youth@home-in.europe

"Students and teachers from seven high schools from Greece, Norway, Italy, Portugal, France, Slovenia and Germany cooperated over a span of 2,5 years in order to focus on modern technology combined with one of the main concerns European societies face today- are we still at home in our countries ? Europe is changing, economically, politically and culturally. Some countries intend to leave, Britain has left, others hope to someday be part of this vast community. Many of our countries are coping with the flow of political and econnomical refugees, others are suffering their own economical crisises. We all must deal with a new, constant fear of terror. We believe that we must learn to cooperate more closely and see Europe as our common, and yet diverse homeland, deliberate about our problems and finding solutions, so that we will all, together as one, develop and establish a peaceful interface where people, goods, and ideas move freely and safely. This understanding was also anchored in our project title- ""youth@home-in.europe""- thus emphasising our mutual interests, values and similarities and our appreciation for them. Furthermore, by investigating what being at home in Europe means for teenagers today and in the future we enabled a closer look at our partners´ locations to create future interconnecting paths of communication and mutual understanding among European cities, experiencing each place´s uniqueness as well as its diversity. Like we are. We believe in active learning and have therefore scheduled seven transnational “Learning/Teaching/Training activities” meetings, one in each partner school. Prior to each meeting, the students of all schools collaborated on topics relating to it´s own cultural identity. Also in reference to how that identity is changing.Our students communicated using videoconferencing, emailing and social media, and worked on topics and products leading to our mutual film, as our main product outcome. They learned basic communication in the native language through a multilinguistic toolbox, and become acquainted with the educational system of each host country by participating in local lessons. The expected results of this collaboration was depicted in output material (like reports, posters, narratives, photographies, the project’s web page, etc), which in turn was used to reach out to as many European citizens as possible. After each meeting, each school organized special multiplier events, in order to disseminate these results to the other teachers and pupils of their schools, and the local community. Evaluation of each meeting offered constructive feedback. As for the long-term benefits of this project, the participating schools believe that students and future European citizens and potential decision-makers learned to cooperate beyond ethnic, national, linguistic, cultural restrictions and stereotypes. Exploring the interface of Europeans thus moulded responsible and active citizens, who will interact and uphold European unity and be able to answer the question if we are still@ home in Europe."