Stories and best practices - Tempus Közalapítvány

"Mental health protection is the key to a smooth everyday life" Dreams are made come true in the Suburban Kindergarten

The work conducted at the Siklósi Street Member Kindergarten of the Kertvárosi Kindergarten of Pécs is exemplary among Erasmus+ projects in the field of school education. Their achievements show that it is possible to implement high-quality activities which generate positive changes even with kindergarten pupils. We talked to Project Coordinator Éva Schmidt about their quality award winning project.

Constant renewal is the key

The issue of innovation has been receiving special attention globally in the past few decades, and for twenty years it has also taken a prestigious position in education. Besides academic knowledge, this more and more rapidly changing environment also requires adequate technical knowledge, and therefore many Hungarian institutions are committed to supporting the professional renewal of their teaching staff. We discussed this innovative approach with Tibor Plánk, head of Hunfalvy János Bilingual Secondary Vocational School of Economy and Trade.

After gaining experiences abroad, they take their vocation even more seriously. The teachers and students of Krúdy visited six countries.

Krúdy Gyula Vocational Secondary School of Catering and Commerce of the Szeged Centre of Vocational Training has built its international relations for over 20 years. We have presented their outstanding achievements and good examples on several occasions. Their current, Erasmus+ Quality Award winning project has performed at outstanding standards in every aspect. They implemented a mobility programme covering six countries, allowing 4 students and 8 staff members to gain professional experience. According to Project Coordinator Annamária Komáromi, there is a strong team behind her, but maintaining high-quality work requires serious efforts from everyone.

Professional business mentors may save small and medium enterprises

What help can be provided to enterprises to make them successful in the long term? According to the experts of Budapest Business School (BGE), one such tool can be mentoring. Therefore, they spent three years focusing on the issue with the involvement of international partners, under the Erasmus+ programme.

Cleaning the communication channels Intersectoral training courses, so that

The ENCORE project of Qualitimpact Informal Group ENCORE ended as a real series of success. The project set the goal of improving intersectoral communication and increasing networking and dissemination capacities within the youth sector, to which they also offered practical communication techniques at their training courses. The participants learnt methods which they can use in the course of their work to solve existing problems through real solutions. I talked to the head of Qualitimpact, Norbert Hochstein.

Reparticipation – Young people think in terms of a community

Experiential training course series, an active dialogue between youth and local government decision-makers, a gap-filling volume on youth work... These were all included in the structured dialogue project implemented by the Federation of Children’s and Youth Councils (FCYMC) with the involvement of nearly 40 municipalities and 455 participants. The young participants learnt about the aspects of sustainable municipal development, assessed the needs of their own communities and launched a dialogue with local government decision-makers. Coordinator Barnabás Gulyás told us about the challenges, achievements and beauties of the ambitious project.

Share and Sing! - Experiential Learning by the Kodály Method

Years ago, a Hungarian, a Dutch and a Scottish music institutions decided to try and combine Kodály's principles with 21st century music pedagogy. This idea led to the birth of the strategic partnership project called Kodály HUB: Sing, Learn, Share, which was granted under the Erasmus+ Programme. Approaching the end of the project, the outcomes of the past period, as well as the plans for the future, are becoming clear. That was the focus of our conversation with Beáta Furka, Project Manager at Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music.

When developing a game is a game itself

What do you think when you see a group of young people sitting around a table with a board, pieces, cards and various obstacles on it? You must think they're playing. So do they. But appearances can be deceiving; they are in fact learning. Only in a much more entertaining way than what they're accustomed to.

There's a little chair, with three legs...

One of the legs is the parent, the second is the school, and the third one is society. Whichever falls out of the system or starts to wobble, the background system, the support behind the child will tumble, and the child will sooner or later drop out of school.

You can definitely motivate children to read

The Erasmus+ project called 'A Reading in English for Amusement and Dialogue in Europe (READ)' focused on the experiential learning of students aged between 14 and 17. However, as it quite frequently happens, the programme finally brought much more benefits than just reaching the original goals. We talked to Project Coordinator Ágnes Szabóné Jassó about the project of Arany János Primary School and Secondary Grammar School of Százhalombatta.

Every child can be developed - Lots of common experiences and close emotional bonds

Anyone who considers the issue of equal access to high-quality education important and is interested in how experiential education can work in practice should spend some time in Kállósemje in Nyírség. We talked to the founder and current leader of the Association for the Students and Youths of Kállósemje, Ica Józsefné Egri, about playful learning, projects and mission.

That's how street theatre educates

How does street theatre solve conflicts? How does it fight social inequalities effectively? How does it help us lift our gaze? I discussed these questions with Project Coordinator Géza Pintér, a practising street actor and researcher in theatre anthropology. He has worked with theatrical groups in various European countries, so he has experienced the special opportunities that street theatre can offer for adult education, too.

Supporting Reintegration into Society - in an International Partnership

Change-Lanes Foundation has been engaged in the reintegration of people involved in criminal prosecution for over fifteen years. In the Erasmus+ project coordinated by the Foundation has now summarised its key findings and best practices. The uniqueness of their methodology lies in the fact that it can be used in various other fields, such as by organisations working with deviant, disadvantaged, homeless or unemployed people, inasmuch as their goal is to support the reintegration of these people into society.

