raisingeuropeanawareness

Spain – The IES Lázaro Cárdenas is a large, public, co-educational school situated in Collado Villalba, a large middle class town (52.000 inhabitants) located in the north-west of Madrid and surrounded by a beautiful natural area. We provide education for students between 12 and 18 years old. Vocational studies are also available. We have 1.200 students and 117 teachers. We are an active school involved in many different projects: sports competitions, school newspaper, and a library project. We also have an annual tour to Italy and school exchange programs with France and the USA. Our objective is to increase our students’ knowledge of other European countries increasing their understanding and respect of other cultures and improving their language skills.

The Netherlands – Gomarus College is a large school in the city of Groningen in the north of the Netherlands that has its roots in Reformed churches. Though a university town, most of our students come from a wide area around Groningen from a variety of backgrounds, mainly rural and economically disadvantaged.  It is the school’s mission to provide high quality education to the children of Christian parents. It also aims to raise students’ awareness of a broader world beyond the national borders, trying to develop them into responsible citizens living in this world which we see as God’s creation entrusted to man. We see this project as a means for our students to get acquainted with different cultures and people from different backgrounds so that they become even more aware of their Christian responsibility towards their fellow human beings and the world (i.e. God’s creation) they live in.

Norway –Strinda upper secondary school is located about 2 kilometres from the centre of Trondheim. The school has 600 students and 72 teachers. Strinda specializes in the following areas of study: Natural Science and Mathematics studies, Languages, Social Sciences and Economic Studies and Programme for Sports and Physical Education. In addition we have Programme for Service and Transport. The school has some experience of international cooperation in various areas. We have had Comenius language assistants since 1996. We have had student and teacher exchanges with Denmark and Iceland (Norplus) in sports and outdoor activities. We have annual language and study tours to France, Germany, England and Spain. The school wishes to develop a deeper understanding and knowledge of European culture and history. We want to give our students a better and more direct contact with European youth, as well as improve their language skills through this project.

Poland – Our school is situated in an area that can be described as unfriendly for teenagers. It is an area with high unemployment and people living in poverty which causes many problems such as violence, growing pathology in our students’ families and surroundings, migration of students’ parents in order to earn money. Many students live in underdeveloped agricultural areas. There are many social problems which have influence on division between poor and rich students. Considerable number of students have been psychologically assessed as to dysfunctions such as dyslexia, or lowering the level of educational requirements. There is also a big number of students with defects of posture. This project could show teenagers and teachers different ways of facing difficulties as well as many alternatives of spending free time in a creative way.

Slovakia – The school is situated in a lingually mixed area within the context of the country as a whole representing the Hungarian minority in the country. We have a small number of children with additional educational needs who are supported by a tutor. The area of the school and the town itself is situated in a minority populated part of the country.  Our school is a family type of school with 180 students and 20 teachers. Multiculturalism, environmental issues and lanuages are the main areas of focus in our institution. This multilateral project is a chance for our students to make them more self-confident in their chances of succeeding in life.