The project “National games and sports bring us together” is a response to the needs and objectives defined by the principals, teachers and students of 6 organizations: Gimnazjum nr 23 im. Szarych Szeregów in Poznan, Poland; Colégio Nossa Senhora de Lourdes in Porto, Portugal; Sredno uchilishte " Lyuben Karavelov" in Vidin, Bulgaria; Hirkai Serif Orta Okulu in Istanbul, Turkey; Gimnazija Kranj in Kranj, Slovenia; and Colegiul National "Emil Racovita" in Bucharest, Romania. Each project partner brings to the project the examples of the best practice and promotes their national games and sports. The ultimate goal of the project is to develop the transversal skills of our students: communication abilities, teamwork, creativity, innovation, ICT skills, cultural awareness and also strengthen the profile of teaching profession. The most crucial product of the project is to create and publish a common book about the most popular national games and sports of six countries: Bulgaria, Turkey, Slovenia, Poland, Portugal and Romania. The book will be written in English and translated into native languages of partner countries. It’s important to organize the festival of traditional games and sports during a common students’ camp in the countryside in order to learn and play national games and sports. Exchange of experience and working methods including participation in a sports camp, open days, problem solving activities, seminars and workshops connected to arts, music, eTwinning platform, ICT, health and sport will help our students to develop the transversal skills and the attitudes of openness to other cultures and nationalities. Moreover, the other defined goals are: - professional development of the teachers through the exchange of experiences with the staff from the partner schools, - development of knowledge about traditional national sports and games in our countries through the music, arts, ICT, language and culture, - promoting national games and sports, - improvement of language skills and ICT competence, - informing about the importance of a balanced diet in sports and the importance of mental support, - acquiring transversal competences through the exchange of experiences with the staff from the partner schools, - breaking down communication barriers, - opening up to other cultures. Cooperation between the partners has already begun before the application. Partners have contacted by e-mail, Facebook and eTwinning platform in order to develop the project. We target to students aged 12-18, also disadvantaged ones. The project involves directly 40 teachers and 60 students in the teaching/training activities, 20 teachers in Transnational Project Meetings. During the project, the following activities are planned: - 6 international meetings including 2 transnational project meetings, 1 staff-training, 2 short-term exchanges of group students and 1 blended mobility of school learners, - project management and implementation activities: creating controls time and budget management, budget control and time management, monitoring and evaluation of the quality of the activities and results of the project, evaluating the objectives and results of the project; sharing of reports, - preventing the occurrence of potential risks, - ensuring the availability of project results and their possible use, - dissemination of project results, - continuation of the activities and results after finishing of the project funding. Methodology (working methods) used during the project include workshops, seminars, open days, problem solving, gathering information, participant observation, discussion, brainstorming, working by design, teamwork, analysis of activities, analysis of documents. Partners indicated a number of products, described in the application form. Here are some of them: - creation and publication of a book concerning national games and sports of 6 countries in English and native languages of partnerships, - cataloguing traditional sports and games, - twinspace pages on eTwinning platform with all the materials created during the duration of the project (introduction, logo, mascot, motto, DVD film, common book, brochures and catalogue with national games and sports of 6 countries) - publication of 2 brochures describing activities of the project, - recording the DVD with all national games being learned during the project, - organisation of a festival of traditional games and sports, - organization of Open Days for the project and Erasmus+ program in each country, - providing the website with all materials to a wide audience. The impact of the project will be visible through the organization of Open Days for the project and the book's distribution in the partner institutions, as well as in other schools. The event, the book and the website will allow students to increase their knowledge about European national sports and games which are considered to be cultural heritage of European society today.
The project "National Games and Sports Bring us Together" was implemented according to the plan and schedule of activities. The priority objectives of the project were to develop students' transversal skills, including team cooperation, communication skills in a foreign language, use of information technologies, hygienic lifestyle, popularizing games / plays and national sports, strengthening national identity and intercultural interaction. The same objectives were a priority for teachers, in addition it was important to strengthen the teacher's profession, sharing experience and good practice. In the period from September 1, 2017 to August 31, 2019, 2 international meetings were held in Vidin, Bulgaria (November 19-21, 2017) and Istanbul, Turkey (March 11-13, 2019), one Blended mobility of students in Kranj, Slovenia (19- March 23, 2018), a Short-term joint Staff Training Event meeting in Poznań, Poland (June 4-8, 2018), a Short exchange of groups of pupils to Bucharest, Romania (October 8-12, 2018) and Porto, Portugal (May 24-29, 2019). There were 66 mobilities of students and 63 mobilities of teachers from six countries were directly involved in mobility; 200 students and 60 teachers in project activities; while, indirectly, over 1200 students and 200 teachers participated in the two-year project work. Among the total number of project participants, 30 students from Poland and 30 from Bulgaria faced economic difficulties and specific learning difficulties. At the beginning of the project, the Polish coordinating school was transformed from junior high school to primary school, which resulted in junior high school students and the oldest primary school class being involved in the project activities. The Bulgarian partner school was a primary and secondary school complex, as well as the Romanian and Turkish schools; Slovenian was a high school; while the Portuguese school was the only private institution participating in the project. During the design work all planned tasks were carried out. The most important of them included: achieving all mobilities in accordance with the application, designing and writing a common book in English about games, sports games, national sports and a healthy lifestyle; translating the book into native languages as well as printing and distributing it. Other important activities were the creation of a design site in English, the choice of a logo, design and sewing of a project mascot, preparation of brochures from the first and second year of the project, recording of a disc with games and sports games, festival of games and activities, Erasmus + corner and parallel works on the project on the eTwinning platform. The prestigious Design Quality Labels were obtained in Poland, Portugal, Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria. During the design work, various workshops were prepared for students and teachers, including eTwinning workshops, use of applications for healthy nutrition and sports activities, Calameo application, prevention of dismissal from physical education in adolescents, sensory integration, dietary advice, trainers and important sport authorities, dance and sport workshops during each mobility, cultural trips and trips to sports competitions, organized also meetings with city authorities in Slovenia, Poland, Romania, Turkey and Portugal to promote the project. In addition, the Polish project coordinator has organized a visit to its school of an adult student from Slovenia in order to learn the specifics of school work, integration with Polish project participants and to implement additional project activities. The impact of the project on participants was enormous - the biggest among students who participated in mobilities. Students, among others learned teamwork, the motivation to communicate in a foreign language increased, participants have gained knowledge about healthy lifestyles, games and sports activities of the participating countries, the use of information technologies, made new friends, met other religions and value systems, and the awareness of being European. Long-term benefits - developed materials in English and native languages will be used to broaden knowledge about sports, games and sports activities and to promote a healthy lifestyle for people not participating in Erasmus + projects.