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searching for unity in Diversity

In the summer of 2012, 23 students and 14 teachers from Turkey, Spain, Italy, and
Germany visited Liepaja City Upper Secondary School No. 5 in Latvia as part of

the Comenius multilateral partnership project “European Vision of the Teens – Get
Ready for the Future”. Similar project meetings have been held in Turkey, Spain,
Germany, and Italy.

before each meeting, the students had pre- participated enthusiastically throughout the
pared special homework. the student teams meeting in liepaja. the meetings and the two
presented their countries as well as a common years of project activities have had far-reaching
occupation and an ancient but still popular significance. Our students remain in contact
profession in their country. they debated with project friends in the partner countries.
about how young people spend their free time they communicate in social networks and visit
and how hobbies help or interfere with the each other. teachers involved in the project are
choice of one’s future profession; they dis- still sharing their experiences. young people
cussed positive and negative trends in young have said that the events that take place in the
people’s habits and searched for solutions to home country of friends are no longer per-
problems. at the last project meeting, the joint ceived from a distance; this is one of the major
work on the brochure “tOp 10 professions in benefits of the project,” reflects inta Kornejeva.
each country”, introducing training opportuni-
ties, was presented. “there are more than 300 students in our high
school, so we also carried out a survey on
“for me, the school principal, and the school the possible future profession and criteria for
team there has always been the desire to con- choices. young people were interested to learn
tinue learning and also offer broader educa- that the future visions of youths in other coun-
tional opportunities to our students. the meet- tries tend to be different from the ones their
ing in liepaja was a precious experience for peers in other countries have. this was a basis
the young people involved in the project, and for further analysis and discussions. Our school
no less important is the fact that more than 20 has a career consultant, and i know that the
students could go abroad. the students had materials created in the project are still being
the opportunity to get to know other young used in discussions with young people about
people’s daily lives, improve their knowledge the importance of continuing training, the
of foreign languages, learn new ways of choice of a profession and finding your place
communicating, live in host families and get to in the job market,” says the project coordinator.
know so many traditions and cultures, which
helps learn tolerance and accept differences,” “During the project, i changed my views about
says inta Kornejeva, the project coordinator important issues, such as education and the
and liepaja city school no. 5 director. role of traditions in a person’s life. furthermore,
i revised my continuing education path and
far-reacHing significance choice of profession,” says project member
“We were very interested in exploring the andrejs. sintija in turn reveals: “people think
turkish, German, spanish, and italian experi- about the future, challenges, and develop-
ences, so we were not surprised that the ment opportunities every day. a real barrier to
young people from these countries also opportunities of communication may be the

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