We aim to improve the participation rates of ethnic minority students, especially girls, and multicultural schools in international school projects and to motivate schools to include multicultural issues in exchanges.

The network title “Get-in” comprises all focus points : Gender, EThnicity-INtegration through INternational school projects.

We aim to provide information, assistance and training to (teaching staff and management of) secondary schools for age groups 12-16 with the setting up of international projects with successful participation of ethnic minority students. Schools with international projects will receive instruments to identify and monitor whether they unconsciously exclude ethnic minority students (especially girls), and a set of possible actions to improve the participation. Multicultural schools that have not yet started internationalisation (with students in lower educational levels) will be identified and encouraged to do so. Good practices will be used so that schools can learn from each other (from the start, three pilot projects of network partners will be documented). A trust relationship with ethnic parents and the community will be supported.

Another objective of the project is to empower young people, and especially ethnic minority girls, to deal with equality issues; facilitated by taking part in international projects. Of course, classmates, teachers and possibly parents will also be involved. In the European network, enthusiastic students would be invited to conduct surveys at schools, to participate in advisory boards or to build up promotion teams. This would contribute to the emancipation and integration of ethnic minority girls (since they receive an insight into the situation of their compatriots in other European countries, and perhaps see solutions for comparable issues), and to an improved communication between students and teachers about certain issues within the target areas. It would also boost achievement levels of ethnic students by strengthening their motivation for subjects involved in the international exchange and by developing their sense if identity and belonging to their own school through the intercultural change in perspective.

The final aim is to inform experts and policymakers of the conclusions and recommendations of the project, which should be taken into consideration when setting up conditions for internationalisation programmes and projects (both operational and strategic) and in relevant other projects or networks. This target group includes local or regional authorities when appropriate in the specific partner country, the national Socrates Agencies and Ministries, and the Socrates and Youth Technical Assistance Office of the European Commission.

MAIN OUTCOMES :

• A rise in the number of multicultural schools involved in international projects, such as Comenius.

• An increase in the number of ethnic minority girls participating in international projects.

• A training for teaching staff in the thematic areas.

• A manual for schools; a practical handbook with concrete tools for teachers and students, to set up international projects with multicultural classes.

• A website for internal and external communication, including general information on the project

• Electronic newsletters , twice everyschool year for all interested.

EXPECTED IMPACT :

• The network and associated schools will change their practises and policies in the thematic areas and a rise in participation rates of ethnic minority students (especially girls)

• For students we expect qualitative improvements in achievement levels (such as the use of modern languages) and levels of integration.

• The percentage of multicultural classes participating in international projects in the network countries is expected to rise.

• Parents , multicultural advisors and representatives of local ethnic communities will become supportive of international educational projects.

• Experts in the national organisations and European advisors will use the outcome of the network in their work fields and disseminate them through their communication channels.