The past months have been a very trying time for the European Union. As member countries increasingly focus on their own national advantages they increasingly lose sight of one the most important founding principles of the EU: SOLIDARITY Since we as schools and teachers cannot impact entire countries, our project is going to focus on individuals and showing them that cooperation - dealing with problems as part of a network of people - will lead to easier, faster and better results. Thus we have named our project: From ME to WE We aim to create networks between students, teachers and schools on an international level that help them deal with everyday problems related to education. Our starting point: Too often we feel we have to solve problems on our own. The energy needed for that drains us and we no longer pay attention to the positive things around us. We want to change this vicious cycle and try to find ways to educate people on how to „love their selves“ Step 1 - Shift Focus: We want to encourage and help people to shift their focus from themselves and their problems (ME) to seek and accept help from others (WE). Just learning that there are others out there who share our problems helps us not to feel alone with these problems. We can gain strength from that knowledge. Step 2 - Help through Networks: After this first step has been made, we can seek help in networks and thus save personal energy. By joining networks, we become part of something bigger - social groups that give help and support to cope with our small and large problems. Step 3 - Focus on Positive: That support will help to shift our focus from the problems to the positive things that enrich our lives. When we have energy left after a long work day we can enjoy a walk outdoors, listen to music or create art. Thus basing our lives in positive experiences. Result - Empowerment: When our lives’ focus turns to positive aspects, we gain motivation, self-esteem and emotional stability. These provide a strong basis for everyday life. Being content and happy empowers us to tackle a demanding work life and face challenges in a productive way. The specific activities of the project include transnational meetings where students and teachers expand their cultural horizon and meet peers from all over Europe. There will be specific tasks that can only accomplished through teamwork: students will create engaging photography and exhibiting the results which will improve their self-esteem. They will have to cooperate to shoot movies and create stop-motion videos against bullying. These tasks are specifically designed so that they cannot be accomplished by one individual. Participating teachers will educate each other on methods we use to include students in our classrooms and on how to create learning environments that foster cooperative learning. Principals and administrators from our schools will enter a dialogue on the problems schools are facing nowadays and what solutions the different schools have tried to deal with these. These student centered methods also provide the basis of the general methodology of the project. Our primary focus is always on developing soft skills. The methods are centered on the student's learning process. We see our roles as educators and facilitators rather than mere presenters of knowledge. In accordance with our project goals we will choose methods that are also aiming at the inclusion of all students. Our aim - Empowering Teachers and Students - dictates that we focus on modern teaching methods. We aim for two important results: First of all, empowering teachers and students. The individual changes in the participants of the project are a worthy result as such. Being part of an Erasmus+ project is in itself a rewarding experience which we will expand on by providing plenty of opportunities for self improvement. Secondly, we will summarize the steps and actions we have taken on our project website and in a printed booklet. These products will help educators to copy, emulate and expand on our methods. Moreover, the subjects of products created by the students will promote our message - From ME to WE - as well. Thereby encouraging others to seek self-improvement themselves. Therefore, in the long run, we will show other people how to teach/encourage self-esteem and self-worth while at the same time producing real content (videos, photographs, stop-motion, etc.) that promote the positive aspects of networking. The participating schools come from all over Europe: Finland, Poland, Germany, Croatian, Italy and Spain. They are all institutions of secondary education and the students involved in the project will be between the ages of 16 and 19. All participants come from varying social backgrounds including migrants and refugees. We will use English as a means of communication.
Please, see above.