We started by acquiring these statements:Europe is no more a land of opportunities like twenty years ago and we need to open minds and change education to face this challenges.The objectives of this projects were:1.contributing to build a new school with four pillars (Ict, Non- formal learning, Creativity and Law), a base (Universal Democracy) and a direction (Equality) because we cannot work together without recognizing our universal human constitution based on equal rights.2.Being aware of a multicultural world3.Giving more possibilities to disadvantaged people4.Promoting citizenship5.Increasing Right, Respect and Responsibility for all cultures 6.Combatting discriminations7.Researching and experimenting innovative techniques-8.Developing skills for the changing world9.Supporting ICT-based teaching10.Introducing more non-formal and informal activities11.Giving more space to creativity12.Strengthening the critical thinking13.Placing the student at the centre of learning process14.Creating a cooperative teaching and learning environment15.Motivating teachers and students16.Enhancing European cooperation and reinforcing networks17.Stimulating students and teachers to cooperateWe selected participants (students, teachers, members of staff) with high motivation, good skills and English fluency, with an accurate selection process.Our schools were involved at the highest level. ALL the activities were strictly connected. The project was divided in four terms, each of them characterized by one topic, one main activity, one output.1.Democracy and participation - Output: guideline: how to promote a campaign without losing a friend2.Creativity and social inclusion. During this LTTA has not been possible to act as previewed because, due to terroristic menaces in that period, we couldn’t perform the theatre in prison with the foreign students and teachers. The spectacle (involving prisoners and students) was actually performed but in a close, reserved space, without foreing delegations. We substitued this output with the Ravenna Manifesto (a guideline to increase volunteering at school) and a spectacle with a music band exclusively composed by refugees.3.innovation in education - Output: collection of ict tools for education4.non formal learning and life skills - Output: a collection of tools to promote NFLOur plan of activity was perfectly respected: a 6-day schedule with A. Two days at school to work on the topic. B. Two days of visits to:NGOs active in social fields (inclusion, democracy, participation) C. Two days of cultural and social activities:Historical sites, museums, librariesD. A social/cultural event: an exhibition, a concert, a comedy, a festivalWe met NGOs actives in many inclusion fields (disable people, ex prisoners, people with mental disease, ex drug addicted and so on)Project was based on some methodological assumptions:1.Student- centred methodology2.Creative and Critical Thinking3.Promoting empowerment and self-esteem, especially for women4.Space to ICT and languages5.Experiences more than knowledge6.Sharing and communication of every part of the process, process as important as result7.Problem solving, case studies and authentic assessments8.Ensuring Accountability and Promoting Responsibility-9.Addressing Discrimination10.Non formal learning11.Peer education12.Seeking Sustainable Results13.Enjoying the school timeWe assessed the results of the project and we have noticed thatStudents:1.developed competences, especially in language, ICT and transversal skills2.had and ethical approach3.gained a broader understanding of: critical and creative thinking, problem solving4.rose awareness of citizenship, democracy, social inclusion, participation5.became more active in our communities, at local level6.enjoyed more the school time and participated more activelySimilar results we had in teachers and also the school were changed by this project, opening them to networks with others schools, NGOs and private companies.So now we had school more active in the community and people more involved in the society.The dissemination was accurately planned and managed: more than 30 articles on newspapers, magazines and webtvs; hundreds of posts in different social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin, Google+, Pinterest, Edmodo: each of them with an Include dedicated account), hundreds of pictures and movies published (Youtube, Vimeo and Flickr).We created solid networks with people, companies, associations, and met influencers and inspiring people (i.e. Lucio Melandri, UNICEF Refugee & Migrant Response Country Coordinator and many others)The project involved directly approx. 1000 people and not directly more than 3000 and was successful at every level. We had visitors in our website from all over the world, France 308, Usa 196, Brazil 28, Russia 23, Kenya 20, Peru 14, Philippines 13, United Arab Emirates

The educational culture in many European countries is still tightly connected to traditional principles and methods. So that transmitting knowledge is often still considered the main function for schools to perform and frontal teaching is usually still seen by far as the best among all didactical methods.On the contrary, we are convinced that school should guide people along a learning path student-centered, based on their ability to raise questions, on problem-solving, on the progressive development of skills, cooperative work, authentic and meaningful experiences.This project wants to focus on Service Learning (SL), as an innovative approach to education, learning, citizenship. Relaunching John Dewey's legacy, resuming Paulo Freire's reflections, it tries to bring school outside the classrooms into the town, the social community, the surrounding territory.SL is a kind of activity student-centered, problem-based, socially engaging, motivating, cooperative, collaborative.We want to promote and spread throughout Europe this approach, able to combine several key components: the knowledge and skills developed through the school curriculum; the desire to act as a protagonist typical of the young people; the connection to real needs existing in the local community; the strength and depth of an experience that is meaningful, motivating, authentic.The European context can be seen as an added value since it will allow comparing different perspectives and sharing good practice. SE.LE.N.E. is a project conceived by a network of five European schools from different countries with diversified cultural background, geographical situation, economic conditions. They operate in Alatri (Italy), Löningen (Germany), Koknese (Latvia), Vila Real (Spain), Kalamata (Greece). All schools are general education institutions including secondary level programs. The target group for SE.LE.N.E. activities will be 15-19 years old students.All partner schools share a strong desire to experiment with SL and the commitment to do it in a European context. Yet so far their SL experience is not equally wide, deep, and rich. In fact, among the 5 participating countries, there is Spain, where many schools over the years have acquired a relevant experience with SL activities. I.E.S. Francesc Tarrega, Vila-Real, is one of them. We are eager to exchange experiences and learn from schools with expertise in SL, in order to improve our approach and introduce new ideas in our educational