Summary of the project “Living Values – We for Europe – Europe for us”: intercultural and social responsibility as a contribution to the European education for democracy and vocational integration Background and goals: In times of populist manipulation of the public opinion and questioning of the European and democratic achievements, we see the need for a project among partners which improves the social and intercultural abilities (including foreign languages), of our students and which strengthens our civil society. It is the goal that our students will develop to responsible, active European citizens, and that it will be easier for them to get access to the European field of education and business. Both aspects are understood important for a succeeding democratization and Europanization. Participants: The project is designed for secondary school level II students. About 40 students participate actively in the transnational learning activities. Additionally, all students of secondary school level II and a large number of students of other levels (class 9 and 10) participate in learning and project activities within the institutions. In the extended work on the project, about 20 participating teachers are involved, who, according to their core competences, take different responsibilities (e.g. project management, carrying out activities, evaluation, monitoring, distribution and publication of results). The core team comprises six teachers. “Scrutinize values”: The connected conveyance of democratic-liberal and social values and the contextualization of a value system in its historical and current development will be integrated in both, curricular and extra-curricular lessons, as well as in visits of extra-curricular places such as “Auschwitz” or “Bollendorf – Stolpersteine”. The theme will be connected with the students’ lifeworld, as the students will develop an opinion poll on the subject “Values of Young People”, which they will carry out in their schools. The results will be evaluated and compared throughout the participating countries. “Living Values": We for Europe – Europe for us: We follow an approach of task-based learning which leads the theoretical basics into the students’ lifeworld. The students develop presentations with examples of their social and democratic responsibility in school and parish, which they present in an international frame. In a further international project, they develop new projects of social activities, which the carry independently in their schools and parishes. The conditions and requirements of a succeeding European cooperation will be evaluated and the causality between a social participation and a responsible European citizenship will be demonstrated. A photography exhibition that will be opened durin a further international product activity, will document the projects of participation and convey social esteem which encourages students to participate in further activities. Experts, such as politicians and citizens who are active in social matters will contribute further lectures. “Europe for us”: We understand the second aim, to facilitate the vocational integration of our students, as a contribution to promote the national as well as the European citizenship. The integration of socially and interculturally sensitive employees guarantee respect an openness and thus, in the long run, contribute to a democratic Europanization. The importance of intercultural, social and foreign language skills as key skills will become obvious through vocational orientation measures. In a transnational activity, the students develop international application forms, in which they include their project experiences. “Sustainable added value”: The transnational concept of our project realizes a European added value, as it reacts on the necessity not to consider European achievements as given, but to understand them as a common European task. The rise of social and democratic participation strengthens the society before the background of free, democratic values. For the Institutions, the sustainable goal is pursued to promote the curricular development for the students in the fields of social participation, a Europanization of vocational orientation and European networking. The improvement of vocational integration will have a sustainable impact on the students’ educational and working life biographies. It will promote positive opinions of the opportunities a united Europe can offer. Future employers and secondary educational institutions will benefit from this development.
Background and goals: The project`s aim was to improve the social, intercultural and foreign language skills as well as the historical knowledge of German-Polish history through a multifaceted confrontation with free democratic and social values, and thus to contribute to the strengthening of the civil society commitment and the democratic and European consciousness of the participants. By promoting a mature, active EU citizenship and integration into a European employment and educational biography, the project reacted to developments in Europe that were marked by a resurgence of populist propaganda, an increase in Euroscepticism and the questioning of democratic achievements and political institutions. Participants: The project was designed for pupils at secondary level 2. The transnational learning and project activities directly involved 41 pupils from the two partner countries (ages: 16-18, m: 10, w: 30), including hosting a guest pupil and visiting the partner country. A total of 49 pupils were involved in other project activities of the transnational learning activities and the Erasmus+-working group. In addition, learning groups from grades 9 and 10 and from secondary level 2 of approx. 150 pupils were involved in further different project activities within the institutions. The extended project work involved 13 participating teachers who, depending on their key competences, assumed different responsibilities (project management, implementation of activities, evaluation, monitoring, dissemination and publication of results). The close project team comprised 5 teachers in Germany and 5 teachers in Poland. Activities/Results: 1) "Scrutinize values": The teaching of democratic-free and social values and the contextualisation of value attitudes in their historical and current developments was integrated into curricular teaching, project-related activities and visits to extracurricular learning venues (concentration camp Auschwitz, Stolpersteine-Projekt Bollendorf, Family-of-Man exhibition Clerveaux, Haus der Geschichte Bonn). The analysis of values was linked to a survey on value attitudes of young people, which the participating students developed, carried out in their schools and whose results they evaluated and compared in a transnational learning activity.The image of Poland in the German media was examined and a collection of links to current topics and articles was created. 2) “Living Values": We for Europe - Europe for us: We followed an approach of task-based learning which led the theoretical basics into the students’ lifeworld. The pupils of both partner institutions prepared presentations with examples of their social and democratic co-responsibility in their schools, which they presented and compared in a transnational learning activity. During another transnational project activity they developed their own projects of social participation, which they carried out independently in the following months at their schools and neighbouring institutions (kindergarten, old people's home and nursing home). 3) "Europe for us": Through vocational orientation measures and project activities, the importance of intercultural, social and foreign language competences as key competences for the future professional career was elaborated. In a transnational learning activity, the pupils prepared their personal CVs and translated them into different languages (German, Polish, French, English). The individual results were compiled in a joint German-Polish glossary for the preparation of CVs. Effect: "Sustainable European added value": There was an intensive and varied discussion of the values issue, which promoted the students' central competences and knowledge, counteracted prevailing stereotypes about the partner country and promoted the students' social commitment. A European added value could be realised, because democratic and European achievements were not perceived as given, but as a common European effort. The partner institutions were able to further develop school development in the areas of social participation opportunities for pupils and the Europeanisation of career guidance measures. The foundation stone was laid for a sustainable German-Polish partnership between the two institutions. The project also contributed significantly to the Europeanisation and internationalisation of the school concept and the school orientation and was able to improve the European networking of the institutions.