K220 Erasmus Project: The New Values of Democracy in today's Europe's

Last day of the Polish mobility of the Erasmus+ K220 Project "The New Values of Democracy in Today’s Europe", held at Zespół Szkół Centrum Kształcenia Rolniczego in Bogdańczowice.  The day began with a debate between Member of the European Parliament Andrej Buta and Senator Beniamin Godyla. Pawel Brusito, a professor at the University of Economics in Wrocław, moderated the discussion. Both guests praised the meeting of the six partner countries working on the new democratic values across such diverse European regions as Poland, Romania, Greece, Croatia, Spain, and Portugal.  Later, one student from each country took part in another debate to present how multiculturalism is present in their schools, cities, and communities. The viewpoints of our students are always deeply enriching. Their thoughtful and insightful contributions reflected their strong capacity for critical thinking. The third activity of the day was a group reflection on environmental impact and global warming,...

Thursday's journey took the students participating in the Erasmus+ project to the beautiful city of Wrocław, located in the southwest of Poland, in the region of Lower Silesia. After a bus ride from Kluczbork, we arrived at one of the country's most important and vibrant university cities. Our first stop was at the University of Wrocław, where we participated in a special educational activity using the Living a Book methodology. The session was led by Professor Katarzyna Liszka, who holds degrees in Cultural Studies, Philosophy, and Jewish Language and Culture Studies from the University of Wrocław. This innovative approach allowed us to “live” the books that reflected the deep emotions, concerns, and dreams of those who shared the book titles and stories. Afterward, we were lucky to visit several historic buildings of the university, including the Aula Leopoldina, an awe-inspiring Baroque jewel that left us speechless. Its frescoes, sculptures, and rich decorative details tran...

The day began with a visit to the Town Hall of Kluczbork. In the beautiful council chamber of this southern Polish town, the main local authorities welcomed the participants of our Erasmus project. Jarosław Kielar and Mirosław Birecki conveyed their passion for good governance in the town and its surrounding region, particularly in the management and defense of the vital primary sector: agriculture. They also highlighted the importance of beekeeping and honey, a true badge of the city. Our students asked insightful questions about what motivated them to manage the local res publica and inquired about the impact of migration in the region—relevant and thought-provoking issues. After lunch, we delved into the different deities of Slavic mythology. A representative from each country explained the traits and behaviors of a mythological creature from their nation. To deepen our understanding of Slavic myths, the Polish students performed a theatrical play showing their myths’ influence on ...

The bus parking at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Complex is filled with groups from all over the world—visitors from Asia, North and South America, and, also, Europe. Because every civilized person —and even those in denial who still need to be civilized— should visit at least once in their lives to remember the deportation and murder of over a million Jews in the largest Nazi concentration camp of World War II. The site in the Polish city of Oświęcim is not a typical museum. It is a memorial, a stark reminder of the horrors that human beings are capable of. This was not a spontaneous act of cruelty. It was a calculated, meticulously planned effort to exterminate and erase from the face of the Earth Jews from Hungary, Poland, Romania, Italy, and beyond. On Tuesday, April 8 (International Romani Day), the group of students and teachers visited the largest concentration and extermination camp of Nazi Germany, where 21,000 Roma (Gypsies) were murdered.  It’s estimated that the SS an...

The mobility in Poland of the Erasmus+ K220 Project "The New Values of Democracy in Today's Europe" has officially begun. Over the weekend, different students and teachers from Romania, Croatia, Spain, Portugal, and Greece arrived gradually in the Opole Voivodeship, a Polish province near the Czech Republic border. We are hosted at Zespol Szkół Centrum Kształcenia Rolniczego in Bogdańczowice. Despite the cold weather, the welcome has been warm. In the building dedicated to the teaching of tractor mechanics and other agricultural machinery, the school principal Miroslaw Krzysztalowicz greeted us with a few words of welcome. Each country presented how multiculturalism is visible in their schools and cities. Once again, we’ve seen how positive and enriching it is to live in such a diverse society as today’s Europe. Professor Anna Bronisz (horse teacher) taught us how to groom and dress a horse, while landscape teacher Alicja Węgrzynowska showed us how basil seeds react to w...

How necessary it is to work face to face, shoulder to shoulder! The interpersonal closeness of collective work is crucial for a project like ours to function. The K220 Project: The New Values of Democracy in Today’s Europe started timidly in the preparatory video conferences for the first physical meeting. In Madeira, a welcoming island with stunning views and landscapes, we held the first in-person meeting of the team of teachers who will manage the project. We presented our respective countries and schools: Colegiul National Mihai Viteazul (Romania, coordinator), 50 Genico Lykeio Petroupolis (Greece, partner), ZespolSzkol Centrum Ksztalcenia Roiniczego (Poland, partner), IES Eduardo Primo Marqués (Spain, partner), Escola Basica Dr Horacio Bento de Gouveia (Portugal, partner), and Srdnja Skola Lovre Montija (Croatia, partner). Between February 19th and 23rd, we conducted workshops on the History and Democratic Values of Portugal, Immigrati...

Between December 2023 and 2025, we will develop the Erasmus+ Project entitled "The New Values ​​of Democracy in Europe Today". The partners that make up the work team are centers in Poland, Greece, Croatia, Portugal, Spain, and Romania, who will be the project's coordinators. The activities will focus on the new democratic values ​​in the current geopolitical situation: the multiculturalism of society, equality, equity, the integration of migrants in our schools and communities, the role of women, mediation, and assertiveness... The project will be developed in six stages (one in each member country). Five students and two teachers from each country will meet in every mobility. Image Source: Photo by Norma Mortenson on Pexels: https://bit.ly/3uNGI9r