Elos Basque Country World Café

5th May 2011

Elos Europa ikasketa eremu bezala ikastetxean.

Europa como ámbito de aprendizaje en la escuela.

Europe as a Learning Environment at School.

Elos is an educational concept which seeks to promote a European dimension in your lessons and activities at school. You can participate in projects and exchanges with students from other European countries. Elos is eventually about learning everything you could possibly need to be fully prepared to learn, work and live as a European citizen. This Elos World Café held in the Basque Country was an opportunity for students of the Elos schools to meet and exchange opinions about Europe.

World

Café (the experience)

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Students from the five Elos schools in the Basque Country were offered to participate in a World Café on the premises of the Government of the Basque Country in Vitoria-Gasteiz.

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There was a preselection in each school.

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Some preparatory sessions were held in each school to reflect on the issues put forward.

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Eventually, on 5th of May, we all were welcome by representatives of the Department of Education of the Basque Country and discussed different issues related to Europe and our European citizenship the way we, students aged 15-17, see them.

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Our time in Lakua

(Basque Government offices’ location) We met nineteen students. Our teachers were also there.

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Representatives of the Department of Education also addressed a few words to us and overheard what we were discussing.

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All students had something to say and their comments were really clever.

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We had never met before and we had a great time and learned from each other.

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Some opinions about the present and future of Europe were pessimistic some others more optimistic but all of them were clever and well reasoned.

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After finishing we had something to eat while we continued chatting.

Topics and tables

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There were four topics and four tables. At each table, we talked about a different European issue.

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We talked about the schools in Europe, the European Union, our experiences in Europe, our prospects as European citizens, and the future of Europe and the Basque Country in Europe…

Our work

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First, we discussed the different topics mixing students from each school.

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After fifteen minutes we switched round and discussed the topic at the next table with our new partners.

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There was an appointed secretary who wrote down the minutes and passed them on to the teachers, who summarized the main ideas.

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At the end, each group prepared a power point presentation... this is the result…

1st TABLE: General topics about Europe

1st Table: GENERAL TOPICS

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The European Union for us.

Making decisions.

Influence on us.

The European Union for us

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Union from diversity. 27 members with common aims.

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All together respecting each other’s identity.

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Most of the countries share the same currency, the Euro. It makes travelling and other activities easier but prices got higher.

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Economic more than political union to be stronger in the world and fight the crisis.

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Closer to citizens to solve our problems.

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We are all European citizens even if we are not conscious of this important fact.

Decisions in the European Union

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Economic and political decisions.

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Sometimes they aren’t the right decisions for us. (prices,limitations in farming and fishing...)

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80% of our laws are European laws, passed in the European Parliament, the best known European institution.

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Free market inside European Union.

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Minimun conditions all the countries have to fulfill.

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Not enough energy to fight in favour of human rights.

Influence on us

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There are some decisions related to us, for example, The Bolonia Process.

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Main concern: market limitations for our local agriculture and fishing.

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Free travelling is very important. Open doors to study and work abroad.

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Common laws to protect us as consumers.

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Ecology as a priority in political decisions.

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The strong influence of The European Union on our daily lives versus how little we know about Europe.

2

nd

TABLE:

Europe in your life

Using English outside school

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Exchange projects help us improve our English level. After the project we keep in contact with our friends through English.

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On holidays we meet new friends and we get used to speaking English.

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We use Facebook and Messenger as social networks.

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We watch films and listen to music in English.

European customs

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Timetables are very strange to us, for example, they have dinner earlier than we do and they spend more time at home. We like hanging out.

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Their religion is sometimes linked to their customs, but here it may happen too.

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The weather makes people behave differently.

European customs

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Being polite and education is more important abroad.

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Public transport is often used. TAKE YOUR BIKE!

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Are we different or are they different? It doesn’t matter. We share our customs and we learn from each other.

3

rd

TABLE: European activities at school

1. Comenius: European project to open the borders of the countries in which a lot of students of different schools take part in it. In general everybody is very happy about this project because they like to meet new friends and learn about foreign cultures.

2. Elos: Portfolio: A document which allows us to express our opinion about Europe.

1.

Exchange projects: With the help of Comenius and Elos we have the opportunity to visit and to get to know other countries and cultures and with this, to have a good time practising the languages. For example, going to Germany (modern school , good technologies), France (awesome discipline), Estonia (a lot of languages, low discipline and short classes), Turkey (awesome discipline), Sweden, Ireland (low level of second language and really close to religion), Netherlands, Wales, Finland (modern school).

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Conclusion: We are very lucky about travelling around Europe and about getting to know new cultures and friends. And we think that it could be important to give this idea to other schools.

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One month of holidays in Germany

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The Irish school is very old. It was built 250 years ago.

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Because of the cold climate, Estonian students change their clothes and shoes before entering school.

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In Turkey and in some places of France they sing their national anthems twice a week before starting school.

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In Estonia and in Germany they have TVs in the classrooms

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In Germany students are divided according to their level.

4

th

TABLE: your future in Europe

We are enjoying Comenius, and for the future we have Erasmus in mind, we also want to keep studying English, and learn some other languages such as French, German, or even Chinese.

LIVING IN EUROPE

We are a little bit afraid of it, but we all would want to try. And if it goes well, who knows? Life can change, and we can end up living somewhere else.

Sharing what you know: cultural diversity is a very positive experience, you learn from other countries and you show your own country to the rest of Europe.

The European Union should

defend our interests in front of the whole world.

To keep in touch with Europe is important for us, because the Basque Country is not very well known in Europe. This way we will be able to show and share our culture.

But we do not know if joining Europe would be helpful for our country.

It may cause some cultures or languages to disappear.

For the year 2035, more countries will be part of the Union, and it may be stronger, as the aim of the European Union is to be all one.

OUR EUROPE/S. OUR PROSPECTS

Participants

I.E.S ANITURRI B.H.I. (AGURAIN) Amets Aguayo Markel Gómez Maite Molinuevo Itziar Uriarte I.E.S EKIALDEA B.H.I.(VITORIA GASTEIZ) Ikerne Acha Jone Iturrate Ane Estarrona Alberto Jiménez I.E.S UROLA IKASTOLA AZKOITIA AZPEITIA B.H.I.

Mikel Arenas Mikel Viles Aitor Arenas Ane Bereziartua I.E.S ANTIGUA-LUBERRI B.H.I.

(DONOSTIA) Gorka Gabilondo Simon Lopez Ane Mendia Miren Olasagasti I.E.S. BOTIKAZAR B.H.I. (BILBO) Daniel Fernández Ane Cortázar Pello López De Munain