What?

Linguistic, social and intercultural skills play a key role in deepening the integration and fostering the development of border regions. If supported from an early stage, they lay a solid basis for future cooperation in many other areas, creating equal opportunities and strengthening social cohesion. In addition, language acquisition is not only easier at a young age, but research shows that children display more positive attitudes to foreign cultures and are bound to develop problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, creating favourable conditions for competitiveness in professional life.

The BIG project aims to intensify the teaching of the language spoken across the border, using innovative tools and modern methodological materials, increasing multilingualism and intercultural education in kindergartens and schools. The involvement of parents and representatives of the administrations constitutes an innovative approach as it will encourage multilingualism in everyday interactions, as well as aim for long-term language and cultural exchanges.

To do so, the project includes:

• The creation of a comprehensive package for future pedagogical work
• The development of a bilateral platform for keeping up with and exchanging innovative methods and materials
• Further qualification and update courses for teachers according to innovative scientific knowledge in the field of education.

The priority objective is the promotion of social and communicative competencies from an early age, paying attention to the transition from kindergarten to elementary school.

Who?

The partnership is made of 6 partners, three Austrian and three Czech. They are pedagogical and school services centres, facilities for further education of teaching staff, a centre for services to schools and families (education, care and leisure), the European office of the Board of Education for Vienna and the Society department of the Upper Austria state. The project is led by the office of the Lower Austrian provincial government - Department for Social Affairs and Generational Support.

Where?

The BIG project covers the cross-border area between south Czech Republic and northern Austria.

How?

The project is part of the 2014 - 2020 INTERREG V-A Austria-Czech Republic with an ERDF contribution of about €3.9 million under priority 3, “Human resources development”.

Results

The well-balanced partnership composed of both public authorities and centres active in the field of education, together with great commitment from pedagogues, teachers, native speakers and language teachers, has undoubtedly contributed to the success of the project. The activities have been carried out under the motto “languages are bridges” and in cooperation with the two Interreg V-A projects of the same name implemented at the Slovakia-Austria and Austria-Hungary borders. Partners, mainly from Austria, participated in the project at the different borders, facilitating the sharing of methods and models of language education, especially in the view of multilingualism and digitalisation.

The economic perspective of the language acquisition topic never overshadowed the humanistic and intercultural view of the project. Intercultural networks are indeed the basis for strengthening border regions cohesion.

More than 200 educators participated in dissemination activities such as the “Cross-border language festival” held in 2018 and study visits, training, as well as workshops on several topics, including communication through art, music therapy and first aid. The platform and learning materials developed throughout the life of the project were presented during the closing conference of the project.

More information

https://www.at-cz.eu/cz/ibox/po-3-rozvoj-lidskych-zdroju/atcz5_big

https://keep.eu/projects/18183/Spolupr-ce-v-oblasti-vzd-l--EN/