"MY COUNTRY IN OUR EUROPE"

 Gateway   Links  Gallery

I. Aim of the project:

• To raise the interest of children and youth to geography as a window to other countries, lands and people.
• To enlarge their knowledge about Europe - it's countries and people; the multitude of nationalities and ethnicity groups; natural wonders and resourses ; economic and cultural development; historical monuments; the unique traditions, parallel to the Europe-wide respected festivities;

• To encourage children in finding out about their local natural and cultural treasuries, and making them known to other young people in Europe.
• To gain the support and cooperation of local and regional educational and scientific institutions; media; commersial and tourist agencies, NGOs ; businessmen and other interested individuals for scientific, methodological and financial aid in favour of the research and presentation activities of European children and youth.
• To organize competitions and international meetings of most siccessful competitors.
• To provide for the accomplishment of international trips and scientific excursions for reagional and national competition winners.
• To build and support an On line Magazine informing about project proceedings, for the entire project duration
• To publish a picture geography catalogue "My country in our Europe" where material gathered from all participating countries will be exposed.

II. Expected results:

• Enlarging children's awareness about their European neighborhood, improving their understanding and acceptance of the variety of nationalities and ethnicities, broadening their knowledge of other countries' natural phenomena and resources, their economic and social development, historical and cultural monuments, unique festivities and traditions, great personalities, making their nations famous througs their creations and inventions, etc…
• Stimulation of national and regional selfawareness of participating children, on the basis of awakening and supporting their interest in local/regional/national/ research, and their desire to present their findings to other friends form the European Community
• Stimulation of the children's interest to communicate between each other, sharing information about their countries and people through the means of mail and Internet correspondence, as well as exchanges of visits.

• Opening and maintaining a new niche in Media space for children and youth, other than "pop" culture, that could be filled in with exciting information about nature, people and lifestyles in different European countries.
• Organization and popularization of geography-related regional, national and transnational competitions, exchange of visits and conference meetings.

III. Partners:

1. COORDINATOR: NGO "Child's Friend" - Bulgaria,

2 . Education institutions and individuals from different European countries /at least 2 of them - members of the EU/.
 
 

IV. Target Group:

School children from all European countries.
 
 

V. Featured Activities:

1. Preparatory:

• Initiating a center for project organization.
• Spreading information about project's aims.
• Looking for partners
• Outworking the schedule of events and activities.

• Advertizing the goals of the project to a broad audience in the education world.
• Keeping partners informed on recent activities and new ideas.
• Building the framework of the project Web Site /and gradual filling up with information/ of the On line Magazine.
• Gathering and evaluating materials sent from children and classes.
• Organisation and implementation of regional, national and transnational geography competitions.
• International meetings of winner competitors.
• Publishing and distributing of the pictuge geography catallogue "My Country In Our Europe" exhibiting the best material gathered from different countries.

1. /20.02.2001 - 20.08.2001 / Preparatory activities.
2. /20.08.2001 - 20.11.2001/ Start of project activities. 20.11.2001 - 1st TV competition.
3. /20.11.2001 - 20.08.2004/ Essential activities according to schedule.

VII. Evaluation of results:

• All interested institutions, groups and individuals can find information on project events and results in the different phases of it's duration from the Project WEB SITE.
• Detailed information about the concrete results achieved by different participants will be available in audio and video recordings, as well as press articles and media programmes, written and recorded interviews with different participants and members of the international juries.

The final display of results will find place in the Geography Picture Journal "My Country in Our Europe".

 Gateway   Links  Gallery