The Odyssey revisited: Teaching European values in a divided continent

The Erasmus Plus Strategic Partnership Key Action 2 project “The Odyssey revisited: Teaching Europeanvalues in a divided continent” was carried out from 01.09.2017 until 31.08.2019. Within the context of theever mounting flows of refugees and the challenges facing the citizens of Europe over this humanitariancrisis, the aim of this project was to awaken the educational community to shared European values such asdemocracy, solidarity and tolerance and at the same time provide a new teaching tool to Europeanschools.The life lessons and universal truths in Homer’s the Odyssey became the medium through which bothstudents and teachers rediscovered human values and found answers to the moral dilemmas of our times.The priorities set at the beginning of the project- the achievement of high quality skills and transversalcompetences, social inclusion and innovative practices in a digital era- were materialized in the finalproduct of our project, the comic “ Ody”. The basis of the creation of this interactive web comic is afictitious character, a refugee who, like the hero in Homer’s epic, is fated to wander across Europe insearch of a new home. Fleeing from Syria, he sets off on the long journey to Sweden, his Promised Land.His trail takes him to Cyprus, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Spain and Sweden, his final destination. (the sixpartners) Through his journey, we became conscious of our own culture, saw foreign cultures as enrichingand not fearful and carried out research in a wide range of subjects.The six-chapter comic was completed in June 2019 and was presented at the final transnational meeting inTurkey. It is available in both printed and digital form and in two versions: one in English and another in thenative language of each partner, namely Spanish, Greek, Italian and Turkish. All chapters were enrichedwith the addition of hyperlinks, sound and video files focusing on five distinct areas of learning- English,Geography, ICT, Citizenship and Cultural History. In addition, a mini dictionary containing expressions fromthe Odyssey that were used in each chapter and a suggested lesson plan based on the comic software areavailable.The methodology followed in writing the comic was inquiry-based and collaborative and encouraged thestudents to function autonomously in their research for the information required for the real life scenarioof the comic. The benefits of writing this comic are numerous:● It was a cross curricular activity bringing together different branches of knowledge● It improved all participants’ skills in the English language leading to better communication● It fostered key components of digital competence such as the ability to search and filterinformation, interact, collaborate, identify and solve problems● The exposure to geographical information enhanced the ability to identify places and interculturalunderstanding● Information about the cultural heritage and history of the six partner countries contributed to abetter appreciation of cultural diversity● It enabled us to become aware of and identify the shared values that unite European nations andapply them in the plot of the comic based on the timeless values presented in the Odyssey● Citizenship issues in the plot instilled a sense of responsibility in today’s complex world andemphasized the importance of inclusive education regardless of ability and social or racialbackground● The varied treatment of the topic as expressed in the plot of each chapter helped understandhistorical change and national identity and encouraged reflection on ethnic stereotypesThe project also had a great impact on many different levels:● Both teachers and students as well as their families developed a more positive attitude toinnovative, less traditional methods of learning based on collaboration.● All teachers are now more receptive to trying new approaches in their teaching- especially digitaltools- and have re-evaluated their role as educators by comparing the different practices in eachpartner country● Interaction with different cultures helped reconsider ethnic stereotypes and commonmisconceptions and promoted intercultural understanding● Lasting transnational friendships were created● Our social and moral awareness towards the refugee crisis increased through empathy with thecharacter of Ody● The commitment to the creation of the comic increased our degree of involvementThe project received adequate exposure through Etwinning, the project website and social media.Articles in the local press and the school websites also attracted attention from the localcommunities. The feedback after each mobility as well as the online comments are an indicator ofthe success of the project.In the long run, the comic can be used a teaching resource in schools across Europe so furtherpublicity events and the project website will ensure maximum exploitation of our work long afterthe end of this project.