Our project stems from the need, shared by all school partners involved, that students in need, belonging to technological or other classes, experience their career guidance as a failure. They fail to conceive its at European or international dimension. Demotivated and having a low self-esteem, they can easily become drop-outs or early school leavers. Our project aims at offering these students a European-oriented career guidance. They will look for a future career in various European countries, and find what is most suitable for them. Moreover, they are going to develop their careers in the European countries in order to understand the different perception of them, and meet their requirements by attending a stage/internship in another European country. Another goal of this project is the development of multicultural competences, which are actually required in the business world. The students will participate in five training courses, one in their own country, and the other four in the other European countries involved. They are expected to create their portfolio along the way. Finally they can include this portfolio in their cv and use it actively when they come out in the job market .

Culture constitutes the great wealth and driving force of the European Union. Indeed, just the former year, 2018, was declared as the European Year of Cultural Heritage, thus wishing to stimulate action but also to enhance the value of culture in developing a common European identity and a sense of belonging to the EU citizens. The present proposal seeks the convergence of culture and education through the creation of an integrated educational program for the younger audience and especially the school and preschool audience provided in small museums, mainly in the province, of EU countries, using modern technology with emphasis on augmented and mixed reality. The partnership of this project has been formed with the participation of academic partners, small and large-scale museums, technological bodies along with secondary schools.The present project hopes to turn the school visit to the museum into a stunning, charming and enjoyable learning process through an application and a game appropriately designed for school education and for its use in the educational process of the classroom providing the opportunity for experiential practice and play in the museum. The target audience is the whole school community, but mainly focusing on children, teenagers and teachers in the areas of the partners.In order to achieve the objectives of the project, a set of activities will be set up concerning both the implementation and the subsequent exploitation of its results.The following results are expected from the implementation of the project:• A guide to museum education with the use of modern technology• Virtual tour platform tailored to school education• Game with enhanced and mixed reality technology• Application for smartphones and tablets with access both to the platform and the game Apart from the partner schools involved in the project, it is planned to inform the school community of the region of each partner museum with an invitation to visit and use the integrated educational program. The outcomes of the project will be available at no cost, both during the project and for three years after the funding period for further elaboration.By implementing the project, the following objectives are expected to be achieved:• shaping the perception of small and medium-sized museums as places of learning, especially in the province of EU countries • highlighting the potential of technology as a means of promoting and learning about Europe's culture• highlighting the potential of technology as a means of attracting children and young people to the cultural wealth of Europe • the promotion of educational programs provided by museums as additional to the education taking place in the classroom• developing co-operation between museums and school communities to provide modern education• redefining small and medium-sized museums in the province of EU countries as attractive destinations for children and youth

CONTEXTCOVID-19 has demonstrated we are vulnerable to unprecedented risks and for this reason we have to be more conscious and aware about the social and environmental challenges. Art and creativity can be used in order to stimulate European awareness and empower people of current and future generations in order to fight against environmental and social problems as Biodiversity Conservation.Also, in this line, the European Biodiversity Strategy aims to build our societies’ resilience to future threats such as climate change impacts, forest fires or disease outbreaks. OBJECTIVESSTArt! (Skills Through Art) has as general objective: Improvement of skills and competences in students by means of art and creativity with the purpose of strengthening the awareness and active citizenship about Biodiversity.To achieve this general goal, the following specific goals have been defined:Specific Goal 1: Supporting opportunities for students in acquiring and developing skills and competences. Specific Goal 2: Strengthening the profile of the teaching professions, developing creative methodologies.Specific Goal 3: Reinforcing “Art, Creativity and Culture Organizations” (ACC Organizations) making them more resilient and adaptable and giving them new opportunities.PARTICIPANTSThe direct target groups of STArt! are 80 students, 10 teachers and 20 professionals from Art, Creativity and Cutlure (ACC) sector.. Indirectly the project will benefit other groups, mainly teachers (50) and students (150) from secondary schools and ACC professionals (40).Partnership includes 3 organizations from Art, Creativity and Culture sector: -CRESOL-VASTE-KALLITECHNIO3 secondary schools are involved as educational sector: -IES BOTANIC CAVANILLES- MOUSIKO SCHOLIO - KANNAKSEN LUKIO Finally an expert organization about Environmental issues:-AREAEUROOPAThe countries represented by the partners are Spain, Finland, Greece and Italy.ACTIVITIES AND METHODOLOGYSTArt! implementation follows this structure:1) Beginning – Agreements, preparation of activities and organization.2) School staff training – Preparation of a learning materials and training for school teachers. 