"<< Objectives >>TRAM - Tradition and Modernity is a project linking traditional cultural assets (museum) and modern language learning (German lessons). Both teachers and learners are motivated by new impulses: language support for a cultural institution - to see foreign language teaching as a bridge to cultural mediation. The museum opens itself for new cooperations and improves the addressee reference, the university teaches and researches on concrete teaching concepts.<< Implementation >>In schools: preparation of material and lessons / giving lessons / solving tasks - and small competitions if necessary); in the museum: expansion of the information material; in the university: thematic seminars, students work on content and research on concrete ""case studies"";the team creates a training course with the language and culture materials.Regular meetings during the working phases, setup of a website with new material of foreign language learning.<< Results >>Material for German lessons are developed, the preparation of a museum visit, a (foreign) language appropriate information in the museum, further developments ""extracurricular learning places"" are developed. The museum creates an online module to prepare visits to the museum. This module is used for linguistic preparation, but can also be used as virtual preparation for a visit. The students of the university deal with concrete case studies."

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.

"Today, the young generation is under the influence of the media. Over the last decade, there has been a drastic increase in the amount of time children and young people spend on-line. This has positive aspects, but it can also be a serious problem. For this reason, young people should be aware and critical media user. Partners from Bulgaria, Latvia, Poland, Turkey, Romania and the Czech Republic (5 schools and 1 art association) recognized that one important way to achieve this is to train children and teens in media literacy, build communication skills, exchange ideas in the extent of media literacy and the development of intercultural dialogue. The aim of the project was also to promote in-depth cooperation, provide tools to develop ICT competences, take responsibility for completing tasks and find creative solutions. The project has divided tasks and created working groups composed of people of different nationalities. All countries have fulfilled their assigned tasks. During the entire duration of the project there were also local activities for its participants in each partner country (questionnaires on media addiction, media threats presentations, meetings and interviews with famous journalists, lectures on contemporary media, workshops on the use of ICT, classes preparing for LTTA ). There were also collected materials for the brochure ""Hands on Media Literacy"" (gathering from the partners information on ""Media education at school"" and creating a new informer about ""Media education in Europe"" - included in the brochure ""HOML"").All partners have prepared min. 2 lesson plans / lesson plans on media education on the topic of the selected and project meeting, which were included in the Porfolio.The Polish partner as a coordinator was also responsible for the administrative and financial side of the project(partnership agreements, annexes, procedures / monitoring of good implementation of project activities). All activities were monitored on an ongoing basis, and the results of the work were presented and consulted during 4 project meetings.The project also included 2 activities related to learning / teaching / training. I)Turkey-photographic-ICT workshops and how to debate, exhibitions, create e-newspapers, theatrical performance, an international media evening (well-known journalists). II )Bulgaria - workshops on how to create films, attempts to create short films, blogs, vlogs. All project activities were documented on the FB profile https://www.facebook.com/HANDS-on-MEDIA-Literacy-Projekt-Erasmus-223433158084942/and on the project website www.handsonmedialiteracy.co, the eTweening, blog and project platform was created vlog (https://handsonmedialiteracy.blogspot.bg/ http: / Vlog https://handsonmedialiteracyvlog.blogspot.bg/Etwinning ""Hands on Media Literacy""Soft results:- raising the awareness of young people about such concepts as European citizenship and democracy based on the development of critical thinking;- intensification of cooperation;- reduced Internet addictions of the youth / parents' awareness of the effects of addiction.-technology (ICT, ability to debate, photographing, reading and writing, communication skills,)- introduction of innovative solutions for people involved in the project;- sharing and improving teaching practices and methods Hard results:- Brochure with national and international strategies against media addiction among students: ""Hands on Media Literacy"". This brochure describes legal regulations and strategies used in the countries involved in the project. The results of the media addiction survey among students in partner institutions and essays written by pupils from each country were also presented.- A portfolio of media education lesson plans: this output product is one of the main innovations of the project that combines the goal of disseminating project results with the need to guarantee follow-up, further stimulation of students and the creativity and knowledge of teachers even after the project activities have been completed.Lesson plans can be included in the program of media education lessons, they can be used in English lessons or educational lessons.- student presentations; мini-exhibitions, partner site; electronic newspaper, films, PowerPoint presentations; presentations showing the development of the project; short stories, a recorded course on how to debate, take pictures and use ICT in media literacy, a brochure with interviews with media experts.All project results are free of license and placed on the project website and on the Erasmus + PlatformOur project developed, tested, adapted and implemented innovative practices through new forms of learning and training."

