SUMMARY CONTEXT In 2015, the EU Ministers of education adopted the Paris Declaration, which explains that one of “the major challenge we face in safeguarding our pluralistic societies [is] to impart common fundamental values”. They agreed on a common effort to teach pupils to become active citizens promoting democratic values and fundamental rights. However, the values of the European Union cannot be taught with coercive and top-down methodologies, but through empathic educational instruments. Empathy is a vital concept to reach the goals of the Paris Declaration. TARGET GROUPS, NEEDS and PROJECT OBJECTIVES Key-Code addresses the challenges that young students face in consolidating their European identity based on the fundamental values of the Union Project also identifies the need to make teachers aware of the existing and crucial connection between, on the one hand, interpersonal key competences (soft skills on emotional intelligence) with specific reference to empathy and, on the other, the development of sound EU citizenship skills based on the awareness of EU fundamental values and human rights. Thus, Key-Code aims to expand the curricula of secondary schools with educational experiences that enhance the key competences of pupils based on empathy, active citizenship and EU values. For the purpose Key-Code aims to develop, test and disseminate active learning instruments that enhance three categories of preadolescents’ (11 - 16 years) key competencies: (i) interpersonal skills based on empathy; (ii) active EU citizenship; and (iii) cultural awareness concerning the EU values. OUTPUTS on COMPLETION RESULTS The Key-Code project expects to achieve the following results : - Improvement of the lower secondary school teachers’ (working with students between 11 and 16 years old) competences in new educational methods (non-formal education) where they provide consolidated instruments and then facilitate their use by students for educational purposes; thus, promoting the use of proactive approaches by students. - Provide students (between 11 and 16 years old) with the opportunity to improve their soft skills (key competences) through learning-by-doing and peer-to-peer activities where they can choose the instruments for their education among those selected to improve their key competences. - Provide students with competences to deal with diverse social situations through the lenses of their active learning experience. This may be imprinting that shapes their under-construction personality. Besides, students will be aware that they can be active actors in their education and in their being citizens of Europe - Promotion of the values of the EU among schools environments, enhancing the community living and stimulating positive feelings on the Union. Hence, shaping the new generations of EU citizens around the principle of emphatic European brotherhood In relation to the above, the project will produce the following deliverables: IO 1 - Database of Teaching Sources on EU fundamental values and human rights, through empathy and emotional intelligence The Intellectual Output identifies selects and adapts teaching sources to be used by secondary school teachers to promote the learning of key competences and soft skills on EU citizenship, EU values and Human rights through innovative methods based on empathy and emotional intelligence, among 11 - 16 years old students. IO 2 – Inspirational and Exemplary short films for the reinforcement of key competences The Videos created through the active involvement of experts, teachers and students will: - Record the teaching activities in class applying empathy and emotional intelligence for key competences development and make them easily replicable and transferable - Assess the impact of the methodologies and practices proposed by the project - Enhance the active participation of students as part of the educational experience offered by Key-Code to empower preadolescents and adolescents with the awareness of their real personal potential IO 3 - Guidelines for teachers, school decision-makers and policymakers in the field of Education for teaching EU fundamental values and human rights, through empathy and emotional intelligence Guidelines aim to increase the effectiveness of strategies and activities to promote the development of key competences among adolescents and preadolescent students on EU values and citizenship. They will mainstream educational methods that can develop key competencies through the improvement of interpersonal skills whose importance schools, often underestimate, as emotional intelligence and empathy.
Le projet KeyCode vise à étendre les programmes des écoles secondaires avec des expériences éducatives qui renforcent les compétences clés des élèves basées sur l'empathie, la citoyenneté active et les valeurs de l’UE. L'objectif général du projet est de développer, tester et diffuser des instruments d'apprentissage actif qui renforcent trois catégories de compétences clés des préadolescents (11 - 16 ans). Les objectifs spécifiques du projet sont les suivants : - Développer des compétences interpersonnelles basées sur l'empathie ; - Promouvoir une citoyenneté européenne active ; - Développer une conscience culturelle concernant les valeurs de l'UE.
Le point de départ du projet KeyCode est la vision partagée par les partenaires du projet, en charge d'élèves du secondaire, de l'importance de répondre aux besoins de leurs systèmes éducatifs et de leurs écoles pour enseigner aux élèves et aux enseignants comment élargir les programmes des écoles secondaires avec des expériences éducatives qui améliorent les compétences clés des élèves basées sur l'empathie, la citoyenneté active et les valeurs de l'UE. Le projet voit la nécessité d'apprendre aux élèves à devenir des citoyens actifs promouvant les valeurs démocratiques et les droits fondamentaux. Cependant, les valeurs de l'Union européenne ne peuvent être enseignées avec des méthodologies coercitives et descendantes, mais par le biais d'instruments pédagogiques empathiques. Les besoins spécifiques abordés sont les suivants : - La consolidation d'une identité européenne fondée sur des valeurs fondamentales - La nécessité d'une société inclusive basée sur le respect - la nécessité de sensibiliser les enseignants au lien existant entre les compétences clés interpersonnelles et l'empathie avec les valeurs fondamentales et les droits de l'homme et de l'UE.