Austria Meets Belarus

Translation was a key first step in this project, as various learning documents needed to be translated from German into Russian - and vice versa. The head of the project (who is affiliated with the ICPRC) held meetings with English teachers to devise strategies for integrating that language into the process/exchange, as well. The European Language Portfolio was integral here. The portfolio contains a language passport which its owner regularly updates; the idea is that those who are learning or have learned a language - whether at school or outside school - can record and reflect on their language learning and cultural experiences.

Once language issues were worked out, students from each of the participating schools (two in Austria, and one in Belarus) drafted questionnaires for their counterparts. These questionnaires explored such issues as school and community characteristics. Students then undertook "field work" to answer the questions; for instance, "Gymnasium N4 worked with interest on the answers for the Austrian students, attending the school and community libraries, asking teachers, and searching in the Internet".

Face-to-face encounters were central to the intercultural exchange. In November 2004, the project leader organised a meeting of the students from Gymnasium N4 (Belarus) with the students of Boarding School N1 (for social orphans and children without parents; located in Austria) in order to provide a forum for sharing their way of life and activities at school. Many of the students' contributions are shared online; click here for further details.

Youth, Education, Intercultural Understanding.