Collège Fernand Garandeau and Mary Immaculate Secondary School are two secondary mixed schools established respectively in France and in Ireland. Both are located a stone’s throw away from the Atlantic coast, in La Tremblade and in Lisdoonvarna. Mary Immaculate is a relatively small school with 200 students, whereas Collège Fernand Garandeau counts twice as many students. The ages of the pupils taking part in the exchange range from 15 to 18 years old. They come from various backgrounds and origins. We are also trying to include two asylum seekers residing and schooled in Lisdoonvarna, but their administrative status is taking time to get sorted out. Three of the Irish students and one French pupil have medical conditions that we are taking into account while planning for this project. The participants from each school study a foreign language and the basic idea of an exchange was to develop the students’ linguistic interest and abilities in these languages. We would like our student to become more comfortable with the practice of a foreign language through the practical use of this language. Since our first school exchange in 2017, we have been trying to prepare a second one to foster a greater interest in learning a foreign language. However, Mary Immaculate being a small school, the number of Irish students wishing to take part in an exchange was not matching the number of French students. Over the past two years, we have remained in contact and have developed a friendship. Therefore, we have been regularly in contact for various matters outside school. This is why our discussions about an exchange have been ongoing and informal. Our interests in music, sport and local traditions have led us to devise activities for our students. We are also devising ways of evaluating these activities that would be realistic and practical to organise. We understand each other’s school situations and we have had no difficulty to agree on deciding to apply to the Erasmus+ programme. This became our project in early January and we have been developing it since then. To do so, we decided to use each school’s tradition as a means to achieve this aim. We decided that our pupils would get a taste of each other’s culture in English or in French, pending on the group. We identified three fields of possible interest: music, sports and food. We agreed on the following approach: it would be a hands-on project whereby the students would organize and deliver workshops in the 3 cultural areas selected, thus focusing on a kinaesthetic approach to learning. A great deal of this project relies on peer-teaching, while the teachers will take part as guides and facilitators. To that effect, in Ireland, the students will be in charge of the following workshops: traditional music, hurling and Gaelic football, and traditional Irish food. They will help the French students to play some Irish tunes on the tin whistle; to get a basic grasp of the Gaelic games; to share their knowledge of their culinary culture. In France, the students will likewise prepare workshops on music along with their school band, surfing as a local tradition and French cuisine. Here as well, they will manage the efficient learning of their partners. We are planning to share our experiences not only among each other as a group working together, but also with the local community. The groups aim at playing in front of an audience to practise their new skills. French meal and Irish meal sessions will be organised to showcase and taste each country’s culinary culture. Finally, friendly games will be organised with teams of mixed nationalities. Thus, we are aiming at our students fostering a sense of responsibility towards not only the preparation of their work but also in its delivery. Their use of a foreign language to communicate and understand each other will improve their ease at using it back in the classroom. It will show them that a language is an actual tool they can handle, not just a subject. Equally important, we would like our students to develop self-reliance and autonomy while looking after other students of their age. We hope the effort they make will help them realize and value the work their partners will have put in their own workshops. These are life skills any person needs to develop and to foster to be part of a society. As citizens, developing those personal skills in an intercultural exchange will also help them develop a European identity at the same time. Finally, each group will represent and share their own culture. We want to help our students to get in contact with, enjoy and appreciate a different way of living than their own through non-academic but purposeful activities.

"Modern science - especially natural science are a very interesting and important topic for the future of Europe. For the employees of the future, for pupils and for teachers, influencer and trainer this subject and the social skills will be also most important. But we see that science mainly is teached to young people in schools using the methods of formal education. On the other hand pupils, trainers, influencers and teachers come to outdoor centres and looking for active-oriented methods. Companies are looking for workers with social skills and knowledge in natural science. Young people want to increase their knowledge of the culture of other European nations and want to travel and see pupils from other states. Because of this we have made an exchange program by using intercultural, outdoor, environmental and experience education and active-oriented methods. The innovative idea was that not only whole school classes will take part in this project, but 5-6 pupils from different schools from Germany, the U.K., Croatia (as a new member of the EU) and France. Germany and France are used in partnership activities for many years, the partnership with Croatia and the U.K. was new und has been grown up during the project. there has been a teach the teacher program so that teachers from different schools and nations come together, learning active-oriented methods, use a common language (english) and get knowing a lot of the different cultures and of new teaching methods. They also get knowledge to improve their own competences. This teach-the-teacher Exchange was planned on the beginning but during the first Project team meeting the idea was grown that it make more sense and is more value to make this Exchange at the end, parallel with the fifth student Exchange. For the last, the sixth, Student Exchange program we have the chance to make a great evaluation with this pupils who are the ambassadors for the schools. So the sustainibilty of the project and a follow up and on-going is possible. The second step has been the student exchanges - two a year for three years - so there was a lot of sustainability possible. The network and partnership between the partners has been strengthened and is (without the U.K. - sorry because of the Brexit) on-going. The students increased their knowledge of the culture of other nations - so they can easily travel to other countries, also as an employee or take part on another volunteer or Exchange program in future. The students increased also their own competences for natural science and social skills, so they will be interesting for employers. The students and all participants found out the European ideas, the value of the European solidarity and will be interested for the E.U. and for political activities and engagement. So there is a big value for Europe. Because more than 300 participants took part in the project. To realize this aims formal (school) and non-formal partners worked together for three years and will working together the next years. Most of the pupils used a foreign language and all participants met others from a different cultural background. So the participants will be sensible European citizens. There is a nice and good conclusion I think - one pupil quotation from the evaluation sheet: ""I know now that we - the young people - can change the European Union, can make a lot against rassism and should build on a good or better Europe in future. We are responsible for peace on our continent""."

