Info about this project

You can find some information about the project "Youth involvement in Europe-Join in!", in the text below.


Summary

The project aims are presenting the EU in a positive light to the youth and encouraging their active involvement in EU issues. We hope to strengthen international cooperation and knowledge of partners' languages and cultures. We will use IT to encourage communication and youth-friendly materials and activities to motivate their interest.

In the course of the project  students will have the opportunity to learn more about the European Union and its member countries, about other cultures and ways of life and  to make sure that people from various cultural backgrounds are able to work together to promote European values. Knowledge of different cultures should combat discrimination and racism. Participation in different activities will enhance communication and interaction skills and teach them how to live in a multicultural Europe.

We believe that entrepreneurship, creativity, innovation and adaptation to the rapidly changing world of work is very significant for  the future of the youth. All in all involving  youth in European issues will help them get rid of their prejudice towards EU countries , make them willing to be active citizens and qualified workers of the EU  and also motivate them to continue their studies,  preventing them from  early school leaving.

Rationale

Many experts say that this period is perhaps the most critical for the future of EU. The future of Europe  is its youth. For this it is necessary to help young people so that they undertake the continuity of the EU.

This project has as its main goal to present the EU in a positive way to the youth. Through the activities of the project the teachers will encourage and urge their students to strengthen intra-European cooperation. Simultaneously through experiential learning mode students will gain the belief that different languages and cultures do not divide the European peoples, but rather are elements that complete the puzzle of EU. They will also realize that the use of foreign languages and familiarity with other cultures do not place tension in relations of people who have a different origin. Instead they offer solutions to people's problems and social and economic impasse.

There are short term and long term reasons based on which we chose this project:

Short term reasons:

All schools which are participating in the project have culture, nationality, tribe or social heterogeneity in their school population. But  most teenagers want to become exactly similar to each other as this diversity makes them  feel uncomfortable and in some cases creates problems in their relationships. This project aims to mitigate discrimination arising from diversity and to make them obtain a critical attitude towards such issues.

Long term reasons:

Our students are the future European citizens and employees. They should get to know other cultures and gain experiences. Maybe some of them  need to migrate to another country for economic or other social reasons. Others may need to host in their own country those who are forced to migrate.  The activities we chose aim at preparing them from this early age to be ready to make or accept such changes in their lives, because in this way they can have a better and more peaceful life . To enable someone to live in modern Europe, it is important to have them acquire these attitudes, beliefs and perceptions  which will help address the EU in a positive light . Participating international cooperation activities, gaining knowledge of foreign languages and cultures and being able to fight xenophobia, discrimination and racism undoubtedly means active involvement in EU issues.

Our students all speak English, and many of them speak another or more foreign languages (French, German, etc). They also handle IT from a very good to an excellent level. These are efforts which will be used in our project.

Our project also aims at making pupils and teachers aware of the need of  European cooperation, comparing and exchanging information about positive and negative aspect of the EU.

Pupils and teachers from the schools will work together to achieve the objectives.  Firstly, there will be established project teams for both pupils and teachers who will be given tasks regarding the organization, dissemination and evaluation of the project.  End products will be realised during the project meetings by the pupils from all the countries as well as during the whole period of the project.

For all the above reasons, we strongly believe that this project will become for them another effort for their future life in EU.