Date: 15/10/ 2017 – 21/10/2017
Hosting school: Istanbul Lisesi, Istanbul (Turkey)
From 15 to 21 October 2017 the Second Transnational Meeting of partners working at the project 2016-1-AT01-KA219-016660 “Journeys of hope: Educational pathways to social inclusion and tolerance” has taken place at Istanbul Lisesi in Istanbul, Turkey.
On the first day of the second meeting the participants carried out an analysis of the development of activities and of the products made during the first project year. The abovementioned analysis carried out has shown that the project impact – considering that it deals with a subject of a current and high European relevance – at local, regional, national, European and international level was very high. In this regard, it should be mentioned that the project was nominated in the framework of the 2017 European State Prize of the Federal Republic of Austria. The award of the European Prize recognizes the extraordinary commitment of citizens as well as organizations for the promotion of European awareness and understanding of Europe.
On the second day the topic on which partners focused was the assignment of tasks and responsibilities as well as the evaluation of the timeline and destinations.
Wednesday was the day for excursions and visits to the most important historical sites and monuments of the area, such as Topkapi Palace, St. Hagia Museum and the Blue Mosque. A tour of Bosphorus concluded the wonderful and interesting day.
On the fourth day all partners checked the current situation of their own budget verifying all the costs not only by receipts and invoices but also structuring them according to the application and to the provided Mobility Tool Platform. Risk management and dissemination activities for the second project year have been discussed. The introduction and use of the innovative mobile application C4You Digital Marketing has been specially highlighted. This application allows sending all project information through short messages directly on smartphones / tablets of students, parents, teachers and interest stakeholders/persons.
In the evening a dissemination event organised by Istanbul Lisesi and involving foreign partners as well as teachers, students, parents, stakeholders and the local press took place in the auditorium of the school. It was a great opportunity to present all the activities carried out during the first year and their relevant outcomes and products.
On Friday the meeting protocol was drawn up and signed by all local coordinators and all paperwork requested in compliance with the Erasmus+ regulations were done.
On the last day partners left enriched with new knowledge, skills and competences, but especially aware of the importance of working in teams composed of representatives from different countries because the meeting of cultures is more important and produces better results than studying for years and contributes to the creation of true human relationships and alternative practices in an environment in which fight, discrimination, intolerance and racism are unfortunately developing. To this regard it is important to highlight that the Turkish team welcomed the partners in a warm and friendly way, showing competence in the organisation and a great sense of cooperation, making everyone feel at home and at the same time allowing a real intercultural exchange of good practice.
