Activating the Future - Informing, Reflecting, Motivating and Empowering (AFIRME) is a joint project of Škofijska klasična gimnazija (a coordinating school), Bischöfliches Gymnasium Augustinum (Austria) and Istituto Istruzione Superiore Galilei-Campailla (Italy). All 3 secondary schools are aware of the importance of promoting active citizenship and social engagement among their students. Therefore, each school has integrated some activities on active citizenship into the compulsory curriculum and offered others in form of extra-curricular activities. They have been seeking ways to bring these activities to a higher level, systematically organise them and add some new contents. Out of these endeavours, designing a project on this topic, exchanging examples of good practice and working together seems to be a logical next step. While preparing a project, a great attention was given to the definition of project objectives to achieve the expected results and benefit from joining the partnership. There are 6 main objectives: improve activities in the field of active citizenship for students (results: development of new approaches, an increase in the use of participatory approaches and ICT, an increase in the active involvement of students in their local communities, reaching a better understanding of social and cultural diversity); increase the number of students engaged in activities on active citizenship; offer opportunities to experience international cooperation for students (through mobilities and an eTwinning project); increase the professional skills of teachers and their awareness of a broader international context (results: ability to integrate good practice from the participating schools; ability to reflect on one’s teaching practice, development of better capacity for working in the international field); prepare and implement effective dissemination methods (organisation of local dissemination events (at least 3), designing a teacher course); establish stronger connections with local communities & other stakeholders (establishing permanent cooperation from which both students and local communities can benefit a lot). To make the project as successful as possible, there are several target groups that the project addresses. To name the most important ones. Those teachers who are members of project teams at each of the schools. While working on the project (developing new contents, visiting other partner schools, etc.), they will hone their skills and knowledge and thus be able to impact the (partner) schools and students in the best possible way. Other teachers of the partner schools will be addressed with dissemination events, engaged in activities when hosting project events and asked to provide feedback. Students are the main reason to improve the schools’ programmes. The participating students (aged 15-18) will be included in various extra-curricular activities on active citizenship locally, will cooperate with each other (on eTwinning, including some students who will not attend mobilities), participate in mobilities, and initiate two projects (with representatives of the local community and governing authority). About 90 students will be actively involved in the activities, from which at least 15 students with fewer opportunities. The project foresees 3 student exchanges each dealing with a chosen social issue. The first will be about working on a real-life challenge (studying it, visiting relevant (NG)organisations, working on proposals, offering a solution). The second exchange will be about the history of international connections, global ecological and social injustices, the European project, etc. (research work, reflecting on the challenges of globalisation, internationalisation, being an active citizen, expressing thoughts through art). The third exchange will be about the issues of diversity (discovering it through history, listening to testimonies from migrants, meeting volunteers, preparing short drama enactments). Since the project encourages teachers to further develop themselves, there are several activities aimed at them. 2 cycles of simultaneous job shadowings are planned to visit a partner school, observe examples of good practice, transfer them, give feedback. Every year, each school will send a teacher to visit 1 of the partner schools and it will, at the same time, welcome a teacher from another partner school. Another important activity will be a preparation of a teacher training course based on the examples of good practice from the project. The course will be designed during the project and carried out by 2 teachers from each of the participating schools. It is planned that the course will be later offered once a year to teachers involved in the Erasmus+ KA1 projects. In delivering this course, the project results, a series of activities on active citizenship and their examples of good practice will be further disseminated and introduced to a great number of teachers.
Three schools participated in the project promoting active citizenship among young people: the Diocesan Classical Gymnasium (coordinating school), Bischöfliches Gymnasium Augustinum (partner school from Austria) and Istituto Istruzione Superiore Galilei-Campailla (partner school from Italy). The partnership is the result of a long-standing cooperation between the Slovenian and the Austrian school on the one hand, and a spontaneous encounter and goodwill for cooperation between the Slovene and the Italian school on the other. The project started with an initial review of existing activities that support the objectives of promoting active citizenship and social participation among pupils. Based on this, we then planned future changes, some of which have already been tested and verified for their relevance and feasibility in the many activities of the project. The first year of the project took place entirely in the very changed context of the Covid-19 epidemic and our activities were adapted accordingly. If the very aspect of systematic review of the activities and preparation of the plan was not affected, the implementation of any exchange of students or teachers during this time was impossible. However, in the spirit of the active attitude that the project in general promotes, we did not give up and therefore the meetings between students and teachers were carried out remotely. Of course, we have to admit that this way of doing things was limited in terms of content, but it was important to maintain the continuity of our meetings and thus lay the foundations for future meetings and face-to-face exchanges. We had no doubt that the second year of the project would be completely different and we were therefore always optimistic about the future. To summarise briefly the results achieved in this first distance phase, we can say that we have managed to motivate students and teachers to participate actively. It should be remembered that the active attitude with which even the students occasionally participated in the planning phase of the activities, and especially the teachers involved, was the key to making the project come to life as a project that was owned by all, and not just an offer from some to others. In total, more than 60 students and 15 teachers were involved in this active way in the first year of the project. In the second year of the project, the situation with the possibilities for implementation was really quite different. Already the joint planning of the project coordinators could take place in person and, above all, we could start the first real student exchange. It gave the students the opportunity to realise two key elements in promoting the competences of active citizenship that we had highlighted in the application: active involvement in the local community and gaining a better understanding of social and cultural diversity. This first and then also second exchange also increased the number of pupils involved in active citizenship activities and, in general, provided opportunities for international cooperation for pupils, which was also planned when the project was launched. This provided the students with an experience that was short in time, but all the more enriching in content, offering them knowledge and experience for the future. However, by combining the exchange with another one that we had planned but could not do separately due to the circumstances, we have enhanced their experience even further. The joint trip and the climb up the three borders point linking the three participating countries had a very symbolic meaning for the project, as we showed how we can be united in a common goal despite our diversity. This adventure will, we are sure, remain in the memories of these young participants for a long time to come. The project also offered the opportunity for active participation of teachers in the so-called Job Shadowing Exchanges. The aim was to achieve a more effective transfer of knowledge and experience of good practices between the schools. During the visits, the teachers closely monitored the events and activities at the school and had many formal and informal discussions with their colleagues, with the students and with the school management. They were helped by a special observation diary, which was created specifically for this project and is now of use to others. Teachers came away from the exchanges full of ideas and with the impetus to make some changes in their work. Some of them will also take up projects in the future, inspired by the exchanges. We can particularly highlight the fact that we allowed more teachers to exchange than we had planned in the application form, because we really wanted to gain as much knowledge and experience as possible. The most that we have achieved with this project brings us back to the students. By involving them in the planning, implementation and evaluation phases of the activities, we have given them the opportunity to realise their creative potential and opened the space for them to adopt the project as something of their own. Students who show an active attitude in the variety of activities they are interested in are the greatest assets for the future, even after the project is over. The involvement of students with fewer opportunities, and in a way that has significantly increased the number compared to the original plan, is what makes up for it in the end.