The main objective of the project was the creation of a manga book and its animation. The project consisted of two phases: a one-and-a-half-year creative phase and a phase of public presentation in the two cities of Offenbach and Thermi. During the creative phase, the focus was on developing as many competencies as possible among learners and teachers, particularly the following key competencies: social and intercultural competence, action competence, multilingualism, media literacy, creativity, and personal competence. In addition, emphasis was placed on acquiring essential knowledge related to the project topics of integration and diversity, environment and sustainability, as well as Europe and its democratic values. In the second phase, learners and teachers developed additional competencies through the public presentation of their work, including communicative competence, as well as European and international awareness and foreign language proficiency. Another central goal was the establishment of a friendship between Offenbach and Thermi in order to enable future joint projects between the two cities and between the Marienschule and schools in Thermi.
Our school had no prior experience with Erasmus+ projects. With our application, we therefore aimed to offer our students, for the first time, a high-quality international learning experience that would contribute to the development of key academic, social, and intercultural competencies. The Manga United project gave many learners the opportunity to participate actively in European cooperation and, in doing so, not only expand their academic and personal skills but also deepen their understanding of Europe, a different educational system, and the culture and way of life of another EU member state. Another essential aim of our project was to promote sustainable personal and institutional connections between two European countries. Neither the students nor the Marienschule had previously gained international experience of this kind. Through this partnership, we sought to foster exchange, mutual understanding, and long-term structures for cooperation.