PROJECT SUMMARY
Migration is an old process introducing cultural differences which is not new for Europe and partly explains its complex territory and cultural diversity that the refugee crisis of 2015 has reinforced through its massive waves of immigration. Consequently, there is an increasing number of migrants in our schools, bringing a huger diversity in school communities and classes. Presently, we need to anticipate coming waves of economic migrants and refugees. These observations created the will of this partnership to work together for a more efficient social inclusion in our schools, as school is one of the main actor of the social link and intercultural understanding among people.
This leads us to observe that the young people of today are in search of an identity, wondering if this identity should be individual, collective or both. Is the European feeling strong enough for our youth to face the challenges the 21st century has in store ? We are living in a world in motion with growing flows of migrants induced by several reasons which makes it a necessity to learn adaptability, tolerance and open-mindedness. Europe, today, sees its construction endangered and weakened as we can witness the rise of nationalist and xenophobic movements in an increasing number of European countries at levels that have not been reached since the 1930s, we see a growing communitarism, individualism and selfishness together with a lack of intercultural understanding.
Our schools from France, Spain, Finland, Greece, Czech Republic and Poland present a diversity of geographical, economic and social situations but have one common feature: a strong history of immigration in their countries. The present time waves of migration and the refugee crisis have had different impacts and produced different ways of dealing with the arrival of migrants in our countries.
This variety of repercusions and of situations will help the participants enlarge their perception of the context and brighten their views, for them to have a global perspective beyond national borders. This partnership aims at facing a topical challenge: breaking stereotypes and enlarging the participants' visions on the present world issues linked to migration.
This project will explore the idea of identity and of European identity and the vision of young people on Europe, wondering how to build up a European identity in a changing world: Is European identity important for young people? Do young people consider Europe as a union of states, of nations or of people? We aim at enlarging and deepening the notion of migration and promoting the values of understanding, collaboration and tolerance. We target to raise awareness of the richness of cultural diversity and to promote intercultural understanding, to make participants aware of human rights.
Strenghtening European citizenship and social responsibility is at the core of the project by developping social entrepreneurship among young people and encouraging the feeling of social responsibility. One of our main goal is to reinforce social inclusion, notably through intercultural understanding inside and outside schools: we aim at creating a more inclusive school atmosphere, hence allowing migrant populations or people from different horizons not to feel marginalized or ostracized in schools. By enhancing intercultural understanding at school, we aim at fighting school drop out and at placing school as a space of inclusion, not only of academic teaching. To help us fulfill our objectives, we will be assisted by the NGO "Terre des Hommes", the Directorate-General for Communication of the European Parliament of Strasbourg and by the European student network who will bring their expertise and accompany the participants (105 students and 20 teachers) along the 2 years of collaboration.
As a result, we aim at producing 3 different outcomes which are going to be built all along the 2 years and which will be presented at the European Parliament of Strasbourg and shared to UNO representatives in the shape of: a video campaign to promote intercultural understanding, a «Migrant of the 21st century in Europe» Charter ,a European tool package for 21st century migrants in Europe. The productions will be elaborated through eTwinning constant collaboration and made concrete during the meetings in the 6 countries. It will enable to have the largest picture possible of the present migration situation in Europe and the participants will be confronted to different situations and different ways of dealing with them.
This partnership aims at paving the way to an opening of schools to societal issues and to stress the part played by school as an actor of social inclusion. We would like to integrate non academic issues to school concerns and to enhance the development of European citizenship built up via school projects. Pushing the walls of school and minds are at the core of the project by promoting social entrepreneurship in the school communities.
