Women's Word also Matters

"<< Background >>We noticed that among the three countries participating in the project, there was a certain disparity in the number of women involved in politics, and that, although there are more women, it is men who are more represented in our parliaments. The roots of this dilemma seem to echo the deepening inequalities between men and women in the history of our countries. Yet in the modern world, we enjoy the same civic and educational rights. We suggest that one of the explanations for this political inequality may simply be a certain lack of understanding of, or even interest in, politics among women.We have also noted the low number of female representatives on the bodies of our lycées, particularly our vocational students, and we wanted to encourage them to be more proactive in their lycées. These are the reasons why we wanted to highlight the role of women and give their voice a central place, according to the Latin etymology of the city-state, i.e. a community of free and autonomous citizens.<< Objectives >>Throughout the project, we have tried to achieve the following objectives: to create a concrete immersion in the political spheres; to develop a better knowledge of our local, national and international bodies; to raise awareness of the important role played by women not only in politics, but also in other areas. As well as motivating them to become active citizens, we have also sought to ensure that our pupils are integrated into European youth and feel part of European citizenship. Respecting differences and overcoming prejudices linked to a lack of knowledge of other people was also a priority for us. Our final objective was to get our girls more involved in our schools. By debating social issues with their peers, organising charity activities and taking part in book clubs, all our girls have been able to express themselves and realise that women's voices count, whoever they are!<< Implementation >>Firstly, we organised 3 mobilities to our countries, during which the participants had the opportunity to meet local women politicians, discover different cultures and get to know our partners.Secondly, we used the book club to discuss not only the books we had read, but also major issues such as abortion, health and the environment, and women's safety. We organised various meetings with experts who helped us to understand the issues mentioned above. Some students and teachers also took self-defence courses.As part of the theme of active citizenship, we organised a number of charity events, including the collection of money for earthquake victims in Turkey, a running competition in France to raise money for children with leukodystrophies, a collection of plastic bottle tops by the Italian school for charities in Sicily and the collection of toys by the Turkish school for kindergarten pupils in Alanya.We also celebrated key dates: Pink October, ErasmusDays, Women's Day and Europe Day.<< Results >>Our pupils have been able to improve their knowledge of local, national and European bodies and have increased their sense of belonging to the European nation by gaining self-confidence. They have improved their language, digital and psycho-social skills. The wide participation in the various activities and debates organised in our 3 schools has fostered greater understanding and respect for others in all participating pupils, regardless of their gender. Our teaching and administrative staff gained a new perspective on the education system and methods in other European schools (all of which were vocational schools in this project).Results in terms of productions: 1. an e-Twinning project and a Twinspace of the same name ""Women's Word Also Matters"" 2. A Storyjumper e-book on the development of women in the 20th and 21st centuries in various fields 3. A three-issue e-journal (spring, summer and autumn) with essays by our students 4. A map of important European women 5. Women in the past, present and future collaborative work 6. Instagram and Facebook accounts"