Who are we?

 

The German school

The Ursulinenschule (URS) is a state-approved, private Catholic school in Fritzlar in the north of Hesse, a medieval, imperial town with a rich cultural heritage. It’s a comprehensive school with a sixth-form curriculum founded in 1713 by the sisters of the order of Saint Ursula (O.S.U.). The school is characterized by a long tradition and history which does not prevent us from looking into the future and preparing our students to be a responsible and active part of a globalized and quickly changing world. The school focuses on health and environment awareness and has received a certificate by the ministry of education and cultural affairs in 2010 in the areas of nutrition, drug prevention, movement, ecology and the long-term effect of education. In 2010, the school has signed a Charter of the state having for purpose the protection of the climate by reducing the greenhouse gas by 10 per cent in the next year.
Furthermore, social abilities are very important to us and we promote empathy and social involvement with people living in different social conditions. Charity performances in order to support our twinned school in Miramar/Peru or people in India as well as a cooperation between our school and the institutions in the local community, for example a home for senior citizens, are very important for our identity.
Our school is marked by a wide range of activities and projects covering such fields as theatre, film, music, mediation, occupational orientation, learning methods and study habits etc. In addition, we attach great importance to supporting students who are disadvantaged in any way. We also have migrant pupils from mainly Eastern Europe. International relationships are also very important. Therefore, we have exchanges with partnerschools in France, ind the USA and Perou. 
Our aim is to give youngsters - through the building of a European network - the opportunity to get acquainted with their European identity and heritage and to strengthen the students’ self-reliance and their sense of responsibility for others and for the environment. We think that the cooperation of different European schools is indispensable to face global problems.

The Finnish school

 Our school Ristiinan yhtenäiskoulu ja lukio is located in the eastern part of the country far away from all the major cities in Finland. Ristiina is a rural town of about 5000 people. The economic life in Ristiina is based on farming and the biggest plywood factory in Europe.

Participating in Comenius projects before was a very positive and rewarding experience to our students, teachers as well as the whole community.
We have lots of students who have never been abroad and have very few if any international contacts. So, a project like this would be extremely beneficial for these students. It’d  also give them chance to use their language skills and to learn about different cultures in a most interesting way, As for the languages, all our students study English and Swedish and, in addition, quite a few have chosen an optional language German, French or Russian. We feel that this project would certainly increase their motivation to study foreign languages.

Our school is modern and well-equipped and it’s located in a beautiful area with pure nature and the largest lake, lake Saimaa in Finland. Our location offers ideal nature prerequisites for carrying out research on the topics of the project.

All our teachers as well as students are highly motivated and enthusiastic to participate in this project and do our best to carry out this project in the best possible way.

The French school

The “Collège Saint Michel” is a secondary school with 550 students located in the middle of an areas inhabited by 430,000 people between Lyon and Grenoble. The families are middle class and are very interested in their children's education, it is the reason why our pupils come from 25 km around. Our school is a member of an association of seven catholic schools with a State agreement, composed of 4 primary schools and 3 secondary schools. This association allows us to suggest a wide choice of projects adapting to the profile of each pupil and a continuity in these projects too.
In Saint Michel Secondary School, our school plan suggests, in addition to the teaching of the National curriculum, the discovery of other people with their differences. It is based on an openness in the different religions, on an openness in the people in difficulty thanks to the organisation of a local or an international charity in each class, and an openness in European and international subjects with two trips in a European country for each pupil.
Moreover we offer a European teaching called the “sections européennes” (European classes). This teaching represents more than 40 % of our pupils. More than a European foreign language teaching, this programme is an approach to Europe as far as History, functioning, unity and diversity are concerned, and also Europe in our daily life. This project is followed by all the teachers of these classes; they include a European dimension to their teaching and cross-curriculum projects. These last years, in order to develop the 21st century European citizens, we had to consider not only European aspects but also globalisation aspects. So we suggest an introduction to Arabic and Mandarin to these pupils. Since last September, we have started an new International section, reinforcing our dedication to international education.
Our intention with this partnership would be to suggest a more practical approach of Europe for our pupils attending European classes, as well as for all of the other pupils. We want this project to become a project shared by all the pupils, and every member of our educational community. This framework would enable our pupils and teachers to have a greater access to information and relationships about possible works with partnership schools. Finally it would provide every one of us with a potential goal to achieve.

The Italian school

Our school is a state school specialised in Humanities and Languages. It is situated in Turin, the capital of the Piedmont region and a major business and cultural centre in northern Italy. The population of the city proper is 906,089 while the population of the urban area is estimated to be 1.7 million inhabitants. The main building, dating back to the early 20th century, is  in the city centre but we also have an annexe situated nearby.
Since the mid-1990s, the Liceo has been offering two courses of studies. The first, named 'classico', which is the closest to the original liceo, focuses mainly on the study of classical languages. Conversely, the bulk of the linguistico (linguistic) course of study consists of modern foreign languages. In addition, both courses, provide a broad exposure to mathematical and scientific studies, as well as a sound foundation in history, philosophy, history of art, Italian literature and Physical Education. Religion features as an optional subject.
In the school year 2012-13 enrolment was more than 1200. The teaching staff is around 100 and the administrative staff 28.
Our community is largely monocultural and consequently we believe it is very important to look outwards for cultural development.  Most of the families of our students are very attentive to their children's educational progress.
We are particularly interested in and motivated by this project because we believe in making our students more aware of the choices they make on a daily basis regarding the environment and the impact that such choices have on the planet as a whole. Liceo Gioberti is in the town where ‘Slow Food’ started.  ‘Slow Food’ is a non-profit grassroot organisation founded in 1989 by Carlo Petrini ‘to counter the rise of fast food and fast life’.
Another of our aims is to create the conditions whereby our students will engage critically by questioning, examining and analysing these concepts (inviting experts from various organisations deeply rooted in the local territory, organising panel discussions, exhibitions and presentations) and then encourage them to share their learning with the students of the partner schools and generate an intercultural dialogue.
We believe that people build understanding through experiences, and one way for students actively to learn the skills required for intercultural effectiveness and to develop cultural awareness that equips them to live and work in a global economy is through multicultural partnership.

The Polish school

Our school is a private school for girls aged 13-18. It is a secondary school run on a daily mode, in which the students finish their education by taking a graduation exam and can continue their learning on a higher level. The school offers humanistic, natural sciences and polytechnic classes. We stress the importance of foreign language learning (English, German, French, Italian). On the premises there is a dormitory which enables the students from the smaller towns access not only to education but also to other facilities which the city has to offer. We cooperate with the University of Wrocław and we take the opportunity to benefit from various types of activities for secondary schools.

The Turkish school

We are a teacher training high school, located in the south of Turkey, in Gönen. Our students are aged between 14 and 18. They can only attend this school after getting a very high score in the placement exam for primary school students. There are 30 teachers and 330 students in our school. Nearly half of the students studying here are from nearby cities, towns and villages and they are boarding students. Most of them are children of parents with a disadvantaged background. Their parents are usually farmers, tradesmen with little income or unemployed. This school offers them a great opportunity to gain a respectable place and job in the society and provides them with a ticket to the world outside; otherwise they might get stuck in a completely rural life without being aware of what is going on in the world. In this sense, this school plays an important role in prevention of social exclusion of many disadvantaged students.
Our students and project staff will carry out many studies related to the project themes. Students as well as their parents will be more aware of the problems of the earth and will be encouraged to take serious measures to protect the nature and create a more livable world. As a concrete outcome of this project, we do believe that our students will gain a better understanding and insight into the natural resources, which they will keep and maintain for the latter parts of their lives.