A partnership of generations for a more sensitive society

How long and to what extent may man take shape? How open is an adolescent and the adult guiding him or her when development, broadening one's view and acceptance are at stake? Well, the experiences gained in the Erasmus+ project implemented by KatHáz Public Benefit Nonprofit Ltd. definitely send out a positive message in the matter. The organisation is engaged in providing sensitising training courses to teachers within the project, which is not only supposed to reach the teachers, but through them, hundreds of students, too. The goal is to build a more tolerant society through a multigenerational partnership.

Environmentally conscious approach in responsible entrepreneurial attitude - A forum where the entrepreneurial and civil sectors meet

Committed professionals, who have set out to generate changes in the society and the environment in which we live. It's exciting, especially in the light of the fact that they work with young people, transferring as much knowledge and inspiration to them as possible. What else could be the goal than to enable young people, too, to consciously shape their present and future?

There are no fatal decisions, only missed opportunities

In 2009, Mirtill Megyeri spent her Erasmus semester in Scotland. Among others, it was due to the experiences she gained there that she became co-founder of a new generation job advertisement start-up, Zyntern.com. In 2018, she was selected for Forbes' 30/30 successful young Hungarians. Besides her Erasmus experiences, she also told us about the labour market situation of domestic and foreign placement, as well as how her experiences in the UK made her focus on HR.

Cultural Heritage Professionals Trained

The international Erasmus Mundus Master Courses, coordinated by Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) has won funding from the European Commission for the second time. This year, students from 13 countries applied for the international courses of cultural heritage studies. TEMA+ is among the official programmes of European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018. It’s not only the curriculum of the course that makes it a perfect fit, but also its many other additional events.

About Organic Farming for Everyone

The curriculum developed as part of the ECO-Motive project focused on the basics of ecological farming. It primarily sought to improve the employment rates of disadvantaged and poorly skilled people. The training material can be effectively used in the fields of vocational training and adult education, but it may also be interesting and useful for local governments and civil organisations.

CEEPUS SUMMER UNIVERSITIES

In summer 2017, two international summer universities were organised under the CEEPUS programme, in Budapest and in Pécs. Networks involved in the CEEPUS programme are eligible to organise courses. Most of the guest students and teachers come from Central Europe and the West Balkans to join their Hungarian peers at the summer university.

School Taken to Museum

The language teaching programme of the Museum of Fine Arts has been awarded with European Language Label. The programme seeks to develop children’s English skills through works of art. Currently under testing at schools, the curriculum performed well at the camps organised by the museum, and it has now been recognised by the European Commission.

Flipped Learning in VET

The development of technology has also brought about a change in students’ learning habits. Besides exploiting the new opportunities offered by technology in the classroom, a new methodological approach has also become necessary. Teachers’ role should be revised – we must accept that they are not the single source of knowledge that they used to be, but their role supporting the learning process is still indispensible.

Foreign Teacher’s Courses for Integrated Education

More and more children with special educational needs, requiring special care, are involved in the teaching-educating process of public educational institutions. The composition of students within schools is varied, and one of the most important parts of the inclusive educational methods applied within an institution is effective cooperation, for which teachers should be prepared, too. Recognised with a quality award, the Erasmus+ project conducted by the Mezőszél Street Primary School of Pécs addressed that issue. We asked Project Coordinator Szilvia Jutasi and Professional Coordinator Nikolett Lombosi about the details.

New Recipes and Quality Assurance Documents

The Hansági Ferenc Vocational School of the Vocational Training Centre of Szeged has offered opportunities of gaining experience abroad to its cook, waiter and pastry cook students for years. Due to their excellent programmes, as well as to the conscious and long-term planning of their projects, they have been recognised with a number of awards. They make use of the experiences gained throughout the years and continuously expand their application tool set, which won them the Erasmus+ Quality Award this year. We talked to Project Coordinator Klára Jancsikinné Smicskó Klára.

Self-coaching for youth workers – in a group context

Is it possible! The Erasmus+ youth project called ’Changemaker’ has done it. The individual development process mainly focused on the prevention of burnout and maintaining motivation – according to the participants’ needs. The project involved eight international partners working together to improve 21st century skills, to increase the quality of youth work and to promote young people's social engagement and entrepreneurial skills. We talked to Viktória Csákány, co-chairwoman of ‘Egyesek’ Youth Association, professional head of the quality award winning programme, about the

Quality Management – Using Technology to Ease Burdens on Teachers

Hungarian, British, Irish, Italian and Spanish VET institutions have put up the fight against the administrative burdens on teachers and for high-quality vocational education and training. How can you use technological advances in an Erasmus+ strategic partnership project seeking to develop training and a toolkit to support the quality assurance system? We asked Mária Hartyányi about the quality prize winner international partnership.

Children with Special Educational Needs Should Not Necessarily Take a Different Career Path

The Erasmus+ project coordinated by Hidden Treasures Down Association was closed with outcomes which even surprised the teachers. They held joint classes for healthy children and ones with disabilities and special educational needs in Hungary, Romania and Slovakia. They wanted to transmit the positive message of inclusive education to as many primary schools as possible to allow all those concerned to experience the opportunities of teaching based on inclusive education. They have been recognised with an Erasmus+ Quality Award for the development and practical testing of a methodological material which they developed with support from the EU. We talked to coordinator Károly Kisari.

