The regions where the selected schools were located had similarities. All of them have great cultural richness. The starting point of our project was the improvement plan. We identified three fundamental needs and wanted to link them to this project: The majority of our students did not value or recognize the heritage value of their city. - Many of them did not have easy access to the use of new technologies due to the low socioeconomic level of their families. - The predominant methodological approach in our schools was based on traditional methodologies and our goal was for teachers to be able to use active and innovative methodologies that promoted the acquisition of key competencies in students. It is important to achieve meaningful and contextualized learning related to the local area where students live to achieve a competency-based approach. This context revealed the need to offer new job opportunities in the future, with our institution being aware that the development of a European Project would favour not only the conservation of the cultural heritage but also its valorization, knowledge, and dissemination.
The project was led by the GAPI team (Office for Support of International Projects) and supported by the teaching staff. We were all aware of the need to change methodologies and adapt the school to the global and digital society in which we live. Our main motivations for the project were to provide equal opportunities to all students, regardless of the social, cultural, and economic level of their families; to use innovative methodologies in our schools that respond to the new European paradigms to facilitate meaningful and competent learning. We have 905 students aged 3 to 15 years old, 192 of whom have learning difficulties and receive specific support from a psychologist and special education teachers. The team involved in this project consists of twenty teachers from different areas: ICT, English, Music, Arts, History, Mathematics, and Geography. Families participate in their children's educational lives and cooperate with us, despite their economic problems. Additionally, we want to offer students the opportunity to learn about other cultures and countries. There are many children in our school who have never travelled abroad; so, this project was an opportunity for social, personal, and cultural growth.