Freedom: I love you! This declaration of love is somewhat unusual but it applies to every human being that aspires to be, to think and to act freely in order to feel fulfilled. Freedom: I love you! That is also the title of an ambitious Erasmus-plus project which addresses to 15-year old teenagers coming from four countries at the heart of Europe: Germany, Romania, Italy and Greece. Within 24 months, about twenty young people will get to know each other, communicate in French and share their ideas on the topic of freedom which is part of universal basic values beyond cultural differences. Thanks to this project, the pupils will be able to develop their basic knowledge in the fields of reading and writing since they are expected to read and write different sorts of texts (law, journalistic, literary texts) while developing their critical mind in order to answer the question about freedom in our modern society. Further they will improve their proficiency in French and reinforce their motivation to learn this language through innovative methods with etwinning and through the combination of different school subjects such as history, civic education, French as a foreign language, as well as art and music.The initiators of this project have also chosen the French language to be used in reference to the philosophers at the Age of the Enlightenment who spread the ideas of democracy through Europe, to the actors of the French Revolution who wrote the Declaration of Human Rights, and to the cartoonists working for Charlie Hebdo and believing in the freedom of speech as a sacred right. However all the countries of the partner schools have a complex and rich history during which great thinkers and commited authors have laid the foundations of democracy through their texts. This is the reason why the pupils will first study the different texts and laws having to do with freedom in our Western societies. Through their understanding of these texts, the young adults will deepen their knowledge of political education. The main goal is to allow them to become responsible and tolerant adults who will commit themselves to defend the freedoms and the rights of every human being and who will fight against xenophonia that is spread by extreme right movements in our time.Together, the young people will make collages in French and also in their mother tongues; they will make posters for a campaign for "Tolerance and the right to be different." During the international meetings but also in their home regions, they will visit symbolic places that are related to freedom: For example "Square of the liberation" in cities, embassies, headquarters of different international organisations such as UNESCO or Greenpeace. They will meet politicians but also journalists and they will interview them about the status of freedom of speech and of the press today. They will write letters to the editors and write articles for their school newspapers. They will also learn how to draw (political) cartoons. Further they will reflect upon the limits of the freedom of speech on social networks for example. What is more, they will reflect upon the limits to their individual freedom in our modern society because of the influence of the media or fashion, prejudice, the addiction to video games or to their smartphones, or even the school rules. As a result, they will learn to take their lives in hand in order to become free and happy citizens in a Europe at peace. Along this project, the young participants will give free expression to their imagination by taking part in workshops about writing poems, slam, short stories, sketches, songs, by composing pieces of jazz music and by producing works of art linked to the topic of freedom. They may make their own "Statue of Liberty" together which will be exhibited at the school in Gunzburg (Germany).The participants will make all their activities public through the site etwinning but also through several exhibitions in the schools and cities. Our project Erasmus-plus will have an impact on the daily lives and on the way of thinking of all the teenagers while developing their personalities in a sustainable way. The freedom of being and of acting for the good of humanity will become vital.
"Freedom - I love you". That is the title of the Erasmus+-project realised by four partner schools from Germany, Romania, Greece and Italy. From September 2016 till 2018, about 100 teenagers aged from 13 to 17 got to know each other and shared their point of view on the topic of freedom while communicating in French as a tool language. Freedom is part of universal basic values beyond cultural differences. Four major topics around freedom were worked out during four international exchange meetings in the four countries: freedom in democracy and in the Declaration of Human Rights, freedom of speech, religious freedom and tolerance, as well as individual freedom regarding to clothing or music like in jazz. The young people acquired numerous competences during the project. First, they were able to deepen their basic knowledge when reading different sorts of texts (law, journalistic, literary texts) and writing articles for exhibition purposes. Furthermore they developed their IT skills while using the platform eTwinning or appropriate software programs such as Powerpoint. They also learned how to express themselves in front of an audience in order to present the results of their researches according to the different topics. At last they improved their knowledge in the school subjects of history, geography, citizenship education, religion, French, literature, arts and music during the guided tours in places that were most important for the protection of freedom in the past. To name some examples: the Greek Parliament, Acropolis and the interactive museum of Neas Smyrne in Athen in Greece ; a lutherian church and the social housing complex of the Fuggerei in Augsburg as well as the town museum dedicated to Hans and Sophie Scholl (The White Rose) in Ulm in Germany; the monastery Lainici, the fortress of Deva, the town of Targu Jiu around the world famous artist Brancusi and the village church of Baia de Fier in Romania; the old Jewish ghetto in Bologna, the museum of fashion in Florence as well as the historical regional parc of Monte Sole which reminds of the resistance movement during the massacre of Marzabotto in 1944 in Italy. All these places played an important role for freedom thanks to courageous personalities. The teenagers also had the possibility of interviewing politicians (Vice-President of Parliament in Greece), journalists and caricaturists, priests and experts (guides, witnesses, musicians or artists). The exchange in the host families and during group activities helped the teenagers to get rid of their prejudice and to live the culture of their partners. Numerous cultural and artistic activities like traditional dances, mural painting or painting on icons, diverse concerts including the active participation of young musicians and singers from the Erasmus-Groups but also the realization of a fashion show whose clothes were made by the pupils out of recycling products contributed to the success of the project. Strong friendships were tied. At the end of the project, the teenagers had a strong feeling of sharing common democratic values. The participants not only made unforgettable experiences but also became aware of their duty to preserve freedom in every aspect of their lives as future European citizens.