Everybody Gets Their Turn in the Debate

What do you need to have a well-established opinion? How can you represent it? How can you achieve the ability not only to listen to, but also to understand the other party’s viewpoint and adapt it to your reasoning? The Waldorf School of Szeged and its three partners coordinated a two-year-long project together, and now they also have answers to the above questions. The Erasmus+ Quality Award winning project sought to improve students’ reading comprehension and verbal expression skills, but it also brought other benefits for the partner schools beyond the original goals. We talked to specialist coordinators Judit Gera and Ágnes Bató.

Building not only knowledge, but a community, too: Training session series for the development of community supported agriculture

Provide practice-oriented training to those who want to establish producers’ and consumers’ communities – that was the idea the excellent implementation of which won the Association of Conscious Consumers an Erasmus+ Quality Award. During the training which they had developed, both beginner and experienced farmers had a lot to learn, from the basics through community building to production know-how. Implemented in cooperation with foreign partners, word of the training series spread as far as Asia. Coordinator Zsófia Perényi told us about the results.

LAWrider – Human Rights as Interpreted by Youths

The knowledge of human rights is not an integral part of secondary school curriculum; that is what the participants of the LAWrider Erasmus+ international youth initiative wanted to change. Groups of young people from Hungary, Romania and Croatia used filming techniques to address the issue of human rights and produced ten short movies and the related lesson plan. They can be used in a secondary school environment to talk about the issue in a playful, and still informative manner. We asked Dóra Csóti-Gyapjas and Gábor Balla coordinators about the quality award winning project.

History at close quarters

Under the Europe for Citizens programme, the students of the Polytechnic of Economics Alternative Secondary Grammar School studied how civil society had contributed to the fall of dictatorship and the transition to democracy. Within the “Let’s Build a Democratic Europe Together” project, they examined the issue in five European countries: Hungary, Germany, Poland, Slovakia and Greece. Besides the programme events, the era was also presented through video interviews made by the students, as well as questionnaires and exhibitions. We asked Project Coordinator Adrienne Varga about the experiences.

Our Cultural Heritage Differently

The project called Reveal YouropEaN Cultural Heritage (ENriCH) was launched in autumn 2018 in a partnership of five countries. They have set an ambitious goal: they want to fill the term‚ ‘cultural heritage’ with a new meaning for youth. We asked programme coordinator Anna Knauer, colleague of the Strategic Department in the Municipality of Veszprém about how they plan to achieve that.

Beyond enviromental protection and EU issues: „Our primary goal was to get to know each other better!”

The project called Local Environmental Efforts in the Light of the EU’s Environmental Policy was implemented with the support of the Europe for Citizens Programme Town Twinning measure. Although the emphasis was on environmental protection, the project covered a number of other areas, too, from EU institutions through gastronomy to folk dance. I asked project coordinator Gabriella Borbásné Gazdag, International Relations Officer at the Municipality of Várpalota about the achievements and challenges of the project.

Choose life instead of prejudice!

Why do we still need to talk about the Holocaust?, many people ask, many times. The remembrance project of Szembenézés Alapítvány (Facing the Past for the Future Foundation) gives an answer to that question, which is both strong and different from former ones.

Anyone can contribute to resolving life-changing issues

“Even us, the Little Ones Count a Lot” - that is the motto of the latest international project of Kőszeg Town Twinning Association, implemented under the Europe for Citizens Programme. The EULOCAL initiative studied how small communities and nations can contribute to common achievements concerning issues of global significance. We asked Dr. István Mátrai, Chairman of the association about the project.

What can the past teach us?

How do we live together with the darker chapters of history today? Can we save future generations from the threats of wars and totalitarian regimes? What do we need to do to prevent xenophobia, intolerance and discrimination from gaining prevalence? These were the questions to which the international project called Scratched on a Cell Wall, implemented under the Europe for Citizens Programme, sought answers. The Hungarian coordinator, Klaudia Lippai told us about the project.

More than camping

Camping shared the same purpose: to be together and to communicate, to get in touch with and get to know each other. It’s just the same today – only now we can use more consciously the power inherent in international meetings for good purposes. We discussed that with the Head of Communications at the Municipality of Gödöllő in connection with their youth camp implemented under the Europe for Citizens Programme.

Experience from Real Life - Close Cooperation Required between Businesses and Education

In order to maintain competitiveness, both schools and businesses need close cooperation to integrate experiences in joint development projects. It is also among the areas which the Erasmus+ programme offers support to, and it is what the four organisations which now share their experiences relied on. Traineeship with Portuguese enterprises, teaching entrepreneurial lifestyle at university, training retailer mentors, innovation management. Four projects to link education with the world of labour.

Work-based Learing for Adults

A high-priority goal of the European Union is to make work-based learning one of the basic pillars of European VET systems. The labour market relevance of vocational education and training must be enhanced in order to prevent the lack of skilled labour from holding back economic growth.

Seeking to Bring Students Closer to Life - Vocational Guidance

Once we used to find our career paths more easily. Smart students went to secondary grammar school, whereas poorer learners chose secondary vocational school or vocational school. That was because both parents and teachers knew which vocations had a future and offered a chance to make a living. Today, the ever faster modernisation makes career planning considerably harder - so the need for guidance is even greater. That was one of the topics we discussed with Erika Kerekesné Lévai, Directress of the Tisztavasvár Member Institution of Magiszter Foundation Kindergarten, Primary School, Secondary Grammar School, Secondary Vocational School and Vocational School, Project Coordinator of an Erasmus+ project in career orientation.

