CONTEXT 72 years after adopting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the rights of the weaker ones are still being violated. Instead of a peaceful and safe life for all human beings, the lack of democratic values is leading millions of people to be bullied, discriminated, mistreated, excluded, imprisoned and killed based on prejudice and stereotypes. There is a need to take action towards the violation of human rights and promote a spirit of democracy, active citizenship and social entrepreneurship in our schools and communities. GENERAL AIMS -Raise awareness to the importance of democratic values and the respect for human rights -Get involved in the defense of human rights, promoting more cohesive and inclusive societies -Develop 21st century skills by means of active citizenship and social entrepreneurship. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES -Promote intercultural awareness, tolerance , respect, acceptance, equity, social cohesion, active citizenship and social entrepreneurship -Improve foreign language skills -Enhance skills in ICT, Coding and Robotics -Foster student-centered methodologies -Deepen 21st century skills -Promote a whole-school and cross-sectorial approach -Foster internationalisation of institutions -Increase European mobilities -Promote school success and reduce early school leaving -Facilitate the integration in the global labour market. PARTICIPANTS There will be 4 mainstream schools and a special needs school. The target groups will be mostly secondary students, in cooperation with vocational students. However, all levels, including pre-school and primary children will participate in project activites, in cooperation with older students. There will be a special focus on students with poor school performance and in risk of failure and students with integration difficulties and disabilities (deaf and hard of hearing). ACTIVITIES A short-term joint staff training event at the beginning will provide teachers with necessary methods and tools for project implementation. Pupils from different levels and subjects will work on project topics related to Democracy and Human Rights. Acivities will be carried out by means of online communication (eTwinning) and also in five short-term exchanges of pupils, during which participants will work cooperatively in mixed groups. There will be follow-up activities for dissemination and exploitation of project results. At the end of the project students will present project results at the European Parliament as well as their ideas to prevent Human Rights’ violation. METHODOLOGY A whole-school and cross-sectorial approach will involve learners from pre-school to secondary level, including vocational courses. Associated partner in the community will also be involved. Project activities will be developed by means of student-centered methodologies like Content and Languge Integrated Learning (CLIL), Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL), Computer Sciences (CS) by means of Coding and Robotics and also the Montessori Method. The interaction of these methodologies will be the best way for pupils to learn by doing. They will work in teams (mixed healthy and disabled) using their creativity, critical thinking and accountability, this way deepening their linguistic, social, cooperative and civic competence. Active involvement of pupils in practical exercises of Democracy and organisation of activities will promote their entrepreneurial and citizenship skills as well as their autonomy and empathy. RESULTS Logotype Thinglink Story Jumper Book Quizizz Bookmarkers Project’s Song and Dance Class materials Role-Up Posters Documentaries Calendar School Regulation Document Shadow theatre play Open letter for the EP Bilingual leaflets Bilingual Vokis Project’s newspaper Films of the international meetings IMPACT This project will have highly relevant impact due to its whole-school and cross-sectorial approach, which will involve pupils from different levels, mainstream and vocational courses and also a school for Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Teachers from different subjects and associated partners in the community will be part of it. This mixture of active stakeholders will lead to results which will have a multiplying effect and go far beyond participants and participating organizations, having an impact at local, regional, European and international level. LONG-TERM BENEFITS The big exploitation potential of project results after the end of the EU funding will continue to enhance students’ development of different skills, and main project objectives will continue to be achieved. Project results will be integrated in schools’ activites guaranteeing its transferability and sustainability. All results will be available to the public at international level having a long-lasting effect of transferability and sustainability long after the project. This positive impact will have long-term benefits at international level, leading to more cohesive schools and societies.
By implementing this project we intended to achieve/have achieved to: -Promote intercultural awareness, tolerance, respect and acceptance towards the difference -Promote equity, social cohesion, active citizenship and social entrepreneurship -Use English as a common language, improving pupils’ foreign language skills and encourage multilinguism -Enhance the use of ICT tools, Coding and Robotics -Foster innovative and creative pedagogical practice, with student-centered methodologies -Deepen 21st century skills -Apply a whole-school approach, with collaborative and multidisciplinar activities, involving school leaders, teachers and non-teaching staff, families and community services -Promote a cross-sectorial approach involving learners from pre-school level to secondary, general and vocational school and a wide range of parties in the community -Foster the international dimension and modernisation of participating institutions by means of transnational cooperation -Increase European mobilities in the range of Erasmus+ -Promote school success. In the long run we hope to have been able to influence the prevention of early school leaving and to facilitate the integration in the global labour market.
Having in mind that human rights have been violated on a daily basis, at the beginning of the project we felt the need to take action. Now, at the end of the project we can assure that the work developed addressed the following needs previously identified: 1) A world in which democratic values are being forgotten and human rights are being violated on a daily basis 2) Societies that lack democratic citizenship and human rights education, in which people suffer from discrimination 3) Schools and communities which lack a spirit of democracy, active citizenship and social entrepreneurship in the defense of human rights. Partner institutions wanted to make a difference being aware that schools have the responsibility to provide for support and tools that will guide children and teenagers to become critical and active agents of change in order to defend human rights. In order to achieve these ideals, project activities have focused on the following general aims: 1) Raise awareness to the importance of democratic values and the respect for human rights 2) Get involved in the defense of human rights, promoting more cohesive and inclusive societies 3) Develop 21st century skills by means of active citizenship and social entrepreneurship.