Through a participatory approach we wanted to expose the students and teachers to new approaches, methods, ideas and cultures. We expected our students and teachers both to learn new practices, as well as to reflect over previous experiences and learning from school and work in Sweden. In addition to the vocational and cultural skills we expected our students to have by the end of their mobility, we also expected their level of English to increase. Language skills are important in the students’ future. In the end we wanted to empower the students in their future work, whether this is in an increasingly international Swedish context or abroad. We also expected this mobility to strengthen our students’ European identity, as they will be part of something bigger. As some of our students come from homes with fewer opportunities, they have never traveled outside of Scandinavia before. This project gives these students an opportunity to expand their horizons, and with the support from our organization we can facilitate an experience these young adults would otherwise likely miss out on.
In order to offer our students and teachers the opportunity to participate in an international work placement/job shadowing and learn new practices from fellow european colleagues. This project was a part of Victum Gymnasium's internationalization strategy in which we strive to increase our students and teachers awareness in international issues and improve their competences by intercultural activities.