Modern Era, Modern Methods in Teaching History

Seven countries (the UK, the Netherlands, Poland, Hungary, Italy, Spain and Slovenia) were involved in the Erasmus+ curriculum development project which targeted secondary school history teachers. The goal was to present to young people our common European culture and the features of our common history which connect us as European citizens.

Non-profit Organisations in Social Economy - University of Debrecen, Nyíregyháza

The CEEPUS network, coordinated by the Faculty of Healthcare, has organised a summer university for the first time, as part of its joint Masters programme 'Social Work and Social Economy (SOWOSEC), involving nine countries. Network Coordinator and course organiser Andrea Toldiné Bélteki told us about her experiences.

History of Mathematics and Mathematics Education - University of Miskolc, Miskolc

Coordinated by the Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, one of the most extensive CEEPUS networks has organised summer universities for years at various venues and related to various conferences. Associate Professor Dr. Péter Körtesi, the coordinator of the network and the organiser of this year's course, told us about the details of the programme.

The Challenges Facing the European Union - University of Pécs, Pécs

The summer university organised for the third time by the Faculty of Political Science and International Studies focused on, among others, the social and political impacts of migration, the BREXIT, multiculturalism and competitiveness. One of the organisers, Dr. Andrea Schmidt, Associate Professor with habilitation, sums up the lessons drawn.

Role model Barnabás Gulyás: "We want to give something back from what these programmes gave us."

You looked for opportunities to learn something 'extra' already as teenager. You studied social work, then mastered in Community and Civil Studies, and currently you a PhD student at the University of Pécs, but you never gave up further training, you own initiatives and volunteering, either. Since 2009, you've been the Chairman of the Federation of Children's and Youth Municipal Councils. You are driven by working for youth and communities, as well as by a need to renew. What has the Erasmus+ programme add to all that? We talked to Barnabás Gulyás.

Role model Katalin Erzsébet Tóth: "The fact that at the age of 55 I can feel enthusiasm over some innovation is mostly due to these projects"

You haven been in the profession for over thirty years. Besides teaching English, you regularly attend teacher training programmes. You write grant applications, think about your own projects, hold training sessions, write a blog, and most of the time you're busy implementing one of your grant-winning projects. How does a teacher benefit from all this? We asked Katalin Erzsébet Tóth, the 'happy teacher' of Kőrösi Csoma Sándor Primary School and Secondary Grammar School of the 18th District about this and the Erasmus+ projects.

Preparing for a More Independent Life

It's an important goal, both in the EU and Hungary, to provide care for people with disabilities in smaller homes, offering community-based accommodation, instead of large institutions. The project of KézenFogva Foundation sought to support the preparation for that by designing training courses and educational materials to make the transition as smooth as possible.

A Little Book for Big Ideas

The Foundation for Democratic Youth has compiled a handbook for developing young people's problem-solving and creative design skills. The publication was designed to support learning, and actual lessons plans were also prepared to help teachers integrate problem-based teaching into their classes.

Playful Learning with Mobile Devices

The digital educational material developed as part of the project coordinated by InterRegio Forum Association can be used both to help disadvantaged students catch up and for the talent management of gifted students. The teacher-controlled playful exercises inspire and motivate children at the same time.

What's Outside the Walls?

The project of Váltó-sáv Foundation produced intellectual products which can be of great help for organisations working with, for example, deviant young people and adults, unemployed people dropping out of the education system, refugees, homeless people or people with disabilities.

Learn to Ride a Bike at School Safe4Cycle – Bike Academy the European Way

Probably, many will have learnt from the media about the good news that in the autumn of 2018, 200,000 publications supporting vehicular cycling will be distributed among 4 and 5-graders in Hungary. But fewer might be aware that this publication was based on a Bike Academy workbook and instructor's manual, developed in an Erasmus+ public education project which was implemented by a partnership of four countries and coordinated by Vuelta Sports Association. We talked about the Safe4Cycle project with project coordinator Dóra Szűcs.

Everybody benefits from internship

The internship programme means experience for students, workforce for companies.

Coworking is the future

According to forecasts, within three years, freelancers, self-employed entrepreneurs and independent consultants will account for 40% of the labour force (Forbes). Designed to promote cooperation, coworking offices greatly help young people take the first steps in the world of work; they mostly choose this form of work because of the social capital and knowledge sharing it offers.

One Project, Three Layers: Film, Theatre, Puppetry - From a Strategic Partnership to a Joint Erasmus Mundus Master’s Course

In the past few years, several international higher education partnerships have been implemented under the Erasmus+ programme with the goal of developing innovative contents. They are called strategic partnerships, through which the partner institutions implement their innovative goals in various fields – such as the project of the University of Theatre and Film Arts.

Let’s Play Entrepreneur

Currently half-way complete, the Erasmus+ project – which was among the first winning applications for strategic partnerships between schools and kindergartens – is implemented through a partnership of Polish and Hungarian schools. The goal is to learn from each other and to adopt best practices. But how does a Hungarian school benefit from teaching something new to its Polish partners? We asked Tamás Szabó, Vice Principal of Móricz Zsigmond Calvinist Secondary School of Kisújszállás.

