HESTIA Erasmus+ Project

GO! BS Hendrik Conscience in Schaarbeek (Brussels Belgium) hosted the 3rd Learning, Teaching & Training Activity for the HESTIA project in 21-27 October 2018. The participants included 12 pupils from the partner schools who followed classes in the Belgian school during a full working week and 10 accompanying teachers.

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The host school aimed at giving the pupils a broader view on migration by going back to the past when European citizens were fleeing, by making pupils empathize with migrants, and also by presenting migrants who managed to live happily in Belgium exploiting their talents. Through different workshops, pupils were challenged to develop a positive self-image and self-confidence, in order to be empowered for their future, especially migrant pupils, who often struggle with their identity and place in the society.

For the objectives mentioned above, the following activities were organised during the mobility week:

• Day 1: Welcoming reception at the school and a school tour while meeting the teachers and the pupils. Guided tour at the Atomium for pupils and teachers.

• Day 2: Workshop ‘I’m a migrant’ by the International Organisation for Migration of the United Nations, where pupils played role-play games, listened to personal stories of migrants while challenging the anti-migrant stereotypes, wrote postcards to their families. Also, representing the European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, Ms Katerina Wolfova visited the school and was given the project manifest. In the afternoon, a spokesman of the Fedasil asylum centers in Belgium presented their work to the participating teachers.

• Day 3: Workshop ‘Impact’ presenting success stories of migrants who talked to the pupils and teachers about their life journeys back in their countries and their present in Belgium. Guided visit at the city of Antwerp and the Red Star Line museum, showing the huge migration wave of Europeans to North America. Workshop for pupils in the museum about the immigrant stories.

• Day 4: Teaching activities in classes by the foreign teachers. Guided tour at the Schaarbeek city hall and official meeting with Ms Adelheid Bytterbier, who is responsible for education and culture. The partners presented the project manifest with our proposals. Workshop for pupils at the House of European History.

• Day 5: Workshop by Studio Globo while exploring the area of Kuregem which has a lot of migration history. Evaluation of the week and administrative meeting. Closure of the learning week with a Halloween party at the school for pupils, teachers and parents.

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The following photographs depict a few special moments from the activities during this learning week.