'Who am I? Who are we?' is an international cultural exchange project, part of the Comenius programme, supported and funded by the British Council, crossing Borders and breaching boundaries ? creating Tales from a new Europe. The venues for the fifth project meeting in June 2008 took place all over Scotland, similar events having previously taken place in Kezmarok in Slovakia, Hamar in Norway, Bialystock in Poland and Frydlant nad Ostravici in the Czech Republic. The initiative developed with an idea discussed between two teachers, one Czech and one Scots and grew into an international creative community of participant schools. The underlying theme of the project explores and questions the nature of young people's identity and experience through arts education within an international community of creativity; as each participant is matched with a partner(s) and encouraged to share experience and art processes through self-determined collaborative ventures. The emphasis is on communication through the arts and I.T., sharing both realities and ambitions. Online networking and developing relationships lead to many participants meeting their peers face to face during the many project meetings when all partner schools gather in one country to showcase the results of the community in an collaborative exhibition/event to showcase a wide variety of art forms including paintings, murals, C.G.I., animations, films, photographs, dance, performance art, music, poetry, body art and land art. Spontaneous collaborative works emerge when the group is together and form 'living processes' within the event. The project develops a range of life skills and learning skills through experiences that have an immediate impact on the values and achievements of the young people involved with long term benefits of enduring friendships, a love of travel, self reliance and resourcefulness, a desire for interaction and the ability to celebrate, recognise and enjoy diversity engendering a sense of equanimity and confidence, during which process real art is made and individual dreams can come true; but these works of art are more than just pictures and songs - they contain more than that – they have inside them the spirit and soul of young people and they represent their beliefs and their dreams. Some of these art works are collaborations between students from our countries and are a great example of what can be done, what can be created as a result of this project – top class art that speaks its message to others loudly and clearly. That is what our project is all about – young people of Europe and the issues that concern them and the dreams they dream. | 