History at Close Quarters

Within the Europe for Citizens programme the students of Polytechnic of Economics Alternative Secondary Grammar School study how civil society contributed to the fall of dictatorship and the transition to democracy. In the project, called Let’s Build a Democratic Europe Together they examine the question in five European countries: Hungary, Germany, Poland, Slovakia and Greece. Besides the programme events, the era was also presented through video interviews made by the students, as well as questionnaires and exhibitions. We asked Adrienne Varga project coordinator about the experiences.

Europe is a Coherent, Living Whole

Through The Citizen’s Path in the Mirror of History project, six nongovernmental organisations from four countries launched a dialogue about the freedom and rights ensured by the European Union. Due to the crossgenerational programme, the younger generations have also become aware that we need to build and protect our common values. The outstandingly successful initiative has recently been recognised with an European award, awarded to NGO’s contributing to building democratic communities. We talked to project coordinator Kata Kádek, representative of the Hungarian partner, Regional Association for Hungarian Identity.

Social Enterprises for Sustainability

What’s a good programme like, where countries and towns cooperate with each other? It should focus on topics that are relevant and current for each participant, it should allow them to exchange good practices and it should also offer a potential for long-term partnerships. The Municipality of Gyula now attempts to build such a supporting network through its granted project, called Network for Successful Social Enterprises.

Freedoms in Focus

The programme series called EU3doms was held with the involvement of young people from Hévíz; the programme series was implemented under the Europe for Citizens programme, focusing on the four freedoms of the European Union. While the children learnt about their fundamental rights and the mechanism of the European Union, the adults involved in the project discussed serious issues concerning the free flow of capital, goods and services, as well as the free movement of persons. We asked József Kepli, Mayor of Hévíz about the programmes implemented.

Exchange of Experience with Music, Dance and Singing

950 years: that’s what Alsónémedi may be most proud of. That’s how long people have provenly lived here between the rivers Danube and Tisza, in one of the longest inhabited settlements of Pest County. Such a long-established settlement has a lot to say to its „neighbours”, and, due to the Europe for Citizens programme, the citizens of the town have had an opportunity to exchange experience with their twinned towns several times.

Solving Public Affairs Together - Students Preparing for Active Citizenship

The lack of a local hospital, the decreasing number of jobs available or alcohol and drug consumption among youth are not typically the issues left to secondary school students to solve; however, they, too, are interested in more serious issues, and if the appropriate circumstances are ensured, they gladly work on the solutions, as it turned out during the implementation of the Civil Courage project. Students from six countries were given an opportunity by Cikk (Article) Association to practice the cooperative techniques of managing public affairs. We asked specialist leader László Edényi about the project results.

More Than a Camp

The state in Hungary takes care of children whose parents are unable to do so for some reasons. It provides them accommodation, education, food and clothing. However, there is something it only has a limited supply of: love and caring. It has been a long-standing problem that when these children become ‘adults’ and get out of the social care system, they become perhaps even more helpless than before their years spent within the institution. They don’t know what to do with their lives or how to do it. That is where Csepp a Tengerben (Drop in the Sea) Foundation tries to help them – recently through the opportunities provided by the Europe for Citizens programme. We talked to Zsófia Restár, the Foundation’s volunteer and project manager.

Twinned Towns in Dialogue

Under the Europe for Citizens programme and as part of the measure town twinning, citizens from small Hungarian, Serbian, Romanian and Slovakian towns and villages held a meeting in Tompa in August 2017. The project, called Solidarity, Sovereignty and Future of Europe Post-Brexit involved nearly 270 participants. We asked László Véh, Mayor of Tompa about the event series.

Everyday Life Behind the Iron Curtain - As seen by the Millennial generation

Students from four Central-European countries revived the history of communism and socialism through making their own movies. The ‘Behind Iron Curtains’ project combined interactive learning and free creative work to encourage secondary school students to study closely an era which they had only known from the pages of history books. Project Leader Norbert Szári, researcher of the Committee of National Remembrance answered our questions about the project.

Focusing on the Future of the European Union

Republikon Foundation has already implemented a number of projects under the Europe for Citizens programme. Last time they addressed the issue of fighting against political extremes and Euroscepticism. The project was co-funded by the EU programme, and it focused on major issues affecting the EU through research, studies and discussions. On behalf of the Foundation, Dániel Mikecz told us about the project.

Joint Thinking in Eight Countries

The town of Békés is implementing its project under the Europe for Citizens programme in cooperation with its twinned towns and partner towns. They seek to present the opportunities and processes of the European Citizens’ Initiative to the citizens of the countries involved. The project, implemented with the involvement of ten partners, seeks to call the attention to the importance of active participation in European affairs.

They Got Involved in Sensitisation Unaware

“Equal opportunity is not about declaring that people are equal. We are diverse and different; we must give everyone the kind of help they need”, said Gergely Karácsony, Mayor of Zugló, at the opening ceremony of the event organised under the Europe for Citizens programme. In the project, professionals specialising in people with disabilities came to Zugló from four countries to exchange experience about the situation of education, the employment opportunities of people with disabilities and relevant EU programmes. These were the topics we discussed with Rita Andrasek, Head of Applications Department at the Mayor’s Office, Zugló, and Orsolya Kovács applications officer.

A Strong Commitment to Europe in 6 Acts

As part of the project called European Citizenship from a Local Perspective, the South Plains Regional Social Science Research Association (DARTKE) organised an international meeting in cooperation with the municipality of Szeged. The programmes organised between 18 October 2013 and 7 September 2014 were attended by, among others, Hungarian, German, Romanian and Serbian experts, who held conferences to discuss such EU issues as the free movement of persons and services, employment security, or what it means to be a European citizen. We asked Gábor Dániel Nagy, Chairman of DARTKE, about the project which involved five countries and cost € 145,000.

