Comenius Projects are part of Lifelong Learning (LLP) programs of European Union for Preschools, Elementary and Secondary Schools.
Comenius 1 is for school partnerships.You share your project ideas and plans with other schools of EU in order to find at least 2 or 3 partner schools to carry out the project which will last 2 years. Preparation period is almost a year.Your National Agency will provide you financial support if you are the coordinator school and if you are a partner school of the project.The fund they give is based upon the type of your project and the number of mobilities. The rules and principles may vary in 3 years' time period in general so you should follow the updated news at www.ua.gov.tr ( or your "national agency" website address) if you are a Turkish partner. Although Turkey is not a member of EU, its partnership was accepted in 2004.
The main objective is to improve the quality of education. Partner Schools learn a lot from each other in terms of modern techniques of teaching and learning, language and cultural differences, being tolerating and moreover, getting pleasure of diversity.
I have had the opportunity of participating in a lot of Comenius Projects since 2004.Your "letter of invitation" to the partnership of your project or to be a partner of a school's project are the first but hardest steps of this event.
In other words, you have to find a school seeking a partner for their project or you prepare a project subject and present it to look for partner schools.
So your conditions, project theme, target age group, but on top of all, your "word power" are the crucial points to find an appropriate partner school or schools ."Word power" here is your capability of persuasion. It is getting harder and harder to find a partner or coordinator school each year.
At the beginning of my work in 2004 before we were accepted, a group from Denmark came to the private school which I was working for those times and wanted me to be their partner for their Language Project. And wondered if our students were able to do this project in English.I was studying with a group of students to participate in Harvard Model United Nations so I called a few of them immediately and wanted them to see by themselves by making conversations with them .They liked them and told me as we weren't a member of EU we were supposed to wait and gave me their card and went away. A short time after this event I saw Turkey at the end of list of eligible countries who can participate in Comenius projects and madly I looked for the card they gave me.
Oh my Gosh! I couldn't find it. I was so desperate but they sent me an email to give the good news right away. Imagine: they offered me this partnership.They thought Turkey was an interesting country to learn about.
Later in 2007, so many amendments were made. I remember I was writing 30 or more mails to find a partner for my school. I also sent a project plan to draw the attention of candidate partners.
This went on for a long time, no sooner had I lost my hope than I got an offer from the UK.
What I am trying to say is it was easier to find a partner in the beginning, but now it is terribly difficult. However, if you start a job or project ,"consider it done".To start a job means half of it is over. As an experienced project coordinator at different schools, I can say that mobility Comenius Projects really play a very important role to maintain good human relations by raising awareness to be respectful for diversity of all kinds through crosscultural activities. I think I am one of the lucky people who have lived this experience many times.Thanks a lot for all my partner schools in Norway, the UK and Wales, Denmark , France, Germany, Hungary, Bulgaria, Lithuenia and so on.Thank you, my National Agency for giving us this wonderful opportunity.And thanks my project group of students, their parents, teachers and admins.
These are the photos taken in Wales '09 while the students were trying to study life in the ponds.They totally focused on their research. They didn't even notice the cam.
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