The students of both the Italian and the German school (amounting to about 60) share a common background which is characterised by risks, such as poverty, unstable family relationships, lack of education models, lack of perspectives, vague or scattered cultural locations. They are to be offered mobility to experience Europe as a democratic construct, which is not set or rigid, but which changes constantly and which is meaningful and essential for every single European citizen. In this context it is especially essential to experience the system of European values, rising from the cultures involved, together with those students with non-European roots by sharing experiences, co-operating, acting creatively and artistically against the background of their respective biographies. The students are expected to express and enact their visions in dance, music, and poetry slams. In accordance with the Charter of Diversity, which sees diversity as a chance to vocational locations, the project is scheduled as a future workshop: - What will the shape and the layout of Europe be like in 20 years? - What should workplaces and firms look like? - How can we strengthen the personalities of people respecting their different conditions of life (the dimensions of the Charter of Diversity)? - How should these people interact? The intercultural competence of those taking part – the ability of communicating with people from different cultural environments – will thus be strengthened. The single activities further and forward key competences such as intercultural action, self-reflection, critical judgment and linguistic competence, and these combined influence the gain of new perspectives by preventing early school leaving or disadvantages and losses. This is in accordance with the aims of the project, which is to enable students – regardless of their initial status or risk – to acquire intercultural competence, to reflect their situation and to see themselves as an active part of a democratic and diverse Europe whose development they can influence. At the end of the project we would like to see products produced by smaller groups, such as poetry slam texts, dramatic scenes, dance choreography, compositions, short documentary films and respective presentations as visual spectacles and on the internet. All products are available to all students and to the peer-to-peer work of Youth Foreign Advisors.
The participants of the German and Italian schools (approx. 60 pupils in total), who are characterized by their respective risk situations (poverty, unstable family relationships, no educational role models, lack of prospects, diffuse cultural localization, etc.) were given mobility opportunities at home and abroad. They experienced Europe among other things through the stays in Italy, the workshops, the visit to the EU Parliament in Brussels, a day trip to Rome, the accommodation and acceptance in / by host families as a not rigid, but always changing democratic construct, which in the sense of globalization concerns every European citizen. The value system of Europe, grew out of the participating cultures, has been taken up, worked on and was reflected together with the students (who in turn also had non-European roots in their Biographies) in poetry slam texts and drama as well as in instrumental and vocal contributions under the question “What am I for Europe?” Autobiographical references such as migration or escape, but also disorientation, were expressly desired and were openly discussed by the students. The intercultural competence of the participants (ability of communicating with people from different cultural habitats, biographies and ways of life) was therefore, among other things, also strengthened by a workshop on right-wing populist trends in Europe. The promotion of key competencies in intercultural action, self-reflection, critical judgment and language skills, which goes hand in hand with the individual activities, influenced the pupils' perspectives, so that early school leaving or disadvantage was counteracted. All students who took part in the project either stayed with the school as future high school graduates or left school with a university entrance qualification or a graduation. All students made it clear that they have a professional perspective in mind. The participants were also open to mobility regardless of their starting point and risk situation. The products as an intermediate and final result(slam texts, scenic play, dance choreography, pieces of music, documentaries / short films, photos) were made available to other students, parents and especially teachers and they changed the school culture of the GHG lastingly, since now a broad public has gained insights into the Erasmus + work and the added value for the students and the commitment of the supervising colleagues became visible. In the future, the “Gustav-Heinemann-Gesamtschule” hopes that even more students will be encouraged to become mobile in Europe!