The Municipality of Újbuda Invited Active and Creative Elderly People from Seven Countries

An amateur arts exhibition, handicraft workshops, folk music performances and a professional conference were all parts of a four-day event series organised by the local government of Újbuda in March 2014, with over 150 visitors from Serbia, Poland, Croatia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Romania and Hungary.

THE MEETING IN TÚRKEVE ENHANCED THE EUROPEAN EXPERIENCE

The ‘Past-Present-Future’ project brought together twin town citizens in Túrkeve between 6 and 9 September 2013. The event commemorated the 205th anniversary of Túrkeve becoming a town. The programmes of ‘Town’s Day’, coupled with the twin towns’ meeting, were attended by 112 foreign guests from Porabka (Poland), Nagyszalonta (Romania) and Auchel (France). Besides the delegations from the foreign and Hungarian twin towns, the programmes attracted many visitors and volunteers from Túrkeve, as well. We asked Ildikó Nagyné Bedő, Head of Department at the Joint Municipal Office of Túrkeve and Judit Tereminé Hanász Senior Counsellor about the 15,000-euro project, the varied programme offered and the most important outcomes.

Preservation of Nature by Small Settlements

This summer, the ‘Four Generations for Europe’ European Picnic was held in Felsőnyék as part of the ‘Europe for Citizens’ programme, mobilising 180 citizens from 13 foreign municipalities. During the meeting, the participants mainly focused on environmental protection, sustainable development and the responsible use of new and renewable energy sources.

European Cooperation for a Rural Future

In June 2014, 780 citizens from five countries visited the event in Varsány called ‘5th anniversary meeting under the auspices of family farms – for the revival of self-sufficient farming’. The meeting focused on the exchange of experiences, since the majority of the participants had had considerable practice in the field of self-sufficient farming, which is of a particularly great significance in rural areas.

Students' Movies About the Holocaust - The Vitrine Project

Anthropolis Anthropoligical Public Benefit Association has introduced a new method, suitable for use in secondary school history education. The method of digital storytelling encourages students to use photos and objects to present their personal experiences and family stories in short movies which can be shared with others. Within the framework of the Vitrine project, shocking, astounding and thought-provoking works were created.

FAMILY IS THE CORNERSTONE OF EUROPEAN CITIZENSHIP

The three-day-long event series called St. Michael Day’s New Wine Festival has been organised each year for 22 years in Nemesnádudvar, Bács-Kiskun County, where locals can meet people coming from their German, Serbian and Slovakian twin towns. This year’s event, held between 26 and 28 September and financed by the Europe for Citizens programme, focused on the issue of family. We asked one of the project coordinators, Mátyásné Jaksütz about the experiences of the project and the twinned town relations.

Playful Attitude - Shaping Using Business Simulation

Maximulation Business Simulation Games Ltd. cooperated with secondary schools of economics from Tatabánya, Transylvania and Slovakia to develop a business simulation curriculum designed to help children prepare for managing enterprises themselves in a few years without being aware of it. Secondary school students can try making decisions in a constantly changing financial environment while playing company managers in a virtual space. We talked to the founder of the company, Managing Director Márton Boda.

Corporate Relations, Ongoing Assessment and Parental Satisfaction - The Criteria of Successful Professional Practice

Bornemissza Gergely Secondary Vocational School and Dormitory of the Eger Centre of Vocational Training is maintaining active relations with domestic as well as foreign chambers, businesses and school workshops. Also engaged in technical vocational education and training, the school seeks to meet labour market demands this way, too. Besides that, of course, they also keep an eye on the needs and goals of the students, the teachers, the management and the institution. Talking about the VET mobility project of 2015, we asked Project Coordinators Mária Fábiánné Kovács and Gabriella Dorkóné Liptai about the challenges that it presents.

VET to JOB - Sharing the Benefits with Others

Employees and employers should not only find, but also retain each other as long as possible – that was why the representatives of six countries met and talked for two years as part of the Erasmus+ project called ‘VET to JOB’. This time, the participants from Békés County told us about their experiences.

Kindergarten Teachers around the World

Romania, Latvia and England: the teachers of Szivárvány Kindergarten School of Perkáta took a good look around the world to see how children were educated some distance away from us. Besides their adventures, we also discussed how they could use the experience gained in the Erasmus+ programme here, in Hungary.

Employers don’t care about your qualification; they care about what you can do. - How does the competency matrix reflect that?

Hansági Ferenc Vocational School of the Szeged Centre of Vocational Training has offered opportunities to gain experience abroad for cook, waiter and pastry cook students for many years. Due to their excellent programmes, as well as the conscious and long-term planning of their projects, they won a Vocational Training Mobility Certification in 2009, which they successfully prolonged in 2016. In their work, they rely on the experiences gained throughout the years and continuously expand their application tool set. We talked to Project Coordinator Klára Smicskó Jancsikinné about quality development, the importance of learning outcomes and the tools of assessment.

NO HATE SPEECH MOVEMENT – Young People against Hate Speech

The international youth campaign initiated by the European Council set the goal of fighting online hate speech, sensitising young people to human rights and encouraging their active citizenship.

