We defined 3 fundamental objectives for the project: 1) We want to introduce our students and our school community to a different cultural, social and geographical reality which to compare themselves with: in this way they can appreciate its richness and recognize the elements that unite us as European citizens. We believe that gaining direct experience of diversity can help all pupils to become aware of their cultural tradition, so that they can become active players of it and not mere scholars. 2) We want pupils to understand the motivation of studying different languages and cultures, which enable them to open up to new relationships, worlds and contexts. The opportunity to live in a European context among peers can improve pupils' spontaneity and their linguistic skills, especially the communicative ones, and can encourage them to boost their language skills over time. 3) We want pupils and our school community to reflect on the importance of living in a sustainable territory. We propose a comparison between our territory and the city of Bilbao, focusing on sustainable architecture and mobility that can be appreciated in Bilbao.
Our school is located on the outskirts of Milan and has a strong inclusive connotation. In the aftermath of the pandemic period, we were interested as a school in an openness to new European realities that could help us in the new challenges of teaching collaborating on a shared project. We therefore decided to offer our students the possibility of an international experience to learn languages in foreign countries and to promote the importance of meeting others. The students, thanks to an immersive experience of collaboration with a foreign school, are personally involved in the development of cognitive and non-cognitive skills. This allows a real inclusion beyond the classroom and an enhancement of everyone's different competences.