Communication is an art: October 2022

The primary school of Jaunmarupe is a school in Marupe' s district in Riga region. It was founded in 2005. The school provides compulsory curriculum of primary education, focusing on foreign languages and STEM. The extra curricular activities include languages, art, music, dance, swimming, ice-skating, theater etc. The school consists of primary school from grade 1. till 9.The doors are open for all children in our community, no matter their nationality, religion, culture or social status. We give them love and attention and we try to understand and encourage their talents and abilities. Our team is highly skilled and responsible to novelty in the contemporary education and consistently improves and develops their professional skills. Several of our teachers are region wide competence based subject content coordinators. The parent's of our students understand the importance of diverse education. They support various extra curricular activities, events, contests, traditions, projects etc. in school and are interested in participating. This project help us to expand the horizon for the students, parents and teachers. It give us a chance to learn more about other European cultures. One of major priorities of our cooperation is involving students in all effective communication activities. We want to teach them independence, responsibility and teamwork; develop their communication skills, empathy, tolerance and respect for other people no matter their nationality, sex, health, social status, cultural differences etc. We also want to raise awareness in our students about the importance of foreign languages and ICT as means of breaking communicational barriers and in result improve their tolerance towards different cultures and their knowledge on employment possibilities. A team has been already formed by different primary school subject teachers and school administration, who work for the project. They are high skilled and motivated people who work together with parents and students.

Erasmus project „Communication is an Art” Programme of 3th meeting

Jaunmārupe, Latvia 27 September - 1 October, 2021

Short-term exchanges of groups of pupils

“Verbal & Non-verbal Communication”

During the period from September 27^th to October 1^st, 2021, Erasmus+ project “Communication is an Art” partners from Romani, Poland, Turkey and Estonia met in Latvia, Jaunmārupes primary school to work on project objectives.

The theme of the project is effective communication, communication skills or in other words the art of communication. Communication skills are the base requirement to successfully include and introduce teenagers of different age groups and sociocultural backgrounds. The plan of the project is to promote effective communication, diversity and broaden student understanding of intercultural communication and cooperation resources as well as innovative opportunities of communication.

On day one the teachers and students were introduced to the school and the daily routine of student’s in Latvia. During the opening event the guests were greeted by the headmistress of the school Iveta Timule as deputies Laura Bruavcova and Ilze Graudiņa. The guests were introduced to a presentation about educational system in Latvia and Jaunmārupes primary school in particular. After a walk around the school and getting to know the classrooms, the guests had the opportunity to learn more about Latvia’s place in European cultural space. An in-depth presentation by History teacher Sabīne Ozoliņa explored Latvian cultural heritage, language, history, achievements and traditions focusing on intercultural communication. In the afternoon the project partners were introduced to Jaunmārupe and its many educational, family and youth focused facilities.

During day two the students and teachers enjoyed a road trip to one of cultural and historical heritage sites – Sigulda medieval castle, Turaida Museum Reserve, Turaida castle, the hill of Folksongs, Gauja River etc. The road trip was a great opportunity to experience the multilayered Latvian history and traditions in one spot as well as practice communication between project participants in informal setting.

Day three offered workshops to students, focusing European values and Latvian cultural heritage (decorative fabric bleaching, wood product making, national cooking, candle making, ethnographic buckle) together with teachers Alvis Reinis and Līva Prekele. Meanwhile the teachers met Mārupe municipality representatives. The guests were greeted by the first deputy of the municipality Mārtiņš Bojārs while the executive director Kristaps Ločs introduced the guests with a presentation about Mārupe county. The visit ended with a musical greeting from the director of Mārupes Art and Culture center Ira Dūduma. In the afternoon of day three the guests were offered to join an autumn harvest festival in school’s outdoor area as well as playing traditional games and practicing folk dances as another activity to strengthen the intercultural communication.

On day four the focus shifted to verbal communication skills. During a student workshop, students from all countries participated in various musical activities, worked with the project song and also created a silent theater play about communication. In the afternoon students and teachers joined a city tour of capital Riga with such stops as the House of the Blackheads, Old Riga, Freedom Monument, Art Nouveau district and many others, completing the exploration of Latvian cultural heritage.

On the final day of the meeting the student’s joined every day lessons of their Latvian hosts while the teachers participated an evaluation session to share feelings about the activities and provide suggestions and opinions on the organization of the meeting. As the final event, students and teachers joined communication through song and dance workshop and after a lunch break presented the result as well as received their certificates of participation and said goodbye to Jaunmārupes primary school.

Erasmus + projects are a great opportunity for students and teachers to reinforce their usage of digital solutions for communication, improve foreign language skills, test their creativity – especially while long distance learning was our reality. It helps creating friendly bonds between different countries, get to know each other’s’ culture and traditions, work together on creative tasks and gain a broader understand of the world around us.

On September 30th, 2021, Mārupe municipality representatives met with the teachers of Erasmus+ project “Communication is an Art” from Romania, Poland, Turkey and Estonia, who were visiting Jaumārupes primary school from September 27th to October 1st.

During their stay, project partners were introduced to the school and its daily routine as well as daily routines of students outside of their studies. Through city tours, road trips and presentations the participants found out more about the cultural heritage of Latvia and the cultural similarities and differences. In group activities students and workshops the students and teachers could show their creative side as well as practice their intercultural knowledge.

The guests were greeted by the first deputy of the municipality Mārtiņš Bojārs while the executive director Kristaps Ločs introduced the guests with a presentation about Mārupe county. The visit ended with a musical greeting from the director of Mārupes Art and Culture center Ira Dūduma.

The transnational meeting ended with an evaluation session organized to share feelings about that activity and provided suggestions and opinions on the organization of the meeting.

As the Estonian team could not participate in that mobility, we had 3 online meetings with them where they presented their activities as week watched ours.

Many personal and professional benefits were gained by participating in that activity of the teachers and students involved into it. At personal level, they developed their intercultural skills, communication skills, motivation for self-development and awareness, enhanced self- esteem, expanded linguistic skills, general knowledge, awareness of EU values at national level. At a professional level, teachers and students participating in that mobility developed their knowledge of educational systems in other EU countries, the methodology and tools used by other European teachers, deepened analytical and problem-solving skills, learnt to integrate a multiple learning approach and promote interest in promoting learning based on interactive learning. If we think of the long-term benefits, the participants developed their skills to feel more comfortable in "foreign" environments, expanded their sensitivity and cultural participation to promote the spirit of a united Europe.

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