Mentoring Students on Internship - Tempus Business Café with Lego and Ericsson

Why and when should you ensure a professional mentor to students on internship? What skills and competences should a good mentor have? How can a whole company benefit from employee mentoring programmes? Among others, these were the issues we tackled with experts from Lego and Ericsson.

CEEPUS Minister’s Prize Awarded to Network with Hungarian Involvement Again

The partnership which has won the Minister’s Prize for the third time now, awarded to CEEPUS networks annually, has thus become the most recognised partnership of the programme. The network called ‘Teaching and Learning Bioanalysis’ also involved Hungarian universities. The Hungarian coordinators – Professor Dr. Ferenc Kilár (University of Pécs) and Associate Professor Dr. Attila Gáspár (University of Debrecen) told us about the secrets of the successful partnership.

From Launching a Business to Changing Generations

Instead of the ivory tower of science, the Budapest University of Economics (BGE) set the strategic goal of actively supporting businesses. When it comes to strengthening small and medium-sized enterprises and supporting succession within family businesses, the conscious integration of European resources also plays a key role.

School – Does it Prepare You for Life?

The relations between Zipernowsky Károly Technical Secondary School and its Austrian partner date back to 22 years ago. Both schools teach subjects of engineering and electronics. According to vice-principal and project coordinator, László Naszári, they could a quality award because they weren’t trying to adapt the goals of the Erasmus+ programme to some idea, but because the school’s goals met the principles of the Erasmus+ programme.

From a Bicultural School to an Intercultural Community

The work conducted at the International School of Budapest goes beyond the constraints of an Erasmus+ mobility project. It does not only seek to provide linguistic and methodological training to the teaching staff, but also to develop new syllabi by further harmonising the British and Hungarian curricula.

The Hungarian Faces of the Erasmus+ Programme

Whether people have improved their chances of finding a job, developed fresh perspectives on sustainable development, learnt a new language, gained a clearer idea of European citizenship, or found a new passion for volunteering: Erasmus+ has produced many success stories. The Erasmus Programme has been enriching lives for the past 30 years. It is not just a time in someone's existence, it is a turning point.

An online game or an agricultural enterprise? They forget to leave after class…

A Monopoly-like game has been developed under the Erasmus+ programme in order to help agricultural VET students become entrepreneurs.

Smart farming

Training session series for the development of community-supported agriculture

The key to the success of foreign placement: personalness and mutuality

An experiential presentation of institutional strategy, networking, utilisation plan and learning outcomes. And what do they mean in common VET practice? The experiences gained in the projects implemented by Krúdy Gyula Secondary Grammar School and Secondary Vocational School also shed light on that.

Summer universities in the Ceepus Programme

In summer 2016, five international summer universities were organised under the CEEPUS programme. The students and teachers, most of them from Central Europe and the Western Balkans, gathered in Budapest, Eger, Gödöllő, Pécs and Szeged, to join their Hungarian peers in courses addressing various areas.

They Bring Colour to Business

The Erasmus+ project launched by the Waldorf School of Szeged set the goal of improving students' entrepreneurial skills.

Erasmus+ might as well mean admission to Jamie Oliver’s restaurant

A former student of SÉF (CHEF) Vocational School of Veszprém, Ádám Dienes, is today Chef de Partie in Jamie Oliver's restaurant in Glasgow, and his experience gained in the Leonardo programme played and important part in his career.

Campus Mundi foreign internship

For curious and adventurous students

“Everybody Loves Belonging to an Intellectual Community”

The Hungarian founding member of the Phiren Amenca international network, RGDTS, has been operating for five years, coordinating the work of a number of volunteers all over Europe from Budapest. Its goal, however, is much more complex: it offers self-respect, civic engagement, European identity, and, in particular, a dialogue between Roma and non-Roma people. With grant support from the Europe for Citizens programme, the organisation has been given an opportunity now to assess, summarise and make available for others the experiences of its members. Coordinator Marietta Herfort told us about their activities.

Everyday Heroes: When Helping Is Not an Obligation but a Lifestyle

Although many have sounded the alarm, saying that today’s generation Y is irreversibly lost in the world of smartphones and game consoles, there is an organisation to show us a great counterexample. In the Be an Everyday Hero project, students learn in a playful way what it means to be a volunteer.

Effective Solutions to Young People’s Problems

The project implemented by For Cultural Life Non-profit Association, Nyíregyháza, focuses on solving problems which affect young people. Their goal is to identify the difficulties young local people face, to adapt foreign methods and to inform decision-makers about what should be done for a solution. We talked to Coordinator Gábor Dombóvári.

Society Can Help Without Regulations

According to the assessment of Claudia Piovano, Managing Director of Galileo Progetti Italian-Hungarian Non-Profit Ltd., their project implemented under the 'Europe for Citizens' programme made the young people involved aware of the meaning of historical differences, as well as the fact that the consequences of decisions made in the past are still with us. The most important result was the demonstration of the fact that remembrance is not about reliving the past but to help the future.

Arts for Tolerance

In a project implemented with support from the Europe for Citizens programme, the Local Government of the town of Nagyecsed focused on improving the self-knowledge, cultural heritage and integration of Roma communities. They tackled the issue through artistic activities implemented with their Romanian, Slovakian and Polish partners. We talked to Project Leader Szilvia Erősné Balog and Coordinator Zsuzsanna Ivánku about the project.

