PROJECT ORGANISATIONS:
ASOCIACIÓN INICIATIVA INTERNACIONAL JOVEN (SPAIN)
Asociación Iniciativa Internacional Joven (Youth International Initiative Association) is an NGO from Malaga (Spain) created in 2003 from a group of youths who after participating in international programmes and activities, concluded that these experiences had been very important to change their life. Therefore, they decided to share them with other young people, collectives and associations, to enhance the interest in participating in international programs and exchanges, learning languages, realizing voluntary work, raising awareness, tolerance and respect for other cultures, etc. thereby contributing to personal and professional development of young people and adults. The mission of the organisation is to contribute to the comprehensive development and improvement of the quality of life of citizens, especially young people. We work at local and international level in the following areas of intervention: (1) Participation and Volunteering; (2) Culture of Peace and Interculturality; (3) Gender Equity; (4) Sustainable and Healthy Life; (5) Art and Creativity; (6) Personal development and entrepreneurship.
UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI PALERMO — UNIPA (ITALY)
Universitá degli Studi di Palermo (UNIPA) is a public university located in Palermo (Italy) and officially founded in 1806. Its 5 schools/faculties and 20 Departments cover the most important areas of contemporary scientific and technological knowledge. About 122 courses (first and second cycle) are offered annually, as well as 44 master’s degrees and specialisations and 23 doctoral courses, aimed at the education and training of specific professional profiles, some of which are also carried out in cooperation with external institutions and companies. The Department of Psychological, educational, exercise, and training sciences (SPPEFF) of the University of Palermo was founded in 1987 with the aim of promoting research in its three component areas: psychology, education and human movement. The Department offers 4 Bachelor courses, 7 Master courses and 1 international PhD programme in Health Promotion and Cognitive Sciences. The Department is involved as coordinator and partner in many national and international projects related to psychology, emotional intelligence and education.
AGRUPAMENTO DE ESCOLAS GIL EANES (PORTUGAL)
The Agrupamento de Escolas Gil Eanes (AEGE) from Lagos was founded in the year 2010 in a reorganization process of the municipal school system. Their primary mission is to support all students and promote their success despite barriers and differences. They place special emphasis on creating an environment that facilitates exchanges, innovation and sustainability to improve the learning process. This educational centre provides residents with access to a variety of preschools, elementary schools and high schools, where it promotes a positive school culture based on the rights and responsibilities of the community and core values such as respect, cooperation and tolerance. AEGE offers a class in citizenship that is directly related with respect to diversity, tolerance and inclusion and it has developed a transdisciplinary curriculum to enhance diversity, bringing in cultural, artistic and musical elements. AEGE works with 1,975 students up into 92 classes. Within the student population, there is a lot of diversity, with 10%, or 201, coming from outside Portugal, and also requiring extra support in language and cultural integration.
LICEUL TEORETIC “EMIL RACOVITA” (ROMANIA)
Liceul Teoretic “Emil Racovita” (LTER) is a secondary school with a theoretical profile where students acquire general knowledge and skills. It is located in Vaslui, in the eastern part of Romania. The school has four branches of studies: Mathematics-Informatics, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences and Philology. Students study in 14 classrooms and 8 laboratories (4 for computer science, 1 for biology, 1 for physics, 1 for chemistry and 1 for geography). All classrooms have multimedia equipment and the school has a library with more than 16,000 books, a gymnasium and two synthetic sports fields with night facilities. Teaching activities are supported by 52 teachers and there are currently a total of 801 students, of whom 145 belongs to an ethnic minitority and/or have immigrated to Romania from outside countries. The school has extensive experience in carrying out European projects, each of which has contributed to improving the quality of education and teaching. LTER also organises extracurricular activities, such as drawing workshops, voluntary actions, study visits, thematic trips and charity actions.
NAANTALIN LUKIO (FINLAND)
Naantalin Lukio is located in the municipality of Naantali, a small coastal town 14 kilometres from the city of Turku. It is the only school in the municipality offering general upper secondary education for young people aged 16–19. The school community consists of 320 students, 21 full-time teachers, six part-time teachers, and other staff members. In addition to the compulsory and elective subjects of the official Finnish curriculum, the school offers a wide range of local electives in Finnish, English, Swedish, mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology, geography, social studies, history, psychology, health education, physical education, visual arts, and music. It also provides students, particularly those with special talents, the opportunity to complete the National Diploma in drama, media, visual arts, music, and physical education. Due to the municipality’s tradition of tourism, the school offers elective courses in tourism, organised in cooperation with local businesses, institutions, and other educational establishments such as Turku University of Applied Sciences and Raisio Vocational Institute.