But the European Erasmus+ programme has become a model for everyone, with all the possibilities it offers: short and long-term student mobility, teacher mobility to share and learn teaching methods, student reception, participation in seminars, projects with partners in other countries...
Precisely to allow schools and young people to showcase their Erasmus experience, the European Union launched Erasmus Day.
Thus, in view of this appointment, and as part of the "Prep4Pro" (Preparation for ErasmusPro) project, the schools of the Salesian Province of Mary Help of Christians in Spain has organised a virtual tour and created their own Erasmus Corner. For example, the actions of the Salesianos Monzón and the Salesianos Palma del Río show the educational work of Salesian schools.
Italy, France, Hungary, Poland, Finland, Austria, Germany, Ireland, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Iceland, Romania, Slovenia, Malta, Bulgaria... and several other countries have already been visited by students and teachers of Salesian schools. It is a real exchange that builds a new globalised world, enriching the lives of those involved in these experiences. If there are 70 Salesian centres involved in these experiences, there are hundreds of students and teachers who have benefited from them.
Sergio Castrillo, a student of Electrical and Automatic Systems at the Padre Aramburu centre in Burgos, who spent his Erasmus+ in Poland, says: "My experience is very good because thanks to it I learned different qualities ,such as how to find ways to understand other people, interact with people who speak a language different from mine, live alone with people I did not know and get to know other cultures and customs. In addition, I entered a world of work different from the Spanish one. Something that helped me mature.”
For her part, María Juan Navarro, a teacher at the Estrecho centre in Madrid, who participated in an international course in Finland, explains: "The Erasmus teacher training project is a programme that enriches both personally and professionally. From the training and methodologies shared between teachers from different countries, new tools are born to be applied in the classroom to improve teaching."
With a clear understanding of the society that surrounds them and with the imprint of Don Bosco in their DNA, the educational centres of the Salesians in Spain have committed themselves to participate in this space of internationalisation, as explained by the sector managers of the Salesians in Avilés: "It is part of the Salesian mission to increase the possibilities of socio-economic inclusion of our young people also through the best offer of internationalisation of their educational experience in our centres."
And Daniel Alonso, responsible for the internationalisation of the Don Bosco Centre in León, completes this with: "This type of activity is very important to learn new ways of working and to make an effective comparison between the working methods in the different centres, in the workplaces, etc... We encourage the entire educational community to participate in any of these experiences, because we know that no one will be disappointed."
In addition, from the mobility of teachers and the joint actions promoted by the Provinces (a very important work is being developed in this field by the Tech Don Bosco of the Salesians of in St James the Greater Province in Spain), common projects have also been born that take collaboration beyond simple exchange actions.
