Today’s world has never been in more need of harmony and understanding: not surprisingly, Europe needs to be united in its promotion of freedom and peace as it faces the challenges of Brexit and nationalistic-leaning politics, the Coronavirus, and relations with neighbouring powers. The youth of Europe represent the future: their voice of today will be the democratic electoral voice of tomorrow. Our project is inspired by our heartfelt wish to make connections across the continent, to bridge cultural divides, and to express the instinctive desire of young people to make friends across borders by expressing themselves personally and culturally. By bringing together young people from Lithuania, Spain, Poland and Germany, we aim to create a dramatic and musical expression of European harmony via a multi-media/arts performance to inspire future generations. The benefits to students stemming from this holistic, project-based learning will lead to improved communication skills, community connections and understanding, language proficiency, engagement in the political process both internationally and locally, and an enhancement of critical thinking abilities. To reiterate, this project aims not only to develop, but rather to empower Europe’s youth to increase their engagement in the political process across the European continent. It will be a pivotal turning point in their adolescence as they learn and use another language, adopt an intercultural identity and build their confidence by learning transdisciplinary and with relevance! Each school brings not only its innate enthusiasm to realise the project goals, but on a practical level also various artistic specialisms such as recording studios, access to stage and performance space, music teaching prowess, translation capabilities from multilingual students, and digital music production. All this will come together in the spring of 2022, when we aim to perform our chef d’oeuvre in Strasbourg, one of the historic centres of the European project.
In the project "European Youth-your voice will be heard", close contacts were established between teachers and learners through links with schools in Germany, Lithuania, Spain and Poland. Cultural differences were bridged and friendships were made. Young people from Lithuania, Spain, Poland and Germany came together to express the European idea through a dramatic and musical performance using a multimedia/theater/dance piece, inspiring others to think about Europe. This fulfilled the program's goal of making connections, bridging cultural differences, and forging friendships across borders. The visit to Strasbourg and the European Parliament in April, where the song and dance program "European Youth - your voice will be heard!" was performed, was the highlight of the joint meetings. This is also eternalised in a video. The school from Ourense (Spain) was responsible for mixing the different national pop songs from the four different countries. The school from Uzventis (Lithuania) provided access to their own recording studio where the song track was recorded, which was then mounted over the filmed dance in Poland. The school from Lodz (Poland) was responsible for providing access to a film studio and completing the resulting professional dance video (the trailer in anticipation of the performance). A teacher with professional dance/choreography experience was involved, which raised the level of the students to an impressive level. The school in Sindelfingen/Stuttgart (Germany) was responsible for the final performance rehearsals as well as for organizing the actual performance in the European Union building in Strasbourg. During the performance at the European parliament, the students from the four different countries communicated their European identity in a dance. This holistic, project-based learning resulted in improved communication skills, intercultural knowledge, tolerance and understanding among the learners. Engagement in the political process both locally and internationally was strengthened and critical thinking skills were enhanced. It was a wonderful experience for many students to learn and use another language, build their intercultural identity, and increase their self-confidence through cross-curricular and relevant learning. Students were asked to fill out reflection forms after each stay in the partner countries. This feedback was also shared and discussed in the classroom after each trip. All participants gained new experiences through insights into different everyday school life, school organizations and school administrations. Changes in perspective took place, which led to new ideas, suggestions and impulses for implementation in their own everyday lives and will continue to do so. The contacts of the students across the national borders will continue in the new school year. The connections between the young people are firmly anchored in the minds of the participating students and their schools: for example, the connection with the Spanish partner school in Galicia, is maintained for the annual Science Fair there. The aim of this project was not only to develop and spread the idea of a united Europe, but also to give young Europeans the skills to become more involved in the political process, whether in their own country or across Europe. Simply remaining in a culturally foreign family and learning and speaking a different language at the initial level led to the development of an intercultural identity and increased self-confidence through interdisciplinary and relevant learning.