Touching upon the mutual exchange between the Spinoza Lyceum Gymnasium Amsterdam and the BG/BRG Leibnitz it may well be considered that the process of exchange itself includes the potential of acquiring intercultural and cultural knowledge. Additionally, language as a “key-competence” of the European exchange will be practiced due to the mutual process of communication. The English language as a medium and Lingua Franca will sketch the way in which adolescents of both cultures can follow the continuum of the intercultural. In order to intensify and examine the process of preparation, we have already had an informal meeting of four days between one class from Amsterdam and one from Leibnitz in March 2019. Within the framework of this meeting in Styria, the first contacts between Dutch and Austrian students were arranged and the teachers were able to bring up a set of questions when discussing the upcoming project face-to-face, approaching the intercultural path of Europe. Indeed, the acquisition of a new language urges the young citizens of the EU to adapt to various different cultures. Yet, not only do linguistic means of communication and forms prepare young Europeans, but also the processes and routines of daily life make them gain experience with other cultures, provided that they are constantly aware of the intercultural differences between their own and the national divergence. Constant reflection and an awareness raising approach concerning the intercultural diversity are therefore a final target of the program. In order to provide written and iconic documents the students are thus involved in video documentary and a written portfolio. Another tool within the process of the acquisition of digital skills will be e-twinning. In order to propel the acquisition of our students` digital skills, they will have to fulfil various tasks. These tasks will be on the internet platform e-twinning. There will be four different fields which the students are required to gather information about, prepare portfolios and give oral presentations. These fields will be: Firstly, the historical background of the Austrian and Dutch art and culture, such as detailed information about the Seggau castle in Leibnitz and the Dutch van Gogh museum. Secondly, the basic congruencies and functions of both European school systems will be analysed. Thirdly, the similarities and differences of the political systems in the Netherlands and in Austria will be compared (monarchy versus democracy). Finally, there will be a focus on the field of architecture as we have the museum Ons` Lieve Heer op Solder in the Netherlands and a broad variety of different styles and eras in terms of architecture in our city Graz. In order to provide the students with materials, we will join the guided tour “Architektur Graz“. Considering the details of our pedagogic and didactic guidelines for the project it may be mentioned that additionally to the mutual experience of specific cultural activities as well as encountering local tours, there will also be lectures offered, in order to raise the awareness for the European cultural heritage. This will be realized by starting off with the English language and gradually including the media, music and pictures. Therefore, we have planned seminars touching upon the very famous Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh via linguistic and musical means. Moreover, in order to bridge the gap between adult and youth culture, the Pop-song, as a medium, appealing to Dutch and Austrian adolescence, will be offered – in this context the song lyrics of “Vincent” composed and performed by singer/songwriter Don McLean – may well lead the students from the intercultural to intermediality (i.e. the interaction between music, language and pictures). Sketching the way in which music, language and words interact against the background of an icon of Dutch culture, we expect the opening of a field that allows the active participation of all students, even though they possess a great variety of profiles. To round off the topic, the ode of the famous English writer William Wordsworth will be discussed, as several textual and thematical allusions, as well as intertextual similarities between Don McLean’s song and the Laker Wordsworth’s ode can be observed. The activities mentioned above and particularly the procedure of reflection as well as the development of awareness concerning the cultural congruencies and divergences are intended to trigger off a sustainable process of opening of the Dutch and Austrian students. That means, that the students will be ready to appreciate the differences of cultures, the mutual cultural heritage, as well as intercultural similarities.
The focus of this student exchange between the Spinoza Lyceum Gymnasium Amsterdam and the BG/BRG Leibnitz was to establish an understanding of sustainability, as well as the intercultural and cultural similarities and differences between the two countries. In addition, the English language has been strengthened as a key competence for European exchange. English is the lingua franca and thus the medium and common denominator, which is supposed to lead the young people of both cultures to an understanding of interculturality. In order to prepare the project intensively and sustainably, a four-day informal meeting took place in Leibnitz before the start of the project, during which the students made initial contact and the participating teachers discussed the cornerstones of this project. The first official mobility focused on the experience of Dutch culture and Dutch everyday life. The Austrian pupils were accommodated by Dutch host families and were integrated into daily routines- thus experiencing the transnational similarities, but also differences from close range. In addition to cultural experiences, the focus was also on the networking of the students, which was intensified by a variety of joint trips and activities. Adding to those workshops in the various museums, the Dutch students also presented their school and the Dutch educational system. In order to encourage Austrian students to constantly reflect on what had been experienced and learned, as well as to further promote linguistic competence, they were encouraged to record their daily experiences in the form of video diaries. The first mobility accordingly focused on experiencing and learning Dutch culture and identity, whereby the differences and similarities were worked out through discussions among the students. In addition to the linguistic component, the emphasis was also placed on digitalization, which was achieved by reflection in the form of video diaries. As the pupils' social contact continues to exist two years after the first informal meeting, the sustainability of this first section must also be emphasized. To accommodate the field of digitalization, work assignments were given to the pupils. In order to ensure the international networking of both schools, the internet platforms "e-twinning" and "Padlet" were used. In concrete terms, there were four different areas on which the students produced presentations and texts. These were the history of the two countries, the different school systems in Austria and Holland, politics (also in the changing of time - monarchy, dictatorship, democracy) and culture (architecture, sightseeing, music). As no second mobility was possible due to the prevailing pandemic, all workshops shifted to the digital space. In addition to the topics already mentioned, the pupils of the BRG Leibnitz also produced presentations and texts that dealt with the EU, its current problems (e.g. Brexit), the various European school systems and Austria's position in the EU. These presentations were then uploaded to the e-twinning platform to provide the Dutch students with an insight. Further educational activities were held, in addition to experiencing and visiting cultural-specific localities together, by teaching units dealing with European cultural heritage, which included other media starting with the language. Since the pandemic also prevented the planned second mobility and thus the joint workshops were not possible, the BRG Leibnitz ensured the theoretical input for the participants of this project through specially held workshops. In addition to topics such as "Cultural connection between popular music and painting," as well as the already mentioned thematic focuses on the European Union and the Austrian position, Dutch topics were also developed in order to substantiate the experience with theoretical knowledge and promote sustainability. The Austrian students worked out presentations and texts on Dutch architecture, sights, etc. The activities mentioned above, and in particular the reflection and development of awareness of cultural differences, are intended to bring about a sustainable process of opening up young people to other cultures, to the pan-European cultural heritage, but also intercultural differences.