This project is all becoming real International schools. We will provide our students and teachers with various international activities in all our classes. All our students will be involved in this project, not only during the 27 months of the project, but also after this project period. We are going to establish a ongoing cooperation between our schools, and after the project other schools will be asked to join us. In order to make this project a success we are going to try out a lot of different international activities and we will pick out the most successful ones. Each students will get activities at his/her own level. So from year 1 till 6 all students will perform at their own level. Working groups will be made, with coordinators as pin persons. They are the ones to transfer the information to the group that will oversee the entire project. All schools will make a written document about internationalisation in their schools. This will be done during the entire period of the project. We could work from one basic frame and put in those special factors to the situation of all schools separately. We appoint a person who will monitor our project. he/she will be able to oversee all and will provide us with advice if needed. The process and the results of this project will be disseminated at a large scale, so we would like to reach as many organisations/people as possible. The sustainability of this project is granted, because we will go on with our work and all for sources will have open access after the project. Our schools think internationalisation is one way to make the world a little better. Cooperation between youngsters is needed in order to reach this better world and schools are the places to make that happen!
Six schools from France, Poland, Lithuania, Spain, Sint Maarten and The Netherlands participated in this 27 months during project. The main reason for this project was to write internationalization policies for our school and to involve all our students in international activities during the period of this project. We achieved both objectives. All the six schools now have an internationalization policy and all students participated in this project. From the six schools only one, Sint Dominic High of Sint Maarten, had no experience before with international projects. The Dutch school is a very experienced one and was also the main coordinator of this project. International activities performed in the classes were: Class 1 and 2 traditional music, Class 3 and 4 heroes (real ones and fantasy ones) and in class 5 and 6 : studying abroad. Numbers: In this project about 60 teachers and 2000 students participated. The teachers participated in performing the international activities in the classes, taking part in the internationalization policy writing and attending meetings in their own schools and abroad. The students took part in the international activities in their classes, exhibitions and some of them in attending meetings abroad. From each school at least one member of the management team was involved, particularly in the internationalization policy writing. Most of the schools had two members of the management team involved. Parents participated in some countries by reading and approving the internationalization policies. In some countries parents should give their opinion and approval of policies in schools. The students were also involved in making a strip about all heroes of the countries. This strip stared in Poland, then Lithuania, France, Spain, Sint Maarten and ended in The Netherlands. The impact of this project was/is significant. Now all schools have a vision on internationalization in their schools. New projects will not be undertaken because it is just fun to do an international project, but it is a part of their vision of internationalization in their schools. management, teachers, students and parents know that internationalization has become a part of the school, not as a single issue but anchored in their school system.. Longer term benefits from this project are that internationalization has become part of the school curriculum, teachers know what it means to be part of an international project and the management has been involved in internationalization and has discovered the motivational impact on teachers and students. For the future internationalization is not a strange element in school, anymore, but part of life in school. The undertaken activities in all classes can and will be used in the school, with or without international partners. We especially found out that in the higher classes the topic studying abroad is an absolute winner for all students. This will be a part of the curriculum for all schools in the future. It benefitted the students so much, that we will remain doing this topic for sure.