Via the implementation of the mobility project, we sought to introduce the European character in teaching & learning in our school reality. A character that promotes democracy, diversity, cultural heritage & cultivates skills for the professional development of both teachers & children. The diverse student population pushed us towards taking action through alternative approaches that would bring us closer to the children but also improve relations between them. At the same time, we wanted to broaden the way we approached other cultures , to balance inequalities and to enable opportunities to be taken up equally by all children. We also wanted our school to be a welcoming, inclusive and inspiring place that offers a variety of stimuli and cultivates their curiosity and ambition.
Our school is located in a densely populated area and hosts over 200 children, many of whom are migrants & often unaccompanied refugees. We have so far had little experience & participation in European projects: a Comenius project & a KA2 project while we had the opportunity to participate in 2 projects after an initiative launched by the Municipality of Athens. In such a highly multicultural environment we wanted to focus on the school’s extroversion through our trainings and the benefits that the European character of teaching offers to all parties involved. We also sought to inspire safety in children by discovering & implementing ways to calm tensions and enhance their empathy. Finally, we used digital tools through museum education, which proved valuable in motivating children to actively participate in the classroom.