European Union Programmes for students

Erasmus+ iGo Eco  Respect and Care about the Earth (2021-2023)

The main goal of the project is to increase students’ awareness of existing man-made environmental problems that have negative long-term effects on our planet. We want the project participants to become active and responsible citizens who will respect and care for their planet earth. The topics we will address are air pollution, global warming and renewable energy sources, littering and recycling, water contamination and scarcity, as well as creating environmental campaigns and rules for being ‘eco’.

Project website: https://eco-race.eu/wp/

Erasmus+ Women Power – raising awareness (2020-2023)

Gender inequality remains a major problem of the European Union despite efforts at European level. The causes are different: edducation, which places the woman in a position to be subject to the will and power of the man; education recieved in childhood and stereotypical thinking (little girls have to play with dolls and boys with cars); distorted views of politicians, who support the inferiority of women; stereotypes such as “nice/weak sex” and “strong sex.” The effects of these factual states are: the acceptance by women of low standards generated by false value systems; acceptance of social / financial dependance on men; low self-esteem, lack of confidence in their own strenghts, acceptance of humble condition, respecting the roles that men pre-establish – careers, carriers, housewives. Although the situation seems to have improved in recent years, at least at the surface level, we are still witnessing a wide variety of forms of discrimination and abuse against women.

Project website: https://women-power.mzf.cz/

Erasmus + in Lithuania (December 2019) by Julia Bartosiewicz

LITHUANIAN TRAVEL
How did our trip to Lithuania under the Erasmus+ go?

At the beginning of December we went to Lithuania with an English language and history teacher. The trip took us 6 hours by two planes and two buses from Katowice to Niemecine. We lived there for 6 days and returned to Tychy on Saturday evening, but before we returned, we visited places important for Lithuanians and tasted their traditional dishes. During the whole trip we met new people from Greece, Portugal and Romania. We spent a lot of time with our Lithuanian friends, whom we met during the second Erasmus+ meeting in Poland. Our journey started on December 1 at 17:00, when the plane landed in Vilnius. We spent the afternoon with the Lithuanian family. On the first day of Erasmus+ we stopped in Konstantin Parchevsky’s Gymnasium in Niemencine and watched many films that other students made especially for this meeting. The second and best day was Thursday. We visited Trakai castle. There was a wonderful view. We saw a huge castle and took a lot of group photos there. When we finished the tour, we had a chance to make our private money. After lunch we went to the mall, where we bought some presents for our families and friends. For a few days we visited Vilnius, what’s more, we ate their traditional dishes, for example “Cepeliny”, which were so similar to our “Kluski Śląskie”, but they put chicken inside and we minced meat. The last day was a summary of the whole week and the whole task that we were supposed to do this week. After completing the tasks we learned about the business and how we can create our next undertakings. We took part in a Christmas fair for the “Weather” Foundation. Summing up, the whole week was an amazing time to practice English and spend it with friends.

If you want to experience something new and exciting, join the Erasmus+ project.

Erasmus + in Portugal (September 2019) by Maria Okoń and Iga Matras

Portugal is a beautiful place. Storied cities, sun-washed beaches, friendly locals. Everything is illuminated in this country. Everyone loves amazing views, and Portugal offers a variety of viewpoints where we can enjoy the beautiful scenery that the country has. When we were getting on the plane in Krakow we knew that our destination is Sao Bras nearby Faro, one of Portugal’s largest cities. We were really excited.

As a general rule, Portuguese are very nice and easy-going people. Our hosts tried hard to make us feel at home and they succeeded. During this exchange we made friends with many Portuguese people but we were bonding with Lithuanians and people from other countries as well. Every Polish student expanded his or hers English skills and broaden their horizons.

Portuguese cuisine was really surprising to us because it uses many flavors which we aren’t used to. From crispy sardines to rice with carrots and fish which has very interesting flavour. Known for its wealth of seafood, spices and olive oil, Portuguese cuisine relies heavily on the Atlantic Ocean and the produce grown throughout the country. The traditional codfish that we tried was for us really weird. They say that there are 1001 ways of preparing codfish in Portugal and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was true.  Also you will never find a better value-for-money relation for coffee in Europe. Great quality espresso costs here around 1 EUR.

The Ocean doesn’t only mean fish but also beautiful views. Mesmerizing blue water in contrast with rocky cliffs is something memorable. A small detail that makes all the difference – sunsets. Luckily Portugal has the majority of its coastline and beaches facing west, which happens to be the orientation the sun sets every day.

The architecture is very different in Portugal. There are no blocks of flats that we are so used to. The buildings normally have light-colored walls and even a large area of the streets has light marble. Many houses have patterned azulejo tiles on the facades. Another thing is that cobblestone is everywhere! This is the type of mosaic floors that form the major cities in Portugal… So walking around Portugal is literally walking on art. They are used not only on houses but also inside of the churches where they create beautiful scenes.

Another great tradition is fado. We had the opportunity to hear a few songs in the small church and the ambiance was amazing. Fado made all of us emotional. It is probably the most melancholic and emotional music we’ve ever heard. Even if you don’t understand a word, it has the power to make you agitated. No wonder that the tradition of fado is on the UNESCO list.

Almost everywhere were trees full of pomegranates and oranges and surprisingly many were left without care. Nobody was picking the fruits.