work.As for the project activities, SE.LE.N.E. proposes five educational experiences to be developed and implemented in different European countries. Each one features a strong connection to the school curriculum, correspondence with some real needs from the local community, focus on students' motivation to act as protagonists in changing the world for the better.Transnational groups of students and teachers will organize and implement the 5 SL experiences, working with values, key-concepts, methods, techniques, skills belonging to different spheres of civic action such as artistic expression and creativity, environmental sustainability, preservation of cultural heritage, social inclusiveness and care for disadvantaged people. Before each transnational LTT activity, participants will perform preparatory activities, communicating with European partners through widely used ICT tools, such as LMS, video conferencing, and the eTwinning platform.Each of the 5 transnational LTT activity will be developed in a 7 days time (arrival day+5 days+departure day). Traveling students will be guests at host students families.During each meeting, students and teachers will work in mixed nationality workgroups. The work of the groups will end with the achievement of concrete results such as:- maintaining a nature trail;- designing and planting a small green area;- activities with migrant children/students;- design and realization of wall paintings in school classrooms and/or furnishing equipment for a learning environment;- design and realization of graffiti painting in an urban space/park;- activities with children with learning difficulties.The project is charged with a strong pedagogical inspiration and has the ambition to clearly show in Europe the potential of an activist, motivating and student-centered educational approach.It also arises from the awareness by the participating schools to have to constantly act in a network context. A network among schools that are committed to sharing conception, implementation, monitoring. Networks which every school has to prepare and weave in its local context with groups, associations, institutions, municipalities.This necessary, intense network work sets the ideal conditions for publicizing and dissemination of results.Thus the fallout of the project could really be relevant and the practice of Service Learning could be significantly increased within the school systems of all participant countries.

TOURISM FOR TEENAGERSOurs is a pupil-centred project and it aims at involving students of five different schools, making them aware of the importance of their cultural and historical heritage. We want them to understand that cultural diversity is important but also that different identities have the same value and sometimes a common or similar background.This will be done by encouraging our pupils to become “tourist guides” to the pupils coming from the other four countries, by letting them select what they consider historically and culturally relevant in the area where they live. It is important not to be too specific about this aspect at this stage, since – as this is a pupil-centred project – it is fundamental to share the ideas with them without influencing their choices too much.The five participants are secondary schools from Italy, the Czech Republic, Spain, Poland and Greece. Each school has some specific experience in the world of partnerships and exchanges, and they all belong to countries that have had serious economic problems in recent years. Each school will also invite local authorities to participate in the project, considering the fact that they might be interested in the development of tourism in their areas.The partnership will begin in each school where the pupils will be asked to recognize and analyse the historical and cultural aspects of their own country and specifically of their local area. At this step, with the support of their teachers, they will also get into contact with local authorities which are in charge of tourism and culture. At the same time they will be also asked to write down what they expect they will find in the other countries.During this first phase, teachers will also select the students who seem to be more active in the project and make them leaders of the group. A short, introductory meeting will be organized between teachers to focus on the details of the project itself and discuss possible difficulties.The activities during the project will be divided as follows:1) Local activities: in each school the programme of the visits to the local cultural/historical/natural sites will be prepared by students under the supervision of the teachers; local authorities will also be involved. The programmes will also include presentations, short movies, leaflets, games, sports activities and any other thing that the students may envisage, considering that the target of the project is teenagers like them.2) Transnational meetings among partner schools: each meeting will be attended by some accompanying teachers and selected pupils. Here the local students will “guide” the others to the local cultural/historical sites and will present all the material which they have previously prepared. During the meetings the data gathered at the beginning of the project will be compared and this will help students understand the similarities and differences between their culture and the one they are visiting, and also the differences between what they expected to find (which is often altered by prejudices) and reality.3) Language and ICT lessons will be held in each nation. Some of the language lessons will be held during short term exchanges of students in Spain, Greece and Italy and the ICT lessons in Poland and Czech Rep.4) During the whole project teachers, students and local authorities will keep in touch by e-mails, social networks and e-twinning. All the materials produced during the project period will be published on the project website, and all activities will be strictly time defined so that partners complete anything to which they have committed themselves on time.5) The project will be monitored constantly through questionnaires in order to see if it might be necessary to adjust it in the course of events. The evaluation of the final product will be obtained through satisfaction questionnaires, tests and comments from all the subjects involved in the dissemination of the results (parents, local authorities, other schools).The comparison of similarities and differences will make the cultural connection between nations clear to the pupils and more in general to everybody involved in the project. The recognition of surviving cultural diversity in a common framework will be the leading idea of this project. This process will involve reflecting on how we interact at a social level, and how this process brings a wealth of stimulating ideas.The ultimate aims of the partnership are: 1) to create a final product which might be useful to other schools and groups of young people in different European countries, so that they might decide to continue it by adding new materials helping it to become a “lifelong learning project”; 2) to allow our pupils to come into contact with the working environment of the world of tourism and entertainment, which might help them get some specific skills required by the labour market.