One of the main objectives of the project is to try to raise the awareness of pupils in the participating schools of the real importance of the EU in their lives. In this respect, we are convinced that the vast majority of our pupils and their families are not aware of the extent to which the EU has an impact on their lives. The project aims to give 20 pupils aged 14-15 years further insights into their European world at home and in the partner country during a reciprocal visit. Our intention with this project is to propose activities to them that can be both enriching and motivating, by trying to carry out a school work with them that will help them to increase their knowledge of European integration in general and, more specifically, the real impact on their daily lives as citizens of an EU Member State. In this sense, during the mobility events that will take place in the cities of Sagunto in Spain and Bergen auf Rügen in Germany, some very specific activities are planned: a geolocation game, surveys, a game, interviews. A geolocation game (treasure hunt with the Actionbound app): We believe that one of the most effective ways to motivate our students and capture their attention is to use new technologies. These are very powerful tools that they are used to using regularly. They all have mobile phones or tablets, and it is our duty to teach them to use the technology safely and responsibly, to teach them that their mobile phone can be a useful working tool, not just for playing games or joining a social network. Similarly, education experts speak of the importance of "gamification", of learning through playing. Our proposal is to use the "Actionbound" app, a tool that, thanks to the use of GPS and QR codes, can be used to carry out virtual "treasure hunts" or guided routes. The idea is to form mixed teams with German and Spanish students who will use their mobile phones and complete tasks throughout the city of Sagunto. These will always be connected to places that may have a connection to the EU and its influence on their lives. Surveys: We believe that there are many people among us, people who live in cities in Spain and Germany, who are not sufficiently aware of how much the EU influences their lives. The main idea of this activity is that our students test whether our theory is right or wrong. So we will form mixed teams of Spanish and German students and send them to certain important areas of Sagunto (market, main square, train station...) to interview the city's inhabitants about aspects of the EU that may have a direct impact on their lives. The information received is then exchanged and processed. Our idea is to create a journalistic report on this topic, which will be published in the magazine of both schools. Game "The EU in your life": a task that the German pupils will have already prepared in cooperation with the Spielkarten Fabrik in Stralsund, Germany, to generate possible questions about the EU and the impact of this political institution on our lives, in order to create a game that can be played and the content explored on the spot. This game will also be available to other classes, groups and schools. The presence of the foreign pupils in class is one of the fundamental aspects of the exchange. In order to further European construction and integration, the promotion of multiculturalism is important. In this sense, we consider it essential to know more and more about the life and culture of our neighbours, the other EU member states. School exchanges are a very effective instrument for achieving this goal. For example, visitors will spend a few hours in the same classes as their hosts. During this time, they will tell the class about their country, their region, their city... in English. We think that this is a way to promote the use of foreign languages (in this case especially English) and to support the European spirit.
We were able to achieve the main goal of the project, namely raising awareness of the role that the EU plays in the lives of EU citizens, among the students in the following way. Subsequent project activities played a special role in this regard: - Student mobility: During the bilateral visit, the participants were able to gain insights into the living environment of their hosts. - The project work: The students had to deal with the structure of the EU and the effects of the EU on their daily lives within the framework of the project. - The geolocation game: Using the Actionbound app, the students were sent on a journey of discovery to the most important historical and EU-relevant places in the city. - Surveys: With self-created questionnaires, the participants were sent downtown in order to examine the level of knowledge of the encountered population about the EU. The results were evaluated in short presentations. - Board games: The students first had to think about how they wanted to implement which topic of the EU in a board game, then develop a playable idea and implement it professionally under the supervision of the Stralsunder Spielkartenfabrik e.V.. Here they had to deal with the project topic on the one hand during the creation of the games and were then again confronted with the topics in the joint game. - Participation in class: The students were able to experience everyday school life in a different, new European environment. - Presence in the host school: Just by the presence of the respective guests in the other school community, a small piece of Europe was brought close and experienced. This project program was rounded off by a further supporting program, which included city tours, joint visits to museums and parks, hikes, student-parent-teacher barbecues, joint celebrations and sports festivals.