The goal of the project was to internationalize our institution. For the first time, we wanted to give school staff, not only teachers from various departments but also social workers and administrative staff, the possibility for advanced training regarding language and methodology in an intercultural context in a different European country. The 17 activities that our staff planned to attend focussed on different areas. Next to advanced training in methodology and job shadowing, another essential area was the improvement of the language skills of our staff. We wanted our administrative staff and social worker to profit from better English skills in communication with students from other countries or visiting teachers as well as with refugees. Furthermore, three teachers who hadn’t studied English as a foreign language were supposed to be enabled to teach economics bilingually while implementing EBBD at our institution. With the attendance at conferences of EBBD and EfVET teachers were supposed to get further training in vocational workshops that deal with European perspectives in the modern job market and to generate contacts for internships in other countries for our students.
If you look at the number of staff at BBS Verden involved in international activities at the time of application for this project, you realize that there was only a limited number of internationally active staff members. This is why BBS Verden wanted to extend and to further support its international activities and projects within the European community. In order to make students aware of international and cross-cultural opportunities, it takes a qualified and interested school staff that is capable to inspire, support, and help in that respect. The project "Focusing European perspectives at BBS Verden" was intended to meet this demand. Overall, the project was supposed to be considered as a part of the European strategy of BBS Verden, with the goal to intensify and expand opportunities for international activities for students and school staff in order to make students, teachers, and visitors of the school realize the big potential and advantage of an internationally linked and active school. With this in mind, BBS Verden considers itself as a pillar for an open and tolerant Europe, based on mutual respect and appreciation.