Developing Europe’s Future Together

This year, the town of Bácsalmás has held its traditional twin town meeting as part of the Europe for Citizens programme. The delegations from the twin towns shared their good practices in the fields of local economic development, the prevention of unemployment and public security at professional workshops. Coordinator Kinga Némethné Légrády told us about the project.

Exemplary Traineeship Programme Against Youth Unemployment

The town of Mórahalom implemented its project under the Europe for Citizens programme with the involvement of a number of twinned towns. Our most important goal was to develop and launch a joint traineeship programme which could set an example all over Europe, as traineeship is a widely accepted tool that facilitates the transition from the educational system to the world of work. Coordinator Zsolt Berta told us about the project.

People with Disabilities Can Become Part of the Community

“It was one of those outstanding occasions when we could set an example to other EU member states

Play Against Corruption - Opportunities of Integrating Non-Formal Learning in Formal Education

This Erasmus+ Strategic Partnerships project, implemented with the leadership of Transparency International Hungary, set the goal of developing a curriculum which seeks to test the knowledge of secondary school students through interactive tasks, games and a competition of short videos, and call their attention to the presence of corruption, as well as to its social and individual impacts.

Responsible Lifestyle

What foods we eat, how we spend our spare time, how much sport we – these are questions that matter to everyone; however, they really become vital when it comes to the young generations following us. Below, we will present projects which, besides developing intercultural competences, laid great emphasis on educating responsible thinking and conscious, active citizenship.

Creating the conditions for renewable energy training and education through a civil initiative - in order to support a complex regional development strategy

The Vox Vallis Development Association created a rural development programme which can equally manage local economic, social and environmental problems, and can be financed from the Structural Funds. The missing link to the operational system was developing innovative training.

What makes a good literary translator? - A framework for European literary translator training

Launched in 2014, the Petra-E project seeks to develop a framework of reference to help the theoretical and practical training of literary translators. The tool to be developed can be compared to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, which focuses on learning foreign languages; it describes specific knowledge and skills which a good literary translator should gradually master at various levels. Such are, besides proficiency in the source and target languages, the knowledge of the literature and culture of the given languages or an ability to transfer different styles.

Competing for the future - An insight into the international projects of the University of Pannonia and Budapest Business School

It is common knowledge that competition enhances performance and creativity. But how can you exert social impact through competition? What happens when students of a higher education institution are asked to find a solution to the problem of a company in a competitive situation? Last year, a number of projects which set the goal of exchanging good practices or developing innovative contents were implemented in international partnerships under the Erasmus+ programme. These are so-called strategic partnerships. We will rely on a winning project, coordinated by Hungarian and Spanish partners, to present how to use the method of competition innovatively, as well as the results that can be thus achieved.

Sustainable Agriculture - An Erasmus Mundus Joint Programme at the University of Debrecen

Run for over 10 years now, the Erasmus Mundus programme supports gap-filling international master’s programmes. Hungarian higher education institutions, too, have significant achievements in this excellence programme run by the EU. The Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences and Environmental Management at the University of Debrecen has been involved in a joint programme, even internationally recognised as innovative, since 2011. We asked Prof. Dr. László Babinszky, coordinator of the European Master in Sustainable Animal Nutrition and Feeding – Erasmus Mundus (EM-SANF) programme, about his experiences and the results of the partnership.

Making animations in the classroom - The AnimClass Leonardo project

With this method, students process various parts of the curriculum through animation making processes, that is, they create a short movie to present certain curricular topics. Its greatest strength is that students use more of their senses during the learning process, and therefore find it more exciting than traditional methods.

Learning teachers - The impact of project-based international partnerships on the professional development of teachers

The professional experiences teachers gained during international cooperation projects should become part of the school’s everyday life. How does it look like from the point of view of school leaders?

Work-based learning and supporting apprenticeship

Hotel industry technician training, launched as a result of the project called Second Chance in Hospitality, is a good example for cooperation between the training institution and the employer. Apprenticeship, well-established in Germany, improves the employment chances of unemployed youth particularly effectively; that was the reason why the practice-oriented training of hotel industry technicians was adopted, seeking to satisfy the actual market needs arising within the hotel industry by training professionals who can be deployed in a number of areas.

From newspaper-reading to the Chief Editors seat

The Chief Editor of the Hungarian edition of Forbes Magazine used to be an Erasmus student in Germany. Márton Galambos had applied because of a girl; during his one-year stay, however, he personally experienced the immense significance of Erasmus in terms of personality development and language learning.

Comenius Coordinators Club: You Are Not Alone

Many of you who coordinate projects at your schools must be familiar with the feeling that you could do with a little external help in how to find cheap but suitable accommodation abroad, where to print your project products in good but affordable quality, who to turn to at a local museum, for example, if you want to take your visiting project partners there for a visit. In Debrecen, a free-to-copy solution was conceived: they founded a local Comenius Coordinators’ Club.

Foreign students study Hungarian in Pécs using a programme awarded by European Language Label

A French and a Japanese girl are talking in a dim room. In Hungarian. The former with a strange but interesting feel to it, the other with some difficulty but smiling enthusiastically. Meanwhile, ‘Somloi galuska’ and ‘langosh’ are disappearing from the table. We visited one of the evening programmes of the Hungarian Language and Culture Summer University, winner of the European Language Label in 2013.

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