OSG de Meergronden and St. Eskils Gymnasium in Eskilstuna in Sweden have started an exchange programme between the two schools. We have started this project in April 2005 where our school went to Sweden for a week in order for our students to work together with their Swedish peers on a comparison study project where they could discuss and compare topics within the social-science field. A few of the topics they could choose from were eg: youth-culture, drugs policy in both countries, care of destitutes and criminality. This was all in a period of a week.  

Obviously the language that was used was English, this for both parties to enhance their English speaking skills. Ofcourse the cooperation that was involved among the students themselves was fantastic because they could then both have the chance to learn about eachothers backgrounds, identities and culture. We also firmly believe that immersion in not only a linguistic, emotional but also in a cultural way will greatly improve their understanding, tolerance and interest in different cultures and backgrounds. Seeing the fact that the Swedish students actually stayed in a Dutch host-family while they were in Holland last September it was clear that this did  definately give an extra dimension to the exchange programme in the whole and to immersion in a different culture in specific. 

During this return visit the groups that we made in April could continue their project. Where as the end-product in Sweden was a presentation on the differences and similarities between the two cultures we decided that we wanted something different this time in Holland and agreed on a newspaper as end-product. The different groups all choose a social science topic on which they had to do research. To help them with this we organized for the police and the society for euthanasia to come to our school and give the students a lecture on these different matters within their fields.  

This is the first year that we have actually started taking up internationalisation in the curriculum as such that the students need to make an extended paper in order to pass. This will be counted in the results of their exams too. 

We will be definitely continue working together in a format of exchange programmes and internationalisation and we believe that we have given our students and ourselves a lot to be proud of.

Zoe Heukels