The diversity of human cultures enriches everyone and helps us appreciate the full range of differences and choices. This is a” school for tolerance", understanding, requiring effort, reciprocity, and penetration of cultures at different points from the global world. Through the project "We are the bridge, not the border" we want to expand the horizon of students, to show the huge variety of cultural practices and historical events because we believe that the more one knows, the more tolerant he/she could be. Our goal is to introduce students to the "other" - the other by ethnicity, religion, culturally different one. The project will provide ample opportunity to integrate national and international approaches to teaching tolerance, by sharing ideas, methods, and good practices. The purpose of our project is to promote diversity, intercultural and inter-religious dialogue and to foster tolerance through: • Expanding the thinking of students as citizens of United Europe. • Increasing the interest of students in the cultural heritage, religion, and history of their countries as well as of the partner countries of the project. • Education in humanism, ethics, and tolerance for the various, whose essence is determined by the knowledge of their spiritual values. • Developing the skills to adapt to a changing, complex and interconnected world - a world of difference, but also of tolerance and equality indifference. • Formation of attitudes and skills for building a European society of free, moral and initiative individuals with a broad common culture, affirming the laws, rights of others, their language, religion, and culture, knowing and respecting national and universal values. • Developing students' creative personality. • Building personalities who can justify and defend their own position on life, moral and philosophical issues. • Build thinking, critical, creative, initiative and tolerant personalities capable of accepting and supporting others. •Making useful partnerships for intercultural cooperation and transfer of experience and good practices. • Improving practical teaching skills, techniques, and methodologies. The project was developed by the I St. "St. Kliment Ohridski" Primary School in Pazardzhik in cooperation and partnership with the Association of TREBOL-Spain, KONYA NECMETTİN ERBAKAN ÜNİVERSİTESİ, Turkey, NNEK UNESCO, ΠΛΑΤΩΝ Μ.Ε.Π.Ε.-Greece, Baby Erasmus- Spain, Scoala Gymnasium "DD Patrascanu" - Romania. The project covers children and students from the earliest age / in kindergarten to young people at the university, because tolerance is brought up at an early age and develops throughout the life course of a person. We put the emphasis on school education and student maturation. The project must be implemented transnationally due to the commonly identified needs of strategic partners aimed at: Cultural heritage - In cooperation with UNESCO, we strive to promote knowledge of the tangible and intangible cultural heritage by fostering the development of cultural awareness and expression competencies, through which we cultivate tolerance. European Citizenship - Gaining knowledge of the cultural, historical and religious diversity of each participating country and of many common elements, project participants understand what brings us together and empowers the community. Collaboration- Knowledge of the different European educational programs, approaches and methods is the key to improving educational practice in each of the participating countries. Multilingualism - Encouraging foreign language competence enhances participants' ability to do well in a European context.Thus, in the field of intercultural exchange beyond the barriers of language and religion, participants will share European values of contemporary society and build bridges of cooperation. European Citizenship - Gaining knowledge of the cultural, historical and religious diversity of each participating country and of many common elements, project participants understand what brings us together and empowers the community.Collaboration - Knowledge of the different European educational programs, approaches and methods is the key to improving educational practice in each of the participating countries. Multilingualism - Encouraging foreign language competence enhances participants' ability to do well in a European context.Thus, in an environment of intercultural exchange beyond the barriers of language and religion, participants will share European values of contemporary society and build bridges of cooperation. Through this project, we intend to work on a variety of cross-cutting topics, using a toolkit of knowledge gained from previous training. At the same time, we will gain new international experience oriented towards the application of formal and informal methods of education intolerance thorough knowledge of the culture, history, and religion of different European countries.
The PURPOSE of our project is to be open to multicultural Europe and to bring up tolerance through: Expanding the horizon of thinking of students as citizens of United Europe. Increasing students' interest in cultural heritage and the history of their own countries, as well as partners’ countries, working on this project Education in humanism, ethics, and tolerance towards different ones, whose essence is determined by getting to know their spiritual values. Developing the skills to adapt to a interconnecting world - a world of difference, but also of tolerance and equality indifference. Formation of attitudes to build a European society of free, moral and initiative personalities with a broad general culture, the rights of the others, their language, religion, and culture, knowing and respecting national and universal values. Developing students' creative personality. Build tolerant personalities who are capable of accepting and supporting the different ones. The activities that we implemented under the project are related to familiarizing the participants with the Bulgarian phenomena, recognized as part of the world cultural heritage - tangible and intangible. Various activities were held with students and teachers.
Bringing up a tolerance, mutual acquaintance and cooperation across cultures, respect for diversity and respect for human rights in their full richness and depth is at the heart of the tasks that our teaching team faces. Manifestations of intolerance, rejection, and misunderstanding of the other are observed more frequently in our school. Students do not possess sufficient intercultural competences to form their civic consciousness. Our goal is to introduce students to the "other" - the other in ethnicity, religion, cultural different another one.Respect for the diversity of human cultures enriches all of us and helps us appreciate the full range of cultural differences and choices, this is a "school of tolerance", understanding, requiring effort, the reciprocity, and penetration of cultures at different points in the global world. We want to expand students' horizons, to show the huge variety of cultural practices and historical events because we believe that the more one knows, the more tolerant he could be. The project will provide a wide range of opportunities to integrate national and international approaches in teaching tolerance by sharing ideas, methods, and good practices.