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Our project is called “EU-versity” and is a cooperation between three vocational schools in Italy (VG), French Guyana (JMM) and Germany (HLA). All three countries are confronted with different cultural groups in their school system. Especially the German and Italian students are confronted with a rising number of refugees. The question of integration in Italy and Germany is more important than ever before. Politics try to find an ideal solution and establish a reliable framework to succeed in it. However, the integration possibilities that the government can offer are limited. Integration starts at lower levels with people’s awareness of other cultures and different needs. By confronting all of our students with different cultures in innovative and learner-centered pedagogical approaches, we wanted to provide opportunities for experiencing the concept of European citizenship. Furthermore, the transnational meetings offered the participating countries to learn about the educational and corporate integration efforts of the other countries. French Guyana had to deal with numerous refugees after the Haiti earthquake in 2010 and have still many refugees from several other countries of South America. While French Guyana has utilized many useful approaches to integration that Europe can learn from, their approach is not flawless yet. Several illegal immigrants are still without work and the unemployment rate is high. In order to tackle these challenges, we employed innovative and learner-centered pedagogical approaches leading to individualized learning and the development of basic and transversal skills. The project highlighted the importance of diversity for our societies by challenging students’ perceptions of individual differences. We reached this goal by training our students with successive and interrelated mobilties to experts in diversity (Diversity Ambassadors). Our first mobility in Germany consisted of a cultural awareness combined with a general perception of diversity training. With several project adventure activities as well as external experts of SAP, the relevance of the concept of diversity was stressed. Moreover, the students learnt about the integration process of refugees in the German school system first hand. Additionally, we were able to visit the European Council in Strasbourg and were able to take place in meeting of the parliament. Based on the general understanding of diversity, the students participated in a communication seminar in Italy. Furthermore, they met Savino Carbone of the organization L’Association on Italian integration efforts. After learning how to successfully communicate with people from different cultures, the third mobility in French Guyana included theater pedagogy workshops with Edmard Pauillac in which scenic demonstrations are discussed and reflected in order to overcome stereotypes and prejudices. Additionally, excursions were organized to meet the Indians of French Guyana and to Cacao, a community founded by the H'mong when the government allowed them to settle on this land 40 years ago. During the day we were able to interview one of the first settlers von the H’mong community. A meeting with Mr Alegria, a Peruvian who, after many difficulties, moved with his family to French Guyana and is living there for nine years. After the three mobilities, the students were trained and are regarded as experts in diversity (Diversity Ambassadors). Together with the school management each school organized a Diversity Day. By using several exercises of our mobilities and external partners, we wanted to reduce cultural barriers between the students and strengthen the school spirit. With the organization of the Diversity Day we received the title “Schule ohne Rassismus - Schule mit Courage”. This is an initiative of students for students which offers them the chance to be active in the creation of a positive school atmosphere by developing long-term projects to overcome discrimination, racism and violence. With field reports of the participating students and the Diversity Day we were able to multiply the effects of our project to overcome prejudices and stop stereotyped thinking at our schools. Additionally, the material used for these days were uploaded on the local servers of the schools and some of them are already integrated in the get-to-know days at the beginning of the school year. With the training and the education of our Diversity Ambassadors we tried to contribute to the solution of our Europe-wide problem: How to deal with increasing numbers of migrants and their needs in our schools?
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