Active Citizens of Tomorrow

Our project was built in such a way that our students would acquire knowledge about European democracy, develop different skills, and revise and even change their attitudes towards cultures that t...

Our project was built in such a way that our students would acquire knowledge about European democracy, develop different skills, and revise and even change their attitudes towards cultures that they were not familiar with. We, the educators, wanted the pupils to gain knowledge of contemporary European issues such as democracy, sustainability and human rights, but also to understand how to actively participate in society at various levels, including school, local, national, and across national borders. We wanted to work on developing our students’ skills, particularly in communication and digital collaboration, enabling them to engage effectively. The project also aimed to foster a positive attitude towards other cultures, encouraging pupils to interact with peers from different countries and backgrounds through collaborative activities online and in-person. Additionally, we teachers wanted to share our experience with each other and other colleagues in our respective schools and create innovative and interactive activities and lessons.

The activities of the project followed the framework created the three topic areas related to democratic participation within a European context: democracy, sustainability and human rights. This premise allowed the project to unfold according to the same structure: online, pre-mobility activities, mobilities, and post-mobility activities. The pre-mobility, eTwinning activities focused on learning about country-specific aspects of the three topics covered, but also on introductions and sharing of cultural aspects. The project’s three mobilities involved expert lectures & workshops on the focus topic, museum visits, educational walks, research activities, as well as intercultural activities which contribute to understanding the value of European democracy, while also giving participants a sense of unity and friendship. To make the most of the students’ acquired knowledge and experience, during each mobility, students developed an interactive, student-guided activity and digital product that they then used and shared with peers or students from other local schools once they returned to their home country: a quiz and role-play in EU decision-making, a digital book on sustainability, and a several-episode podcast on human rights.

Our Erasmus project on human rights, democracy, and sustainability resulted in several concrete outcomes: a digital book, a podcast series, and a role play. The digital book on sustainability gathered information acquired by students along with interactive activities to be shared with peers. The 5-episode podcast series created in groups each focused on 5 different human rights articles from the UDHR from the perspective of each country and Europe in general. The role play illustrated the decision-making processes at EU level and it was used by students to simulate the political functioning of the Union. Teachers have created and shared instruction material, such as games, assignment and task descriptions for students, surveys. Additionally, a website was created to showcase our project's journey and outcomes, as well as an Instagram page and three different inspirational YouTube films making the project accessible to a broader audience.