Gemeinsame Zukunft in Europa

Gemeinsame Zukunft in Europa

Skupna Prihodnost v Evropi

Common future in Europe

Erasmus+ WI´MO Klagenfurt / Gymnasium Slovenske Konjice

Common future in Europe
Gemeinsame Zukunft in Europa_ Skupna Prihodnost v Evropi

The idea of the project

For six years now the WI’MO has been offering a course for asylum seekers with the aim to help them participate in the Austrian educational system. A major motivation for this project was our daily experience with these refugees. As migration is also a current topic in Slovenia we quickly found a partner. The high school “Slovenske Konjice” with 15 students (fifth and sixth grade with lessons in German) and two teachers, as well as the WI’MO with 14 students of the “Culture and Media Lab Studies” of the third year and 10 students of the course for asylum seekers (aged 15 to 20) as well as 6 teachers took part in the project.
We expected to develop more respect for each other through the intensive discussion of the topic of migration in Europe, but also through the direct contact with the refugees. We worked with creative means to diminish fear of contact and to strengthened the European idea with the adolescents. In addition, it was our aim to create a deeper understanding of cultural and national differences as well as to develop openness and tolerance.
Another aim was to strengthen foreign language skills. The working languages during the project were German (important for the Slovene students and the migrants) and English. By using digital media (photo, film, webpage, Augmented Reality, etc.) the competences of the students were fostered in these fields.

Before the start of the project the students were introduced to the topic of the project. In the following six workshop units – to be held alternately in Austria and Slovenia – material for a big exhibition at the end of the project was developed in cooperation with artists. Due to Covid19, the sixth workshop and the exhibition had to be canceled and changed to an online presentation.
The intensive cooperation of all project partners was expected to improve the respective school climate as well as the exchange between the students in a sustainable way. By way of analysis of the topic of migration in Europe, but also the involvement of asylum seekers in European projects like this one, we started a sustainable integration process and fostered a deeper understanding of the adolescents for each other. The work on cultural and national differences and characteristics enabled to develop openness and tolerance for the other. The creative means that were used in the project diminished fear of contact and strengthened the European idea with the adolescents.

Im Februar trafen sich die österreichischen und slowenischen Professorinnen zur Besprechung und Organisation der fünf gemeinsam geplanten Treffen, die in den darauffolgenden zwei Jahren stattfinden sollten.

Februarja 2018 so se avstrijski in slovenski profesorji sestali, da bi razpravljali in organizirali pet skupno načrtovanih srečanj, ki naj bi potekala v naslednjih dveh letih.

In February 2018, the Austrian and Slovenian teachers met to discuss and organize the six planned meetings that should take place over the following two years.