Summary of the project

The project is a journey of discovery during which students will explore the diverse cultural roots of both their own and the partner's environment, via the medium of the arts. As part of this process, students will improve their self confidence, public speaking and expression skills in English. The basic elements of the project are:

•  The students in both schools will investigate the diverse historical and contemporary influences on the arts in their own city.
• Both schools have significant immigrant populations and this investigation will also include the influence of artistic features from the students' countries of origin.
• Students will select the most interesting influences. 
• During the mobility, both groups of students will present their discoveries, using English.
• Each visit will culminate in the production of an artistic collaboration on the basis of the influences investigated.
• As a result of the project, students will become aware that art is the product of diverse influences which reflect their society and that of their ancestors. Also that despite the distance and differences between the schools, they have cultural elements which unite them.
• In both schools, students returning from the visit will give presentations, in English, to other students and members of the school community to share their experience as widely as possible.

Our project is much more than a simple comparison of the arts in two cities. It is directed at broadening students´ cultural awareness and the understanding of their rich and diverse cultural heritage, which in turn can undermine a narrow outlook on the world so they see differences as positive.

Combined with this powerful cultural discovery, we feel that teaching students how to speak in public and present their ideas clearly will have an obvious positive influence on their foreign language studies and personal confidence.