S(t)imulating European Identity

Project summary

Eurosceptism has risen sharply all across Europe over the past years especially due economic stagnation. The Citizens’ trust in the EU has decreased. This is partly because the EU is not an easy construct to understand as it combines both the European level and Member States. National curricula so far address the subject of European Integration in a grumpy or academic way that fails to raise the interest of the pupils. There is an urgent need pupils to realize that EU is a place where Europeans can enjoy a unique diversity of culture, ideas and traditions. It is where equality is not just spoken about but continues to be fought for. S(t)imulating European Identity (EUSId) is a project about bringing European teenagers together in order to foster a European identity and consciousness based on plurality, tolerance and cooperation between individuals, as well as strengthening the European civil society by further developing democratic processes on the national and international levels. Project activities will focus on simulation procedures of European Union main institutions: the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council of the European Union, the European Commission and the European Court of Justice The simulations not only involve young people in the study and discussion of European Union's issues, but also encourages the development of skills useful throughout their lives – skills including research techniques, writing, public speaking, problem-solving, conflict resolution, compromise and cooperation. Our objectives are the following: - To provide specialized training in the Institutions and Bodies of the European Union and to contribute to the better understanding of EU’s organization, policies and procedures. - To stimulate the interest of young Europeans on matters related with the EU. - To act as a forum of productive dialogue on the future of EU. - To promote the dissemination of knowledge and provide hands-on experience on EU institutions. - To empower the pupils, through providing transferable life and work skills. - To introduce students to the world of diplomacy, negotiation, and decision making. - To develop media literacy and critical thinking. - To adopt a holistic approach to language teaching - To support teachers to adopt collaborative and innovative practices - To support schools to tackle early school leaving (ESL) and disadvantage and to offer quality education, enabling success for all students. Our partnership consists of five schools that have agreed to cooperate on the EUSId project because they strongly believe that it will benefit all involved partners and bring results that could not be achieved by a single partner operating alone. Greek school has a long lasting experience in running extra curricula activities and in implementation of innovative pedagogical approaches. Latvian school has long experience in European project management and has built close relations with the labor market, local authorities and international institutions. Finnish school has highly recognized expertise connected with active participation in international partnerships, use of innovative learning methods and good practices. Romanian school shares great deal of experience in European projects, activities and competitions, and its working modus which stands out for taking over responsibilities, positive action, creativity, active involvement in school life and team work. Finally, the school from Azores even though faces geographical isolation has a significant experience in national and international projects management and seeks to reinforce the European dimension of education and intercultural awareness among students. It is a big and well organized school with high digital competences. The impact and the long term benefits of the EUSId project is intended to be: - increased quality of education, combining higher levels of excellence and attractiveness with increased opportunities for all, including those at disadvantage - promote the importance of an encouraging, positive and supportive school environment to reduce the risk of ESL. - provide education that is better aligned to the needs of and opportunities offered by the labour market, and closer links to the community - improved provision of basic and transversal skills, particularly: social, civic, intercultural and language competences, critical thinking, digital skills and media literacy - scale up the use of ICT-supported learning and access to high quality OER by more strategic and integrated use of ICTs and open educational resources (OER) in education. - increased motivation for language learning through innovative teaching methods or better links to practical use of language skills - enhancing working groups and peer learning opportunities by making them more target-oriented. - strengthen the professional profile of teaching profession by increasing teachers' digital competence.