The project aims to produce a model of, and tools for, engaging young people aged 14+ to minimise Early School Leaving (ESL), as an answer to the pan-European challenge of youth unemployment and strategy to reduce Early School Leaving, identified in Europe 2020. The need for this has been identified at local level, by the partners’ own experience of the lack of up to date and high quality materials that motivate and support young people at risk of ESL, and that include information on opportunities available throughout the EU. The need has also been identified at national and EU levelSpecific objectives of the project are:• Initial and continuous education for education staff: To promote a better understanding of ESL, both in initial education and professional development, for school and VET staff. • A strong and well-developed guidance system: To strengthen guidance to ensure that young people are aware of the different study options and employment prospects available to them. • To develop counselling systems that provide young people with both emotional and practical support: The materials will identify various means of guidance, including mentoring, coaching and work placements• Co-operation with the world of work: The materials developed will identify how to provide opportunities that allow young people to experience the world of work. Using the partners’ range of employer networks, the viewpoint of the employer will be considered, so that the ideas presented are both practical and useful. The project will work with 800 young people at risk of ESL and 165 educators (teachers and career counsellors), who will be trained to identify and support young people at risk of ESLThe project plan will be the key tool that drives activities, subdivided into work packages, with each partner having clearly defined roles and responsibilities with target timescales. The project will take place over two years from December 2015 to December 2017. Implementation of the project and development of the intellectual outputs will involve• Programme management – which will run throughout the project• Research into existing materials and pedagogies around preventing ESL, including any existing good practice and the limitations of existing materials. • Development of new materials in relation to career advice/counselling and activities for young people to increase their motivation and employability skills. There will be a particular focus on ensuring that opportunities across Europe are included in the materials. • Translation and adaptation: Once agreed, materials will be translated into the four languages of the partnership.• initial testing and assessment of materials on approximately 15 education and career counselling professionals and 200 young people, The work will be evaluated by the young people, using the standard forms developed at the kick-off meeting.• Review of the quality of the materials within each partner country. Each partner holds a workshop to discuss results of the testing, the quality of the materials, and the platform’s functionality and usability. • Revising and rolling out materials: Workshop results and feedback will be presented to partners at Management meeting in Bulgaria. The adapted materials will be delivered by the partners to teachers/counsellors and to young people within partner countries. • Final updating of materials; final in-country seminars and workshops, to which key European and national stakeholders will be invited. Results will include:• A methodology for identifying young people at risk of ESL• manual of training materials and activities for young people at risk of ESL, • A common core of policies and procedures for high quality work-based VET across Europe • A model for developing and strengthening links between schools, VET, HE and the labour market • 800 young people and 165 educators will be trained• A pan-European partnership of organisations involved in reducing Early School Leaving, including schools, • The impact on stakeholders will take several forms, from individual students participating in the pilot who develop the confidence, skills and motivation to remain in education to access career opportunities, to education staff who need to increase their knowledge and awareness of opportunities available across the EU, to encourage young people to grasp opportunities in countries both inside and outside EU boundaries. The longer terms benefits envisaged will be to feed the lessons of the project into policy development at national and European levels. Future funding is expected to be acquired through mainstreaming and multiplying the project both at national and European levels.

Memory – a Memorial! In the project “Memory – a Memorial!” six schools have addressed the issue “cultural heritage”. Our aim was to help people find their own positions as individuals in their everyday surroundings, in society, in town or country. Our work was meant to provide the possibility of continually learning among friends. Participants were supposed to learn about their own roots and traditions, to deal with objects and subjects of history and learn about and explain the social patterns of their towns. The fact that fairly long-term research work and some thorough work with documentary material would be necessary was to act as counterbalance to the fact that schools are permanently confronted with quick changes, with a fast-paced flow of information and a shrinking confidence when dealing with knowledge.Particularly important for us was to add to the curriculum not only new contents and techniques, but simultaneously we wanted to further develop fields of knowledge and experiences which we already have. Thus, we, the teachers, succeed in perpetuating our students’ knowledge and in overcoming their tendency to adhere to current trends in a rather selective way. As we selected our topics and organized the research work in view of the students’ knowledge, we were able to realize our intentions throughout our project work. Thus, we have created a fairly solid basis for the development of the individuals’ security, for the knowledge of their own roots; their origins and history were used, enlarged and updated within a greater (European) context. This becomes more and more important in a world which is continually changing in the course of streams of refugees, of immigration and the constant movement of strangers, and which therefore seems to show only little constancy. In the project “Memory – a Memorial!” we did research work on facts and figures in order to become aware of and add to the cultural knowledge which we already possess to a certain extent. Finally, we worked on reforming and preserving it. We intended to connect and further develop conservative i.e. established elements (e. g. knowledge about literary theories or aesthetic positions) with progressive, i.e. modern elements (e. g. new cognitive and emotional insights, or new spontaneous creativity). This plan proved to be a good starting point. To know that we have long traditions in the fields of sciences, arts and literature, to know where the names of certain streets and schools derive from and which are the origins of memorials or names of town districts, to learn of the development of regional terms or linguistic peculiarities, all that serves as an element to help the individual find his position in life. To know of important persons, to prepare their biographies, and to trace their impact up to the present and in the process realize in which networks they acted centuries or decades ago is a further element which may develop its very own dynamics. It strengthens the concept of ourselves and produces connections between past, present and future.The additional value of a transnational cooperation is evident when we intend to use different approaches in order to achieve the best possible impulses by relying on synergy effects. This is also true of the challenge which today confronts schools and teachers in the context of the current problems of immigration. Here it is particularly important on the one hand to be open for new impulses, on the other hand, however, to be consequent and consistent when protecting and confirming basic values (freedom, democracy, a culture of discussion). In this way good impulses arose in order to convey who he or she is, how to explain their respective origins and finally show that our cultural heritage and our individual impressions are to be taken seriously. In view of the present turmoil in the EU In particular, we found it extremely important to show that there have always been contacts and transnational cooperation in Europe concerning the important issues of the time. The same is true with reference to the impact and appreciation of important persons and groups at different places and in different countries, which have formed the citizens of the EU up to the present. Such connections and relations have been emphasized and elaborated on in this project in particular.