3) School student training – Implementation of art learning methodologies and learning exchange for students.4) Consolidation of knowledge in schools and conclusions for ACC sector.4) Closure – Final evaluation road map for future joint ventures.5) Project Management (transversal) –Virtual and transnational meetings and reports.6) Dissemination (transversal) –Website, social networks, meetings, mainly addressed school students and teachers and professionals.INTELLECTUAL OUTPUTSThe IOs produced by STArt! Project are:IO1: Learning Material for Teachers: Biodiversity challenges. IO2: Learning Material for Teachers: Skills and competences through art-based learning and creativity tools.IO3- Evocative Report - Engaging to global challenges through art processes IO4: Guide: Active Young Leaders.IO5: Manual: Opportunities for Art, Culture and Creativity Organizations in Educational and Environmental Sector.LEARNING, TRAINING AND TEACHING ACTIVITIES.LTTA 1: Improve the skills and knowledge in teachers about art-based learning and Biodiversity Challenges.4 days – Short-term join staff training for 9 teachers and 4 professionals. LTTA 2: Improve the skills and competences of students and the awareness about Biodiversity Challenges, the trough art processes.5 days – Short-term exchanges of pupils 12 students and 4 accompanying teachersLTTA 3: Workshop about the improvement of the skills and awareness about Biodiversity Challenges.3 days – Short-term join staff training for 11 participantsLTTA 4: New opportunities for ACC Organizations through cross-sectoral cooperation among educational sector and environmental field.3 days – Short-term join staff training for 11 participantsLTTA 2 and LTTA3 will carried out at the same time and some sessions will be in connexion.RESULTS AND IMPACTSIt is expected that STArt! implementation will impact mainly in teachers and students of secondary schools and in ACC professionals.Some of the most important impacts will be:- Students will increase the creative and innovative skills to find new solutions.- Students will increase the active participation in civic and social life.- Students will know new concepts related to biodiversity and critical challenges. - Teachers will improve the skills in the field of learning methodologies through art and creativity. - Teachers will improve the knowledge and awareness in Biodiversity challenges. - Teachers will learn about high quality art-methodologies that reinforce creativity and innovation.- ACC professionals will enlarge the networks with the different profiles and professionals and sectors, mainly educational and environmental field.- ACC professional will discover new possibilities and opportunities of working.

"Nowadays modern school panorama reveals a worrying situation, as many of our students come from a rather disadvantaged environment, there are more and more immigrant kids who feel alone and misunderstood, a great number of our students are characterized by a general sense of discomfort and alienation. Plus, more and more pupils show a variety of problems, ranging from the “simple” lack of attention to serious and invalidating handicap. As a consequence, when this kind of “uniqueness” is not accepted, episodes of violence, bullying, xenophobia or homophobia occur, thus leading these students to abandon school or to find shelter in the parallel reality build through the use of social network, for instance. This project aims to improve inclusivity, overcome prejudices, create acceptance of every kind of diversity, so that students will see the school as a “safe harbour”, that is to say a sheltered place where to find sanctuary and spend serenely a large part of their path through life.The objectives of the project are, among others, the following:- promote an inclusive school - encourage the understanding and acceptance of the others in order to promote non-discriminatory behaviour, the sense of belonging to the group and the enhancement of differences;- facilitate appropriate forms of socialization, all of this in the light of promoting the development of key competences of European Citizenship. The achievement of these objectives will lead, as concrete results, to the reduction of bullying; the decrease in the level of school dropouts, the acceptance of diversity.The project stems from a basic idea, that through games and ludic strategies barriers and prejudices can be more easily overcome, so the project is focused on the building and implementation of some activities such as Life skill games, photography, coding activities, and so on.Each activity will be gradually built by the students under the guidance of teachers and/or experts through the constant communication and sharing of the materials between the partner countries in the period between mobilities. The actual realization and implementation of the final product of each activity will be during the course of each mobility. Each school will be assigned the activity in which it has more experience, in this way the students of each school will act as tutors for the students of the other countries, in a peer-to-peer environment that will encourage cooperation and increase self-esteem. Apart from a gradual development in the entire school staff of a mentality open to the European dimension of education and the improvement of the cooperation between teachers and students coming from a different cultural background, the impact on STUDENTS will reveal: • increase of self-confidence and self-esteem;• increased motivation to study;• improved knowledge and awareness of self and the other• demolition of the barrier inhibiting the psychological growth of the students;• improved fluency in the English language;• improved acceptance of diversity.Plus, one of the expected results in the long term is the promotion of a ""culture of diversity"", meant as an enhancement of uniqueness, which is a resource for the entire community, rather than a threat to be fought."

