CONTEXT “TOUR MY CITY” is the vision of five European partner schools who firmly believe that cultural heritage is a common good which requires awareness, protection and above all, respect; a vehicle that is paramount in our globalized world where knowledge in the field prevents conflict situations that may occur due to cultural diversity. This project will enhance our students’ knowledge and as a result, they will value their own culture and those of partner countries. Moreover, they will look back into their past and roots, (re)discover their traditions and customs and at the same time, open the horizon to other European cultures and their features. Knowledge of one’s own roots is essential for cultivating a strong sense of belonging to a common European space and solid foundation. By providing access and education around the topic of cultural heritage, the project will generate evolution for the participants and their culture. OBJECTIVES The main scope of the project is to increase the cultural and intercultural awareness of all the participants in the five partner schools. The objectives that we agreed on are the following: O1- to enhance the level of intercultural awareness and sense of identity among participants O2- to engage participants in reflective and mutually beneficial learning experiences O3- to boost students’ digital skills through the use of online apps to create project products O4- to improve students’ adaptability and flexibility skills O5- to promote the need of unaltered preservation of the common cultural heritage in the evermore changing world O6- to create the context for reflection on teaching heritage and diversity through professional approaches PARTICIPANTS “TOUR MY CITY” addresses approximately 1000 students aged 12-16 in the target group and their coordinating teachers of English, History, Geography, Arts, Literature, P.E., ICT who will closely supervise and guide them throughout the 2 project years. Approximately 100 students in the target group have fewer opportunities. At partnership level, the project team will consist of about 200 students as members (40 per partner school) and 25-30 teachers. Students will be the main protagonists of the project who will attend local activities and transnational exchanges. Thus, they will take part in the preparation activities before the exchanges, 80 students will be selected to attend exchanges, disseminate the project experiences and results upon return. MAIN ACTIVITIES AND METHODOLOGY C1 Short-term joint staff training event C2 Traditional stories and legends C3 Traditional dances and music C4 Traditional crafts and sports C5 Traditional historical sites and cuisine Students will accomplish various tasks before attending LTTAs. For instance, they will work individually and in groups to do research on LTTA topic/s, select information to include in presentations, prepare a short play, performance, exhibitions, competition etc. Also, students may contact experts in the field of project topics for professional support. The results will be shared amongst partners during exchanges. Thus, students will be at the core of the project, performing activities and presentations developed by themselves for their foreign peers, supported by a professional team of teachers and school managers. RESULTS The concrete results produced within the project will be: topic presentations, workshops, sport competition, dance performance, themed exhibitions, project booklet “Our common European heritage”, short plays, LTTAs diary, map of historical sites, eTwinning space, project website, Erasmus project corners, posters, project logo, certificates of attendance, evaluation instruments. IMPACT The partnership will result in positive impact at the level of institutions, students, teachers involved. All of them will further explore and use the good practice examples acquired and experienced, transfer them in their own school and daily lives. By promoting intercultural and diversity learning through engaging, highly participatory activities that stimulate creativity, critical thinking skills, encourage empathy, the project will create new educational customized pathways that will be beneficial for all categories of students in the short and long term. Teachers and management teams will gain expertise in Erasmus+ project management and the partnership will set the pillars for future cooperation initiatives among schools. Also, our schools will become more inclusive by providing access to participate in and contribute to the project for all students. Parents will communicate better with the schools and provide support for similar educational projects. All schools will increase visibility in their local communities and at international level as a result of the project.
CONTEXT "TOUR MY CITY" was a project of five European partner schools that chose common cultural heritage, awareness of its diversity and protection as the basis for cooperation. We hoped that this project would help avoid conflict situations resulting from cultural differences in the future. The project was also intended to broaden the knowledge of the students participating in it, making them more sensitive to the culture of their own country and partner countries. OBJECTIVES - increasing the level of intercultural awareness and sense of European identity of project participants; - engaging participants in reflective and mutually beneficial learning experiences; - increasing students' digital skills by using applications to create products as part of the project; - development of students' adaptive skills and independence; - promoting the need to protect our common cultural heritage in a changing world; - creating a context for reflection on the teaching of cultural heritage and cultural diversity in school education. The "Tour My City" project was addressed to students aged 12-16 and teachers of English, history, geography, art, literature, physical education and IT from partner schools. All project activities were focused on students who prepared multimedia presentations, exhibitions, short performances, dances and dishes. The students were supported by teachers and external experts, e.g. dance instructors. MAIN ACTIVITIES AND METHODOLOGY LTTA: – C1 Short-term joint staff training (Poland), – C2 Traditional stories and legends (Italy), – C3 Traditional dances and music (Greece), – C4 Traditional crafts (Romania), – C5 Historic sites and traditional foods (Türkiye). For organizational reasons, the order of activities C3 and C4 was reversed. The project was extended for an additional 12 months due to the COVID pandemic. In the 2020/21 school year, all partners held several online meetings on the ZOOM platform. Meetings in a traditional form began in the 2021/22 school year and continued in the next school year. During the project, knowledge competitions about the partner countries and the cities/regions where the schools were located were held in each of the partner schools; art competitions; exhibitions; meetings with experts; sightseeing tours were conducted with an emphasis on cultural issues; cultural workshops (dance, crafts, traditional dishes); exchange of letters and cards with Christmas greetings. RESULTS – booklet "Our common European heritage"; – cultural questionnaire, diagnosing the degree of knowledge of culture – own and partner countries; – interactive maps presenting the most interesting monuments in the city or region; – cultural quizzes on Kahoot; – multimedia thematic presentations prepared for each LTTA mobility; – thematic exhibitions; – workshops (dramatic, cultural, dance, culinary); – sports competitions (during mobility); – dance performances; – short performances; – project on the TwinSpace platform; – project website; – Erasmus project corners; – posters and school newspapers; – project logo; – participation certificates; – evaluation form IMPACT – Participation in the project brought positive effects for all involved schools and supporting institutions, students and teachers involved. Knowledge about cultural heritage was deepened and new methods of presenting it to students were developed. – We hope that both teachers and students participating in the project will use the knowledge acquired in the project and use the developed teaching aids and materials, both during classes at school and in everyday life. – Regular use of new educational methods and paths, developed together with partners on the international forum, regarding intercultural teaching and supporting diversity will have a positive impact on the development of committed students and teachers in the short and long term. The developed methods, through engaging activities that stimulate creativity, critical thinking skills and promote empathy, can also be used for students who were not directly involved in the "Tour My City" project. – Teachers and management teams gained practical knowledge in managing Erasmus+ projects and creating new projects, and the partnership provided the basis for further cooperation initiatives between schools. – An additional benefit is a change in the functioning of the school - creating a more open environment that accepts cultural and religious differences (Catholics, Muslims, Greek Catholics and Orthodox believers participated in the project), which is extremely important for the integration of children from immigrant families at school and in the local community