Yahya Kemal College, Skopje (September 27 - October 1, 2021)
Gymnasium Rutesheim (January 27-31, 2020)
Erasmus+ „Traces of Otherness: Developing European Citizenship “ Karla Kölmel EU-Club Germany, Augustė Vilkaitė EU-Club Lithuania
Monday 27.1.2020 The first day of the project began with an introduction to the program and a game of bingo so everyone would get to know each other better and to guarantee a good working atmosphere. Once the game of bingo was over, everyone got into the groups that they worked with (before the conference) to create the video about a day in our lives, we played another game to get to know each other, two truths and one lie. After that groups created posters concerning the topic which we were assigned (politics, economics or social life), which we presented to each other, that answered the leading question "What do we all have in common?". For example, we found out that we all have problems with the climate change and it is necessary to work closer together in the European Union. In the evening we did some sports like hockey and badminton, to promote the teamwork inside the groups.
Tuesday 28.1.2020 On the second day of the project, Tuesday, everyone went on a field trip to either Bosch, Voith, Caritas or the political center for political education. For the field trip the four groups of people were made up of two other groups who shared the same topic from the day before. The representative of the company “Voith” explained us and the main tasks of developing high–tech products in the area of valves, internal gear pumps, power units and hydraulic systems. We made another tour and saw different machines and working areas through our safety goggles. At the end of the presentation, all questions that were still open to us were answered. The seminar of the center for political education treated a topic of political participation of Youth. First we searched for similarities and differences of the individual countries in relation to their daily life and the interests of the young people. After that we elaborated the definition of politics and thought over the question, how politics affects us in our everyday lives. Afterwards we had a lively discussion over actual topics concerning politics and searched for solutions. One topic was how we can achieve that the older generations listen to us more in political topics and whether social media is good for political debates. An international team with twelve young students visited the plant Bosch in Waiblingen nearby Stuttgart. First, the group got an introduction presentation with the main information about Bosch all over the world. After that, we could visit the plant with a guide and saw all the important machines and learned how they work. Of course, we also learned something about the career opportunities for pupils and students. All in all, the field trip was very interesting and informative. The groups that have been working on the social aspects of our problem question went to the regional headquarters of Caritas in Ludwigsburg. While we were inside the “main” building, we listened to a presentation about what exactly Caritas Germany does, how it functions. There were three presenters from Caritas Germany, each one had a different area of experience in the charity. Once the presentation was over, we were also asked a few questions about our project. Then just before we were about to leave, one of the presenters offered to show us around some of the Caritas facilities in Ludwigsburg. Even though the weather there was awful at the time it was interesting to see people help out in charities and also see the people who are benefiting from them. So we learned that Caritas has locations all over the world and is concerned with the population strata, which after a long round of questions asked about success rates, organizational structure. When everyone got back to school, we got back into our original groups and discussed about the similarities and differences from what we learned during our field trips. Once we finished summarizing our trips it was time to prepare for the workshops which would be happening the next day.
Wednesday, 29.01.2020 As we had spent the last two days thinking about similarities and differences, Wednesday was the day of the workshops, so in the morning we had some time to finish and prepare our presentations, we had around an hour and a half to finish everything and practice. After having prepared our material, having tested our presenting skills and having thought about how to discuss our topics it was time for the workshop: our classmates from Rutesheim were quite interested in the cultural exchange and possibilities of participation. Though almost everyone was nervous, the workshops were easier than we had originally thought. In the afternoon we split up to go to Ludwigsburg, to the Porsche Museum and the “Haus der Geschichte”. At the end of the day we played some board games. The board game night only made that day even better, despite the stressful morning.
Thursday, 30.01.2020 On Thursday the groups in which we were working for the past three days were disbanded and we got new groups to work on the project about “What we wish for the future”. That was our theme, which we worked out in new international groups. Moreover, we involved our results of the similarities and differences between the European countries for our work today. After we documented our results. Some teams chose power point presentations, some made posters, one chose to make a video clip, another a mind map. Later that day the principals from all participating in the project schools came as well. Once we were done, we had some free time in the evening
Friday, 31.01.2020 Friday, the last day, it began with the exchange students attending some classes with their German hosts. We went to lower grade classes and shared our knowledge about Europe and the topics which were discussed during the international youth conference. The international dinner, was attended by the parents of the host families, those who participated in the project, as well as, some officials. It started with speeches with short live music intervals. Afterwards, the dinner started, in the beginning, the room had a bit of a chill atmosphere. People were talking, playing games, eating, but then as it got later the music started and almost all the students had gotten on stage to dance along. Though this day was amazing and a lot of fun, it was also the saddest one of all... The next day it was time to leave…