School education plays an important part in the process of socialization, social inclusion and the building of representation of others. Using informal education outside the school walls, such as school trips, is one of the main challenges of the educational system in Europe for the upcoming years. School trips are widely recognized as valuable educational tools increasing knowledge and providing higher levels of thinking strategies. Research has highlighted that students tend to be more attentive when learning “extra muros”, whereas from the educators’ perspective trips are also a significant contribution to the learning experience as they are unique educational experiences for the youngsters. Traveling, with its transformative capacity at societal level, appears to be an adequate tool for preventing and reducing conflicts and deal in a constructive and peacebuilding manner with stereotyped representations. In that perspective educational school trips aiming at intercultural encounters contributing to reconsider negative stereotypes and reduce prejudices appear to be an innovative tool.The objective of the project was to develop intercultural competences and skills among students at secondary school of grade 10 (age 15) by assessing cultural representations, preparing and realising school trips to a partner country. The age of the participating pupils has been chosen for various reasons; they have acquired sufficient language skills but are still in the ‘impressionable phase’ or their development. The aim was to tackle and surpass the existing stereotypes and to lower prejudice by immersing the students in another cultural context. The project wished to go beyond general cultural representations and provide students with a deeper insight on cultural characteristics, such as lifestyle, cultural heritage and social habits.The project covers 4 academic partners (education, political sciences and tourism studies) and 4 education practitioners (teachers and principals) from 4 different regions from Europe (Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece and Spain).Participants were the students of the partner schools. The selected classes were in charge (with the support of their teachers) to prepare the incoming trip. They selected the activities and material they consider representative for their country/city and prepared the visits.Each school had two partners (IN and OUT). Proceeding like this, the project provided each partner school with two intercultural experiences:- Brussels’s school “visited” Sofia and hosted the pupils from Barcelona.- Sofia’s school “visited” Athens and hosted pupils from Brussels- Athens’s school “visited” Barcelona and hosted pupils from Sofia- Barcelona’s school “visited” Brussels and hosted pupils from AthensGiven the special circumstances caused by the Covid-19 crisis that greatly impacted the project activities the trips were adapted to virtual exchanges. The adaptation of the programs and activities was done with the active engagement of the participants and respected the initial spirit and aim of the project. The core objective was directly related to the need for a transnational approach, as in addition to the positive and constructive cognitive experience, the intercultural exchanges contributed to the shaping of a sense of place and a European identity through the building of bridges encompassing geographical and cultural boundaries.BAS developed a structured tool for organizing educational intercultural school trips. Working with several groups from different countries offered the possibility to measure preconceptions about other cultures. Following these groups over time (before, during and after a trip) provided the opportunity to assess changes in attitudes. The project used a combination of an online survey (measuring knowledge, attitudes, satisfaction levels) before and after the school trips, together with experience sampling measurements to measure perceptions and emotions on the spot during the exchanges.The outcomes of this project were:1. adjusting stereotypes of the participating students and building bridges and an intergroup contact between pupils from different communities.2. an innovative methodological tool to collect data on perceptions and cultural representations.3. scientific Insight in the most relevant variables influencing the effectiveness of educational school trips in curbing stereotypes.4. a toolbox for organising educational school trips, including guidelines for organising intercultural encounters between pupils of that age.5. dissemination through a multiplier event and existing networks.6. after the completion/implementation of the tested intercultural school trips using the toolbox at European level.The project can be extended to other schools from the region/countries. It provides a validated tool to organise effective educational school trips in adjusting prejudices and stereotypes and fostering European integration.

