Internationalization at the Katharineum: Students embark on new horizons!

Internationalization at the Katharineum: Students embark on new horizons!

The Katharineum is currently working hard on the internationalization of school activities. With the recently approved funding from the Erasmus+ program (KA 122), those responsible are providing new impetus for future collaboration with European partners. An exciting project that should not only benefit the students, but also the teachers. The first step has already been decided: 28 committed students will take part in international meetings with partners from Denmark and Italy. This promises numerous new experiences and perspectives.

But what exactly is behind these international excursions? The cooperation with the Italian partners from Udine aims to analyze the role of antiquity and the important upheavals of the 20th and 21st centuries for the European present. The focus should be particularly on questions that address the connection between Europe's common roots and current political developments in the EU, Germany and Italy. A very special focus is on strengthening the European identity of young people through joint ancient language projects.

Internships and job shadowing

While the students exchange ideas with the Italian young people, two teachers from the Katharineum will travel to France to carry out job shadowing. Topics such as digital education and dealing with new technologies are on the curriculum. The aim of this initiative is to exchange experiences about modern educational tools, data protection issues and how to deal with cyberbullying. This gives teachers the opportunity to refine their methods and integrate new approaches into teaching.

The partnership with Denmark will also offer the opportunity to complete an internship week in Brussels. Here, students learn fundamental aspects of entrepreneurship at local and European levels. The teaching objectives also include the use of ICT in networked everyday work as well as the improvement of social skills and multilingualism. These international experiences are intended not only to give young people a better understanding of the European community, but also to promote their personal development.

Importance of Erasmus+ for schools

Erasmus+ shows how important international exchange is in today's increasingly interconnected world. The education sector is just one part of these global challenges, which include extremism, populism and fake news. Programs like Erasmus+ actively promote democracy education and political participation by opening up international perspectives for students and teachers. These initiatives are particularly valuable for schools in difficult locations, such as the Bad Driburg comprehensive school and the Bömberg elementary school, both of which have already successfully implemented exchange projects to give their students international experiences.

The importance of such programs is also underlined by the annual report of the Pedagogical Exchange Service (PAD). Between 2021 and 2025, over 100,000 student mobilities were supported. These figures impressively demonstrate that international exchange projects can not only strengthen the individual growth of students, but also advance the overall school development. It is all the more important that such programs continue to be supported so that all students can enjoy these valuable experiences.

The Katharineum plans to report regularly on the progress of the Erasmus+ program. The projects last one year and cover the entire 2025/2026 school year. It remains exciting to see what further impulses will emerge from these international experiences. This clearly shows how diverse and enriching European cooperation can be for the next generation.

For more information about international exchange programs and their impact on education and democracy, you can follow coverage on the following websites: Katharineum, Ministry of Education NRW, and Education click.