Poland
notBElong
The activity planned for our school is to be focused around the homeless and orphans. The title of this activity is "notBElong" because the common things these two groups of people have in common is that they are living that actually formally they do not belong to anyone. They live, they are. We want to focus on the fact that everyone of us is in this world with a concrete mission for their life, that everyone of us BELONG.
To share the stories of these people will be a great opportunity for the participants to realize that homeless people and orphans are also people with great life stories. That they are people who can through their life story enrich our own life. Through the personal experience with them, we can build new relationships, which will be fruitful for both sides.
France
unNOTiced
From 12 to 20 March 2022, 21 pupils from Germany, Poland and Slovakia joined another 21 students from France. They were accompanied by 11 teachers. An Erasmus+ mobility took place in the French town of CHATEAUROUX. It was the second mobility within this project this school year after the mobility in Poland. Thus, there are still 2 more mobilities left, as there are 4 partner schools, in Germany in autumn 2022 and in Slovakia in February next year 2023.
The students stayed in homestays where they practised their language skills for 5 days.
At Lycée St.Solange we felt the family atmosphere of this high school.
After the initial greetings, to get to know each other better, we answer questions from the questionnaire of the writer M. Proust and the conversation gets going. It takes courage for jump into something unknown - the certainty that not everything will be 100% to our liking, the courage to step outside our comfort zone, outside of which we will learn considerably more than when we are in it.
There is a SUPER atmosphere during mobility, where the neighbour next to us is not a SUPER, but we all have the desire to get to know each other and have a wonderful week in a pleasant atmosphere, effective cooperation and good communication. All week we are served meals that are typically French! La vie est belle!
We discover the trésors de la ville - the treasures of a city of almost 43,000 inhabitants. We are in the Centre-Val de Loire region, in the province of Berry and thus everything has an attribute - berrichon,-ne - berichon,-ah. The Tourist Information Centre uses a cool saying to promote itself: L' Essentiel, c' est ici! The essential is here! And he's right!
Each team of students showcases their school's volunteering activities to help the homeless, refugees and disabled.
We listen attentively to representatives of the local Pastorale des Migrants organization as they speak passionately about how they are trying to make a difference in the lives of people who find themselves homeless. We Slovaks and Poles also talk about people fleeing war. We also spent time cleaning the park together with the clients of the Écureuils - Squirrels facility, with people with Down syndrome. How little we realize the value of health in our lives!
Also on the agenda was the magnificent Chenonceau Chateau, built on the water, which, in addition to its architecture and artistic gems, enchanted us with its beautiful floral decoration. But students don't have it so easy! Each group gets to experience first-hand what it's like to move around with a disabled person in a wheelchair and some with crutches. That they didn't get to many places? This is also the reality of life for many who live next door to us.
In the village of Nohant, a tour of the home of the famous French writer Georges Sand, who also wrote about the oppression of women, is on the agenda. Students are still testing the accessibility of the premises for wheelchair users.
At the end of the mobility, groups of students present the posters they have created and explain what conclusions they have come to after working together as a group. They talk about how it felt to sit in a wheelchair and be in the shoes of a disabled person or accompany them for a while. They make suggestions on how they themselves could help these people. All in English. "As many languages as you know, as many times as you are human" or "Languages are the gateway to the world"
Germany
I SErvE - Mother Earth
From 8.11. to 12.11. 2022 a group of 42 students and 10 teachers participated in the third mobility in Düren, Germany, near Cologne. After our arrival we were picked up by the host families and teachers of St. Angela-Schule, we owe them a big thank you for this time, we were beautifully taken care of and felt welcomed.
Our host school - Bischöfliche St. Angela-Schule - was originally an Ursuline school, although it is now Episcopal, Angela still looks kindly on its students and we gradually discovered the Ursuline roots throughout the school's extensive campus.
The theme for this SerIam week was I SErvE - Mother Earth, or volunteering and the environment. We shared experiences of waste separation in different countries; we learned many interesting things about the issue of microplastics; we went to the streets of Dürren and Cologne and asked questions in selected establishments about how they protect the environment; we also learned about different sustainable and packaging-free alternatives. We made packaging-free cosmetics as well as wax packaging to carry and store them. Once we even cooked our own lunch in the amazingly equipped school kitchen.
Cologne with its big city atmosphere will also remain unforgettable. The unique opportunity to say hello to St. Ursula and listen to a captivating account of her life and martyrdom, as well as the unmissable tour of the Cologne Cathedral, resonated with us for a long time to come.
The virtual reality tour of Cologne in the Time Ride Museum was both entertaining and informative. In piakok we had to say goodbye to Düren , but the farewell was cheerful. The final party was in the spirit of the carnival: in Cologne, the 5th season traditionally starts at 11:11 on 11/11/11 - the carnival season begins.
We think "Kölle Alaaf!" and goodbye.
Slovakia
unFORgotten
The mobility focused on service to the elderly, the lonely as well as the convicted, the rejected was held at different venues in and around Trnava.
We attempted to create a sense of community with local civic organizations. It ensured authentic experience and proper learning environment for the participants.
During the mobility 21 students and 8 teachers from Germany, France and Poland, together with their host students and Slovak teachers discussed the situation of the elderly and imprisoned in their country and community. They shared their research, presentations, and testimonies. They also attempted to present the impact the project has had on their school so far.
The program started with ice breaker activities as well as cultural quizzes and folk dance presentations and rehearsal. At the Town Hall, they had the opportunity to talk with Vice Mayor Eva Nemčovská about the history of Trnava as well as the present state of social issues, They learned more during a guided tour of the school and the city.
Lectures were held in the town library, where we met with guests from the local Caritas to discuss voluntary work with the elderly. Mr Strýček also answered questions about projects for the homeless. Students presented their voluntary projects and explained how successful voluntary work is planned and executed.
Students created inspirational gifts for the elderly, and in small groups visited 3 institutions for elderly citizens, played games and talk with them about their life. One group has done the shopping for a lonely person and visited them in their home.
The topic of the convinces was covered by Mr Dubovský from the National Memory Institute, who gave a lecture about political prisoners during Communist Era, supported by the testimony of Sister Svorada, OSU, who has survived communist persecution.
There was also a testimony by a volunteer and hermit, who works with people in need. He also read the testimony of a convicted criminal. There was a very interesting discussion about the need of dignity and the chance for change in prisons.
We have listened to a concert by the group Roots and Dismas, who have talked about their concerts in prisons as well as their spiritual work with prisoners.
As part of the program, we have visited Smolenice Castle, the Manor House in Dolná Krupá, where we learnt about the link to Beethoven, and Medolandia, where we learned about the importance of bees and the tradition of mead in Slovakia.
On the final day, several workshops were offered to help summarize the week. Participants used drama, clay, creative workshops, made advertisements for voluntary work, as well as leaflets about the past week. Some prepared gifts and wrote letters to the elderly and prisoners, as well as voluntary organizations involved.
Presentations, cultural program, venues were prepared by students, teachers, former students , parents or grandparents of our students, which helped us discover new partnerships for the future.