For many years the partner schools have researched the further education and employment of their graduates. On the basis of an needs analys of the graduates and students in junior grades by interviews, observations and surveys, a significant discrepancy has been discovered between students' dreams and real opportunities to find job after some directions of education. This is confirmed by statistical data concerning unemployment of poorly educated young people in Europe. Furthermore, there is a fairly large percentage of young people leaving education at the high school stage becoming unemployed. Graduates suffering from the risk of the various types of exclusion not having an idea for employment or how to start their own business are doomed to failure. Few of them for various reasons, decide on education or work away from home. This prompted us to write this project aimed to: 1.enable the participants to learn educational differences in partner countries and to give students information about career counseling in the EU, entrepreneurship and the needs of the local and European labor market in order to ensure greater coherence between the two sectors; 2.prevent unemployment and early school leaving of young people; 3.indicate opportunities and direct young people to effectively plan their further education and career path, which will help them make wise choices consistent with the expectations of the labor market and employers; 4.create and implement innovative International Program of Extracurricular Activities; 5.create the public database of information about learning opportunities, vocational training, career counseling, the current needs of the labor market, employment institutions at home and abroad; 6.dzielenie exchange of experience and good practices by the wide availability of the Project on Facebook / Twitter and the project website; 7.contribute to the dialogue between schools and employers in the EU, to enable our students to choose the right directions for future academic training or education in the sought jobs, and schools to adjust their educational offers. Goals can be fully realized only with international cooperation. Common experiences within it will be a significant added value for students, parents, teachers, management, representatives of local authorities and partners in the field of career guidance and job benefits. Practical workshops on entrepreneurship and business establishment will enhance the knowledge and skills of beneficiaries and affect the motivation to continue learning. Implementation of the project is to change the consciousness of the student, especially endangered exclusion, indicate the different ways personal and professional development, develop in the desirable characteristics of an entrepreneur, unleash the initiative to positive energy, creative thinking. There will be 4 org.-monitoring visits in connection with the determination, the fiscal and planning activities in the subsequent stages (X.2015 in Croatia, VI.2016 in Greece, the second in 2017 in the UK and November 2017 in Poland) and 4 Youth Exchange (Croatia III.2016, Greece X 2016 United Kingdom IV in 2017, Poland IV 2018) Every youth exchange will involve 48 participants (including 12 caregivers) from the sending schools and 16 participants (including 4 teachers) of the host country. We planned 192 mobilities within 3 years(144 for ss-incl. 24 for ss with special needs; 48 for teachers) Students will be chosen in the recruitment procedure. Actions agreed in international preparatory process and have been included in the project schedule. Thanks to them, it will be possible to develop tangible and intangible assets results. Students from the knowledge, experience and the implementation of the International Programme for extra-curricular activities will plan your path consciously personal and professional development, undertake further education, initiate the form of training, start their own businesses actively counteract their own unemployment, will leave for training or practice. To activate youth activities to realize their dreams by consciously planning to continue their education and career paths. Workshops by brain storming, the method of the project, a decision tree method of coaching, role play etc. To encourage young people to expand their knowledge, acquire new skills, learn languages and taking responsibility for their own future in a European dimension. The experience, skills and knowledge acquired during the project by the participants (students, staff learner, representatives of partner schools), will result in a greater awareness, project topics, cultural, linguistic. Teaching and learning materials, new ICT tools developed as products of the project will permanently serve as educational tools. Innovative activity program will provide an alternative to preparing students to enter the job market real in a coherent way of their dreams.

