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International cooperation helps being prepared for an international future
Developing a plastic-free body scrub with a team of 44 Spanish and Dutch youngsters. That is not something you do every day, but it certainly is fun and educational! Therefore, Jesse Jacobs (14) and his teacher Christien de Kramer of the Jan van Brabant College in Helmond are enthusiastic about their participation in the World Citizenship Academy. This collaborative project for schools from different countries contributes to the internationalization of education in the Brainport Eindhoven region.
For a period of two months, secondary school students from Jan van Brabant College in Helmond and students from Egibide from Araba in Spain, worked on a project about plastic-free body scrub. The goal? Working together across boundaries.
Product was a side issue
In small groups of four -two students from each country- a plastic-free body scrub was developed. ‘But that product was perhaps more of a side issue,’ says teacher Christien de Kramer. “It was mainly about the process and communication.”
Getting to know another culture
Her student Jesse Jacobs (14) is also enthusiastic. He looks back: "Every week we had a joint meeting and in between we kept in touch, for example via Instagram. This was not always easy, he recalls. It turned out, for example, that the Spanish students had more difficulty with the English language. That actually gave me self-confidence, because I dared to speak more English. By remaining kind and patient, we finally achieved the desired result. Christien explains: 'That is exactly what we wanted to achieve with this project. Working together with students who speak a different language and have a different cultural background. That requires good cooperation and a professional attitude.'
Showing the final result
The project was festively concluded with a presentation, an absolute highlight according to both Christien as Jesse. Jesse: ‘It was really cool to show our end product to everyone. I never thought you could work so well with people from abroad. It sometimes requires some adaptability, but in the end we succeeded.”
Christien is satisfied as well: 'In the end, it was not about the end product for us, but about the international exchange and the knowledge and skills that the students have acquired. In that respect, this project was a great success.”
Regio Deal Brainport Eindhoven
Brainport Eindhoven is becoming increasingly international. That is why the region invests in preparing students in the region for an international future. This is being done on various levels. For example, attention is being paid to the internationalization of child care and primary, secondary and vocational education. The World Citizenship Academy project - working on world citizenship - is an example of this.
The internationalisation of regional education is partly made possible by funding from Regio Deal Brainport Eindhoven.