“Singing and Making Melody in your Heart” (SIMAME)It is commonly known that, together with a high quality education in new fields, mobility and collaboration between Europeans, especially within the educational and academic community, is the main purpose of Erasmus Programme aiming at the European Union integration. However, no one could approach anything beyond their own country and culture, if they had not previously begun with what significant exists in their local environment, let alone if their local history and monuments have ecumenical dimensions. Ιt is also equally important what could bring together different nations, ages, languages, religions etc. What else, if not the Art, could be the most successful interconnection bridge? Under this reasoning and according to objectives and priorities of the “Strategic Partnership” (Key Action 2), Music High School of Kavala intends to be approved as Coordinator in a new project based on the following double pillar: 1.on the Art, particularly on Music Art and Education, 2.as well as on the common European cultural heritage.Regarding the first pillar of our Project, that is the art of Music, we aim to give more emphasis on it, because of two reasons: a) the type of our School specializes in Music art and education and b) Music incorporates in itself everything, being simultaneously international language, history, religion, mathematical science etc. It also includes even the second pillar of the project being presented now, that is all the main roots of what is European culture and values: ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, and Christianity. In this context, we do not isolate any type of the world music, particularly our Greek folk music in common with ‘Byzantine’ choral music or the relevant “ottoman music”, as parts of the whole Mediterranean and European types of music. That’s why Music High School of Kavala, starting from it, plans to organise festivals, conferences, concerts and online educational programs on the Art of Music. To be successful in this goal, Music High School will take advantage of its great experience in festivals and educational/training programs, culminating in “Singing and Making Melody in your Heart” multi-day international School Festival (See 1 and 2). We have to to make clear that we plan to repeat the festival’s context and content by an innovative project of Erasmus’ “Strategic Partnership” (Key Action 2), submitted now by this application form.Regarding the second before mentioned pillar of our Project, we are going to focus on ‘reference cultural points’ which surround us in our local region and at the same time have global recognition with similar examples anywhere in the world, even more round the Mediterranean sea. We are talking about monuments and historical figures considered as emblems not only for Greek history or Christianity but for the whole European legacy. Among them and not far from us is located the ancient and medieval city of Philippi, which was recently declared World Heritage Site by Unesco, as a symbol combining uniquely the ancient Greek, the Roman, the Byzantine ages. It has been called ‘small Rome’ (‘Colonia Iulia Augusta Philippensis’) and ‘small Constantinople’, reminding through its monuments all the Roman and Byzantine world. Anyone could see how much Philippi, flourishing more than fifteen centuries before, resembles now to a typical multicultural European metropolitan center. The Organizing Committee of our School Unit resulted in a 2-year schedule of the Project, to which they contribute five (5) Partners from five (5) different European countries (Portugal, Spain, Italy, Turkey, Greece). Our Schedule consists of four (4) major Semesters, each of which has its distinct requirements and goals. During each Semester, teachers and students will have to conclude a specific programme (courses, workshops, educational programmes etc.), which is to be presented afterwards through a scientific conference and a festival. All programmes are addressed directly to the involved school's community, but also to the broader community through the mass media and social media.Previously, our Organising Committee had to answer the most crucial question: what does the entire European and much more the global community have in common, that already preexists in any local or regional environment and so it could be directly accessible? Moreover, how any local cultural tradition could be the entrance to the history and culture of the whole humanity? Which monuments or historical figures of our Greco-Roman and Christian world could be presented as symbols of universal values? As the European school community living in the postmodern age do we need to rediscover, share and rethink of our ancient, medieval and modern heritage? However, we are looking for the meeting point of all cultures, the most simple international language. It is no other than the Art itself.