The project aims at active creative self-expression and direct communication and cooperation between students and teachers to improve intercultural competence. The aim was prompted by the survey carried out by the Gymnasium Quality Assessment Coordination Group in 2021. In response to open-ended questions in the questionnaire, students mentioned the following difficulties: lack of motivation, lack of self-confidence, negative perception of the meaning of learning, etc. It was hoped that this project would help to improve intercommunication skills between students and teachers, develop intercultural competences, upgrade teachers' qualifications, activate the gymnasium community, promote students' learning motivation and closer communication through active artistic activities. In order to achieve the project's objectives, the project foresaw 3 in-service training courses for 5 teachers abroad and 2 group learning mobilities for teachers and pupils to Latvia. A true creative community was born. The exhibition of the creative works, the publication of the exhibition catalogue and the organisation of the final concert contributed to the achievement of the project objectives. The project results have exceeded expectations.
The Gymnasium community faces long-standing challenges and consequences of online distance learning. Students' physical and mental health, safety and attainments were affected profoundly due to distance learning. Regardless of the teaching staff attempts to provide distance personal tutorials and offer engaging teaching forms, students' learning motivation during that period dropped significantly. On average 0.1% drop in overall Gymnasium learning progress was observed. Negative consequences of the lack of face-to-face contact are obvious.Thus, this project is viewed as a means to improve face-to-face communication skills of students and teachers as well as a means of developing intercultural competences. Fostering active creative self-expression forms, direct communication and cooperation between students and teachers are the objectives of the project. The teachers are active, they organise personal concerts and exhibitions. The project aimed to involve as many pupils as possible in creative activities and to give teachers the opportunity to improve their competences abroad by adopting the positive experience of colleagues.