Culture plays an important role in peoples’ lives. It influences their views, values, hopes, loyalties, worries, fears and even their humor. Therefore, when we interact with people and establish relationships with them, it helps to have some perspective and understanding of their cultures. While we explore different cultures, it is crucial to keep in mind how many things we have in common and in how many things we differ.
Through this project, we would like to pass on to our students the desire to learn about other cultures and the need to be part of such a diverse group. Our students, being children with special needs, have experience racism, exclusion and even bulling in one way or another. This project will also teach them that being different is not a bad thing; being different is very common because no two people are the same; being different is a gift; thus they learn about diversity through an experiential way.
Moreover, this will work as a gateway to the European community for students with fewer opportunities. Our students (special needs student) don’t have the same opportunities to travel and have fewer experiences than other students. This is another way of these students being excluded from society. Learning about other countries history, customs, traditions and traveling to those countries will give our students the stimulation to broaden their minds and way of thinking. The students will understand that other cultures are interesting and that there is more than one way of doing things and of course they will be prepared to enter the now increasingly global world.
Goals
The main goals of this project are:
-To increase the knowledge and understanding of the community of each partner school on the difference of each culture and the importance of it.
-To teach our students about diversity in all aspects of life.
-To develop innovative methods and actions to expand the efficacy of education on diversity.
-To integrate school communities through cooperation in an international project.
-To improve the competences of students and teachers in the use of ICT for learning.
Objectives
The main objectives of this project are:
-To increase the knowledge and understanding of the community of each partner school on the difference of each culture and the importance of it through the implementation of various educational activities.
-To teach our students about diversity in all aspects of life through experiential activities such as traditional games, dances, food, costumes, customs and even through language.
-To develop innovative methods and actions to expand the efficacy of education on diversity by creating educational games on how each culture is different than the other but as humans we are all the same.
-To integrate school communities through cooperation in an international project; to prepare activities about traditional games, dances, food, costumes, customs that other local school can be a part of together with our students so that we avoid exclusion.
-To increasing awareness of the need to know people from other countries.
-To improve the competences of students and teachers in the use of ICT for learning through the creation of a website, a Facebook page and a Google drive account. On all three, each partner school will be able to upload the activities of the project, and not only.
-To prevent exclusion by raising awareness of stereotypes regarding origin, religion, race, health status, disability and others.