The Bridge INTELLECTUAL RESULT IO 16 (8) | Page 25

technology the world has become very small and education has become more and
more global.
Those of us who had the opportunity to take part in the student exchanges within the
Comenius and Erasmus+ projects as well as other international projects or host foreign
students, began to feel the presence of the European dimension, the feeling that
regardless of our differences that we belong to a bigger community and that we are
basically all equal. The sense of feeling inferior to someone else simply disappeared.
But that isn't all. We became aware that what we experienced will influence the
decisions we make about our future, education and employment.
The question now is, where do we go from here? We know that Europe needs highly
educated, experienced
and innovative
people and that the very circulation of
knowledge present in project mobilities is the key to achieving this goal. Isn't it sad that
in the European Union every seventh student abandons their education and training
too early, and that less than one third of young Europeans from 25 – 34 years of age
have a university degree.
As young Europeans we believe it is important to improve the quality of our schools
and prevent young people from leaving school too early. It is imporant to motivate
young people to achieve their goal in life. This is where international projects come in.
Even though some people may think they are only a drop in the sea, they give our
education that added value. Kids who were once bored with coming to school,
suddenly have a reason to come. They can see the potential in getting involved in
something interesting that is at the same time linked to their school work. By learning
new things in a different way with peers from other countries brings motivation. The
only way to make experiences like these part of everyday education is by integrating
them into the curriculum of each and every school in Europe.
Even though every member state in the European Union has its own unique
educational system, all member states should accept a policy whereby all international
activities and mobilities would become a constituent part of the curriculum starting from
pre-primary all the way up to schools of higher education. This way knowledge would
actually circulate. And with all the experiences gained, later on all young Europeans
would have equal if not better skills, knowledge and qualifications needed for working
in a particular field anywhere in Europe, regardless of their country of origin.
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