ViverEU: Bringing EU closer to me and you

forthcoming

This is a project designed to enhance the school’s capacity to teach about the EU, increase the understanding of EU values in its teaching staff and students, and foster democratic principles both in the classroom and across the school environment that is expected to transform families and communities adjacent to the school. This initiative aims to equip teachers with the skills, knowledge, and engaging methodologies needed to effectively teach EU topics. By introducing playful and participatory learning methods, the project will demystify the structure, core principles, and values of the EU, cultivating a sense of belonging to the European community among students from 4th to 9th grade and among teachers who do not directly teach social/civic studies. We see the importance of not only increasing our student’s understanding of the EU and acquiring values from a practical standpoint but also to support our teaching staff to ensure that a wholesome approach is taken. We believe that you cannot just talk about democracy, equality, rule of law, human dignity during specific classes without actively practicing it in other situations (other subjects, teacher-student relations, school corridors and collaboration spaces etc). For this to happen effectively we would like to take course on increasing also our staff’s competencies that will inevitably increase the overall school’s practice. The project will create innovative, inclusive lesson plans tailored to the needs of a diverse student body, including learners with special needs, students from the Russian-speaking minority, Ukrainian refugees, and new arrivals or returnees that are students of our school. Through experiential learning activities, democratic classroom practices, and collaboration with local and European stakeholders, ViverEU will empower both educators and students to actively engage with EU-related topics, promoting active citizenship and inclusion inside the school and beyond.