"The project was based on the need of schools for an interesting form of developing the skills of writing journalistic texts by students. In its assumption, through an innovative form of extra-curricular activities and their subject matter, it will familiarize direct and indirect beneficiaries with the problems faced by migrants in partner countries and promote social inclusion and the fight against xenophobia. The assumed goals can be fully realized only with international cooperation, because only common experiences within it will provide significant added value for pupils, parents, teachers, management, representatives of local authorities and partners. They will initiate or strengthen the international dimension of cooperation between partner schools, cooperation with institutions in the media world and with other local schools / universities in each country. Students directly involved in the project are young people aged 16-20, as all partner schools are secondary schools. The selection of partner schools teaching young people in the same age will ensure the full implementation of the objectives, especially in the field of the ability to create mature journalistic texts, the seriousness and understanding of emigration in Europe, the communicative level of foreign language skills and the conscious involvement of students in project activities during exchanges. The practical journalistic workshops planned by us will strengthen the knowledge and skills of the beneficiaries and will influence the motivation for further development and education and are directed at supporting students at risk of various types of exclusion. Our work can help young people acquire skills and journalistic competences also in English, necessary for educational development, but also for future employment and active European citizenship regardless of nationality or origin. The implementation of the project aims to change the student's awareness, give the opportunity for personal and educational development, release the initiative, energy for positive, creative thinking. The international project and planned exchanges provide an opportunity to get to know other cultures personally, experience what is the national heritage of other partner countries, open to the multiculturalism of today's Europe and show the culture of their own homeland and its system of values. The exchanges will enable meetings with interesting people and émigrés who can be an inspiration for contemporary youth showing how to deal with the process of acculturation, longing for their homeland, and what attitude they would take to make migration an asset and a key to success.The main objectives of the project are:1. broadening the knowledge of partner school pupils about press, radio, television and internet journalism and bringing them closer to types and genres of journalism.2. familiarize project participants with the principles of writing journalistic texts with the use of innovative ICT tools3. developing the ability to create oral presentations, public presentations, including in English,4. inspiring creative activity, responsibility and working in a team of international, independent and critical thinking5. breaking personal barriers, fighting xenophobia and building a bridge of understanding and tolerance, while preserving our own national identity and the value of cultural heritage.7. learning various historical and contemporary aspects of migration in Europe.In order for the above objectives to be fully implemented, the project will create an innovative 2-year after-school program, in which the classes will focus on improving students' journalistic skills in all schools, planned meetings, trips and local visits will increase the attractiveness of the workshops. Skills and knowledge will lead to better editing competences and the ability to publish online / paper school newsletterThree training meetings for teachers teams on topics: ""ICT tools – how to edit online school newsletter"", ""Publications and ways to inform the public - international information media"", ""Copyright and journalistic professional ethics"" will be the preparation and supplementation of knowledge and specific skills in the use of ICT and eTwinning tools in later work with young people on journalistic texts. Whereas the planned 3 student exchanges will be a common ground for presenting students' achievements, inspiration and the opportunity to improve foreign languages. Staying in host families will be the foundation for building friendships, tolerance towards other nationalities, fighting xenophobia and stereotypes. Personal participation in exchanges as for students as well as for teachers is a real opportunity to experience the social and educational value of cultural heritage, to social inclusion and to look at the migration with the journalistic eye in an objective, cross-sectional and multifaceted manner."

Project titled “International high 5: personal career’s portfolio” is a strategic partnership linking schools from 6 countries: Poland, Lithuania, Turkey, Italy, Romania and Greece and being expected to last for 2 years. The main aim of the project is to develop by teachers a common format of Careers Portfolio for youth (14-19 years of age) along with the cycle of practical workshops and creative tasks, to be carried out in school. The youth, participating in various activities and practical international workshops (in a local school and on international meetings), will have the opportunity to gain new experiences, which will be described in the Portfolio Career. Project tasks will focus on deepening self-awareness of young people (discovering talents, professional skills, internal demotivating factors, reflection on the self development) and providing with the relevant theoretical and practical knowledge in the context of planning career development path. The task of teachers in this project will not only be to develop the format of the portfolio (to determine the form, content and evaluation while respecting the individuality of each student), but also to create interesting and involving workshops to portfolio, which in the future will be at other teachers and students' disposal. Teachers will also participate in the discussions and workshops concerning the need to make changes and approaches to working with youth, the need for continuous training and the issue of burnout. One of the key aims of the project will also be to develop skills related to social/economic entrepreneurship and the use of modern communication technologies. As part of the project there will be held one transnational project meeting in Poland in October 2014 and 6 youth exchanges together with the teachers during which the participants will learn unique solutions connected with professional counseling in visited countries and solve portfolio tasks.