Erasmus + ‘Incubator for Future European Entrepreneurs’ in Kruczek March 2019

There are schools all over the world which take part in ‘Erasmus + Project’. I am really grateful that ‘Kruczek’ also participates in it and gives us an amazing chance to take part in international exchanges. It is a great opportunity to broaden our horizons in the area of knowledge about different customs and traditions. What is more, we can practice and improve our language skills – which are crucial in the modern world.

From 18th to 22nd of March we were hosting our guests from Portugal, Lithuania, Greece and Romania within the framework of an ‘Erasmus + Incubator for Future European Entrepreneurs Programme’. On the first day our foreign friends had a chance to verify their knowledge about Poland in a quiz which was made by Polish students. After this competition there was a lunch break and we took our guests round the school.  Then they went to the hosts’ homes to get ready for an international evening – event which is organized every exchange to get to know more about countries and traditions. It includes tasting traditional food, learning about customs and the most entertaining part of the event – local dances performed by students from other countries. On Tuesday we participated in very interesting workshops about volunteering and entrepreneurship. On the third day we went to one of the most beautiful Polish cities and, as far as I am concerned, in Europe too – to Kraków. We were sightseeing the city in a really interesting way – we played a location based game. We ate tasty dinner and after that we had about 2 hours of free time. We came back home very tired but everyone was delighted by the beauty of this famous Polish city. On Thursday we had a chance to meet an entrepreneur from Hilton Foods company, watch his presentation and listen to what he was saying about the functioning of a big company. He gave us some really useful tips how to start a business and how to behave properly during the job interview so we can maximize our chances to be successful. The same day we went to Oświęcim to a concentration camp – Auschwitz-Birkenau. We believe that being history conscious is crucial if we want to understand one another. The last day was probably the most exciting for us, because we went to visit ‘Guido’ mine in Zabrze. We went down about 320 meters, what was interesting we were about 200 meters under the sea level because the mine is situated on a hill. After this fascinating experience we went back to school and took part in the official ending ceremony of the exchange. It was really sad because the time we spent with our guests was probably the best I had ever had. To sum up, although the week which we spent with our international guests was really intensive because of the trips and all the preparations, it was magnificent. The knowledge we acquired during the exchange and all the memories that will remain in our hearts for a very long time are priceless. A lot of us made friends and we hope we will stay in touch for years.

 

Erasmus + ‘’EU 4U’’ in KRUCZEK  November 2018

On 4-10 December Kruczek’s students were happy to welcome guests from Greece, Romania and Germany a part of the Erasmus+ project called: ‘’EU 4 U – Electing, living and working as a young person in today’s Europe and in the future”. During the meeting participants got to know  European Parliament’s secrets by taking part in a meeting with people who are connected to it or work there. Students had to create some projects, too. Through their involvement and commitment pupils realised the importance of election to the EU Parliament in May next year. Except for learning they had time to have fun and to get to know other cultures. During an International Evening there were a lot of delicious meals from each country. Participants also could discover beautiful national dances and have some fun together. The guests had a chance to get to know Tychy and Katowice along with beautiful premises of NOSPR and Silesian Museum. During the city game we also got to know the monuments of Cracow. Guests had a chance to get familiar with our history by participating in a concert on the occasion of the Independence Day and by visiting Auschwitz – Birkenau. This time was fulfilling for all participants. Many friendships were made and many memories remain. The next meeting will take part on the beautiful Greek island – Sfinos. ?

Erasmus + in Romania

Seven students from our school together with Ms. Margaret Pawlik-Pszczółka and Ms. Anita Dziewulska visited Romania on 11-17 March 2018.

Project Moving Minds through Movies, in which students from Turkey, Romania, Italy, Lithuania and Poland participated, was linked to a movie, a script, a montage, etc. Classes with experts of cinema, visit in the studio, common international work enabled us to make a movie, which have received significant interest.

Youth visited also the most beautiful places in Romania: Sinaia in Carpathians, Brasov, castles in Peles and Bran in Transylvania (the last one is famous as premises of Dracula). We made a lot of new friends and we hope that friendship will survive the test of time.

Erasmus + in Italy

On 7 – 13 May 2017 pupils and teachers from our school took part in an exchange as part of Erasmus + Project: ”Moving Minds through Movies”. Ola Stasica, Sylwia Złotecka, Karolina Gola, Karolina Lemańczyk, Lilka Marszołek and Karolina Soja together with teachers – Mrs. Agnieszka Gemborys, Mrs. Agnieszka Koszyk and Mrs. Jolanta Kaczkowska spent unforgettable moments in a gorgeous city Vasto in Italy. Apart from visiting Rome, Naples and other tourist attractions, participants of the project were exploring secrets of the film productions. Our film “Help”, which we took with us to Italy, raised a problem of domestic violence. The movie was well received by everybody (check it –  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5wN9TSg65w&feature=youtu.be)

In Vasto pupils took part in classes, which resulted in four short movies raising awareness of various social problems. Cooperation and after school activities helped us to get to know each other better. It was a wonderful time…

Erasmus + Moving Minds Through Movies (2016-2018)

Project website: https://www.facebook.com/p/Erasmus-Moving-Minds-through-Movies-100068257080340/?paipv=0&eav=Afb9FLvpZBvCNdHxaMpouYmPyiISC6xmM5FmBT9UYeJSuLEVzDEEZOjF8wbc854iTUw&_rdr