The project:

The project aimed at teaching and promoting the history of the local communities and European regions, starting public discussion and reflection on past events and their contemporary meaning.
The main idea was that students and their teachers prepare projects dedicated to the local history of their regions. They explored their own town and surroundings in order to discover interesting, though often neglected, physical traces of the past, witnesses of the multicultural history of their country. The students "adopted" their chosen object - they dedicated themselves to taking care of it.
Next, in cooperation with local government and cultural and educational institutions students strived to restore the monuments they have adopted and organized a public action reminding others about the history of that place. At the end of the project, students presented the effects of their work to the local community.

 

Target group:
The project was addressed mainly at students (12-17 years old) and their teachers from Poland, Czech Republic, Germany and Lithuania.

  • students (12-17 years old)
  • teachers
  • local communities, where “adopted” monuments are placed

Objectives:
building the awareness of the multicultural heritage of Europe, especially of the traces of countries involved in the project,
mutual understanding of European nations' history by students

  • building European identity based not only on the narrowly defined national patriotism but also on the multicultural tradition,
  • “adoption,” documentation and revitalisation of multicultural “traces of the past”
  • promotion of international dissemination of European “traces of the past”,
  • inspiring collective work of students on their projects – photos, interviews, documentation

Activities:
Schools from participating countries cooperated with one another preparing the project dedicated to local cultural heritage, looking for the common history, and cultural diversity. Participants of the project used new technology in support of their activities (internet, chats, discussion forums, mail games etc.). They also had the opportunity to meet one another.
During the project  wereorganized two international meetings:

Methodology:

  • international workshops for teachers interested in implementing project in their region
  • educational project methods – students with teachers' assistance prepare projects dedicated to the local history and monuments
  • international partnership of schools – students from each school participating in the project cooperate closely with another school from another country – exchange of information and experiences, consulting each other
  • web - site  - during the project there is a website (domain EU) active, which is the platform of communication between school teams  (publication information, photograph, mail games, discussion forum), the language of the website is English
  • international presentation – at the end of the project, representatives of the school teams have an opportunity to present the effects of their work during the international presentation organized in Warsaw.international conference – the representatives of five countries  - students, teachers and coordinators will take part in the international conference
  • publication of leaflets – the leaflets include information about the projects, experience of each country, experience of cooperation, examples of the project
  • publications of CD with materials – the CD is an extended version of leaflets - includes information, lessons  plans, examples, photographs
  • promotion - during the realization of the project activities, promotional campaign will be provided – in local communities and in global society in each country.

Co-financed by the EU within the framework of „Europe for Citizens 2007-2013“

Partner organization:

Projects in participating countries were coordinated by following partner organizations:

  • Center for Civic Education – Poland  http://www.ceo.org.pl/
  • Antikomplex – hnutí proti xenofobii – Czech http://www.antikomplex.cz/
  • Tarakanskie stowarzyszenie przyrodniczo- krajobrazowe  - Lithuania
  • Hornemann Institute of the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Hildesheim/Holzminden/Göttingen, Faculty of Conservation, Germany

In Germany the following schools took part: