OPEN MIND SKILLFUL HANDS

The aim of Italian mobility was to provide participants with opportunities for artistic and emotional expression as well as empowerment of social, civic and intercultural competences. During the opening ceremony both hosts and guests presented their national dances and danced together. Younger students prepared for the guests short performances and made for them handmade gifts.Participants worked and played in international teams. They had a chance to learn how salt was as was salt extracted from sea water, which tools and machines were used in the past and find out that this way cans still be used in our times to get the salt of a very good quality. They had an educational visit to island of Mothia to visit the local museum and urban remains of the old city. Mothia was also a place of our Project picnic with local food, traditional music and good fun.

They learnt some practical skills-making ornaments from recycled materials and coral waste during the workshop in the coral museum in Trapani. They were getting to know making process of local drinks. During the school cooking workshop they made Martorana fruit. In artistic and cultural workshops they could present their creativity doing model of Triscale and getting to know some Sicilian and Italian words and typical song. They also had a workshop on extemporaneous painting.

The important part of the mobility was time which students could spend in families. 2 evenings were intended for the integration of participants during activities and attractions prepared by Italian families. This allowed us to make new, closer acquaintances, learn about everyday life and customs in an Italian home, ways of spending free time, and try Italian delicacies. At that time teachers involved in the project could focus on project matters, paying special attention to its final stage- the last activities, project products and results, their dissemination.

Both teachers and all project students took part in the meeting with local authorities in the town hall of Marsala. They participated in guided tour in Marsala and Erice. In the historic centre of Marsala they were having a City Quest in mixed international groups. All participants got certificates at the final ceremony.

Participants developed their personal, interpersonal, social, civic and intercultural competences, They learnt the need to empathize, show tolerance, communicate in various environments, negotiation, expressing and understanding different viewpoints, cooperative skills, assertiveness and integrity.

They learnt some basic facts of European history and the importance of getting involved in action public and respect for the rights of every human being. They became aware of the cultural diversity of Europe, the differences in value systems of different religions and groups ethnic.

On the base of examples from the life of the local community and through direct contact with people from other countries who represent different cultures participants had the opportunity to observe the importance of cooperation, respect for other people, entrepreneurship and openness to others. They developed their cognitive curiosity, creativity and personal culture, willingness to take initiatives and to teamwork.

They developed:

-creativity

- conceptual thinking - classifying, organizing and generalizing the obtained information

-exchange of experiences between participants

-artistic and cultural expression

-tolerance and openness towards other cultures

- attitude to learning, developing curiosity in getting to know the surrounding world

-communication in English

-application of good practices observed in other participants at the individual and institutional level