"""Tale"" me about Europe !The two-year project is initiated by the Fernand Berthon Secondary school REP (Priority Education Network) in Saint Rambert d'Albon 26, in partnership with the Coinaud sector primary school, Evangelisches Paul-Distelbarth-Gymnasium Oberulm (Germany) and the Instituto Comprensivo Statale di Villa Estense (Italy). Several disciplines are concerned: German, Italian, French, Art and Music. More than a hundred pupils, all schools combined, are involved in this action, including pupils facing social and economic difficulties and problems of access to culture.Our main objective is to open up pupils to the international world and involve them in a common culture in order to develop a sense of belonging to European citizenship. This main objective is divided into several more specific objectives.- Allow an exchange between pupils from different countries over the long term (2 years)- Openness to European cultures.- Practice a foreign language, especially in immersion, in order to strengthen their proficiency.- Work in groups.- Facilitate access to culture for pupils facing social and economic difficulties.- Make all the pupils succeed, including those with a migrant background who face specific problems.- Strengthen collaboration with families and local partners.- Work on an interdisciplinary project.Our project is built around the theme of tales and legends of Europe. The final task will consist in writing, directing and performing bilingual collaborative stories. To this purpose, activities are programmed in successive and gradual steps.First, it is a question of discovering the traditional tales of each country concerned and their particularities. At the same time, distance exchanges take place on the e-twinning platform, to allow pupils to start getting to know each other and build relationships by sharing the results of their activities.During this first meeting (April 2020), the pupils will present their work, share their daily lives, at school, in families and as part of cultural outings. Educational activities are planned to promote this meeting, particularly in Art and Music. The creation of bilingual collaborative stories will then begin with the selection and description of characters and places.In the same year, a second exchange will take place (June 2020, which will allow pupils to start writing the story. This trip is also an opportunity to discover the country and the culture of the correspondents, and to strengthen their ties through various outings and educational activities.In the second year, the pupils will initially work and exchange at a distance on the writing of stories. Two trips will be organized on the same modalities as the first year. On this occasion, the students will finalize the writing of their stories. During the last meeting, the students will work on the staging, the voicing, and will propose a performance, open to all pupils, families and project partners.The project aims to raise the profile of the schools concerned, to maintain an exchange with partner schools, to orient pupils towards linguistic and cultural programs, to develop educational ambitions, to open schools to Europe and the world, to increase pupils' interest in foreign languages, to improve pupils' educational results, particularly in foreign languages.One of the main objectives is also to strengthen pupils' awareness as European citizens. The links forged with their correspondents will lead them to a better understanding and respect of cultural differences, going beyond stereotypes and prejudices."

"Our project revolves around four partner countries, namely France, New Caledonia, Poland and Romania. ALL EUROPEANS but with their own unique characteristics. However, we also noticed that we had common denominators such as dropping out of school, social inequalities, disadvantaged classes. Faced with this observation, we were able to bring out principles regardless of the country where we live and the school we attend: solidarity, civility, benevolence, living together, tolerance, self-confidence and self-esteem in particular. Also the context being present germinated the project entitled: ""Europe with the multiple facets"". This means that we, the teachers, wanted to show our young learners that going to school means to build themselves and be part of the society to which we belong. But also have the opportunity to learn differently in this case by exchanging while traveling and by getting involved in a project. To do this requires that everyone be involved in the success of the latter by finding tasks and activities that will make sense for each. The selected proposals are not exhaustive but are mainly oriented on everything that makes your environment close to know the habits and customs, your passions but also your college, your traditions and your belonging to the European space which is not only summarized in your district, your city or your country but goes beyond your border area, to open up to another elsewhere nothing more relevant than to exchange by the ICT and other supports but also by travel. Do not we say that travel forms youth.The creation of a logo will be the cement of a proven membership in this multilateral project. This is an activity which aims to integrate young volunteers from the start into this great adventure WHY: because this logo will be a creation thought and reflected by them and for them. It will be reused on t-shirts, flyers but also all written correspondence relating to this collaborative project. It is a symbol of belonging to all our young people and visible every time inside the college grounds but also outside it and expected at each mobility.To give shape to this project, around forty adult participants and learners combined (2 teachers and 4 students per mobility overall) will make these trips. But other student actors will be in constant contact with travelers. The selected students will be volunteers, determined and motivated to participate in the creation of tools such as the facebook page, the whasapp group, the writing of a cookbook and traditions or even the end-of-year show with exhibitions but also the 'sending postcards for the duration of the project. Teachers, parents of pupils and other accompanying persons will have a role of supervision but also of resource persons in the event of defection of loss of motivation of the pupils remained on the spot or additional information. A supervising team will also be present on site in each school to ensure the continuity of the project such as the return of postcards or to supply collaborative walls with the publication of photos, videos or testimonies and trips if necessary. These will be evaluations at different stages of the progress of the event. This implies a fair and predictable distribution of each partner during these two years to determine who does what.The expected results and educational benefits are diverse. However we can certify that these experiences will be unforgettable memories for our learners in terms of personal school development and future citizen. To this must be added the possibility of discovering latent qualities revealed thanks to the different operations. Then the spinoffs for the establishments will be to be the engine of other projects for a better radiation for the success of the pupils and the motivation in front of our public strongly victim of the school dropout. The final restitution would be the delivery of a diploma validating for each and immortalizing this project. This would be concrete proof of participation in an ERASMUS project. We can make twinnings with a partner establishment or a partner city following this adventure also with common and constructive objectives for everyone. Attempt to obtain a quality label awarded by the European Commission as a guarantee of seriousness and of valuing the collegial work carried out by with the students. This gratifies their person but also restores their self-confidence to plan for a tomorrow that he or she will have decided to do with more self-confidence."