivation for language learning. Teachers will gain team work skills, and they will have the opportunity to cooperate in a better way from an interdisciplinary point of view. Schools will have the chance to cooperate with local authorities and thus gain a different status in the local community. What is more, families will be more involved into school life, so that schools can fulfil their missions of being social institutions which are able to connect different generations and educate students for life, helping them turn into active, caring citizens.
Context: During the long Comenius partnership between Austria and Denmark the partners found out that the problem of exclusion of youn people from society due to lack of training and knowledge of treachers and students had existed. Two other proejct partners interested in the project title: Crossing Borders: New Approached to Inclusion" were found on the eTwinning platform. The project bases on three main pillars and contained the following main activities: 1. Training Area: was based in-school training. Project classes, students, teachers' and project relevant subjects were selected.The topic "Inclusion of disabled young people" was introduced/discussed and treated in a methodological way. Students got theoretical input about the project topic and also how ot behave and to get along with disabled people. Students were also actively involved in the managment and organisation of the project using ICT and digital open resources Main activities: in-class discussions, visits of professionals in class, presentations to disseminate the project, preparing students' exchanges 2. Training Area: was the cooperation with a professional institution that offers different professional programs and facilities for disabled people. In this training students/teachers carried out 5 workshops based on different topics (music, craft, sports, social and culutral matters) Participants built relationships to challenged people. Students and teachers got professional information from the experts. Main activities: regular visits of partner institution 3. Training Area: in 4 transnational students' exchanges took place with a duration of 6 days each in each partner country. Each partner hosted 24 students and 6 teachers at each exchange. Main activities: getting to know/social/farewell activities, progress presentations, exchange/discussion of experiences in the work with disabled people, visits of local institutions, cultural evening, logo competition, visits of touristic and cultural places, The main objective of this project was to raise awareness of the topic among students, teachers, school administration and to furnish these stakeholders with a certain theoretical knowledge about the problems disadvantaged/excluded people face in general in society. Students and teachers should get in regular contact with disabled peole and lose their prejudices and fears. Participating institutions: Project coordinator: BG/BRG Judenburg, a lower and upper grammar school that has participated in several international projects. 3 Partners: Gimnazjum nr 2 im. Polskich Alpinistow w Koninie, a lower secondary school with individualizes units, integrating pysically and menally diabled students. Sofiendalskolen, a primary and secondary school, with a wide range of students from different social classes. C.C. ABAD SOLA, a school with comprising a nursery, primary and compulsory secondary school. The project had the following impact and results: - a deep impact on the participant schools as they working methods through a common approach, exchanging experiences of good practice through networking, defining innovative practices to modernize the learning programmes were implemented during the project - new skills for students, reflecting on permanent changes to their daily habits, more self confidence and improvement of their social and personal development - increase of the sense of tolerance and solidarity of youth towards those having less opportunities; particularly in disadvantaged areas - a sustainable development of the project considering the use of the virtual platforms and open source facilities carrying out exchange of good practices and publishing project products - a better involvement of students in the school activities implementing strategic use of ICT and innovative learning methods to reduce early school leaving - to implement methods and training of social inclusion and enable quality learning for all to prevent drop out and take care of students with disadvantages - transfer of theoretical knowledge from cooperating institution to students in-school and application of students’s theoretical knowledge back to active use at cooperating institutions in the practical training - transfer and sharing of theoretical and practical knowledge with other project partners - collection of documents, open resources an best practices to fight exclusion - establishing a sustainable cooperation with local institutions for disabled people - to furnish students with knowledge, skills and abilities which make them later more employable and more competitive The project had a long-term benefit on the partnership. The cooperation between the schools an the local partner institutions were intensified and further activities are planned. Furthermore this project had such a successful impact on all scholls that the same partners applied for another Erasmus+ project based on creative teaching methods which was approved by the NA in September 2017.