Mobility in Italy
The main theme of the second mobility which involved students as well as teachers was ‘Better multicultural understanding through music and art.’. Activities carried out during that mobility aimed at understanding to what extent experiencing art may influence theb unification of diverse societies. Additionally, finding common elements which connect different cultures and societies. Methodology was based on workshops which included various activities referring to migration and its causes, the issue of adaptation and integration in a new community. During the workshops the students had a chance to take a role of refugees who sometimes were not welcome kindly and openly which let them understand how difficcult it is to leave their culture and origins and start a new life in a new cultural background. Musical, collage and singing workshops made it possible to understand how important it is to find common valuesin different societies. During collage workshops the students worked together to create posters which presented the values of partner schools. The posters that were created during the workshops were a proof that it is possible to create together a work of art which takes into account diversity. During the mobility singing out the anthem of Europe was especially important as it was the moment when the war in Ukraine started. Trips to Piza, Cinque Terre and Genua made it possible to get to know the cultural heritage and a rich history of the region. During the visit in Genua the teachers and the students visited Galata Museo del Mare where they were familiarized with the history of Italian emigrants who in the 19th century wanted to start a better life in the U.S.A. What is more, the students and the teachers visited the imigrant district. Thanks to the meetings with emigrants from Africa they had a chance to discover advantages and disadvantages of living in exile, in a different cultural background. Collective and spontaneous singing made it possible to break down barriers and create relations based on openness and tolerance. All the project activities were in accordance with education curricula connected with integrating diverse cultures with the involvement of music and art.
Project participants had an opportunity to get to know the value of cultural heritage and explore the project main theme. Getting acquainted with the history and culture of the region helped the students to understand how crucial cultural diversity is in order to create an open and tolerant society. All the activities involved – the workshops and the trips let the participants understand that art is a tool which helps to break down barriers and create multicultural communities. What is more, the activities made it possible to realise that each person brings in different values to the cultural heritage. The students, thanks to staying at Italian families, had a chance to break down stereotypes about Italian people, make new friends and discover their cultural heritage. Additionally, the students had a chance to improve their communication skills using English language and learn a few expressions in Italian.It was a really interesting for them to discover that in different languages there are words that sound in a similar way and have a similar meaning. Even languages have the same roots.
