Malta is one of the European Union countries that have a high percentage of early school-leavers. The Alternative Learning Programme (ALP) school of Paola was created specifically to encourage youngsters to continue their studies after finishing compulsory education.

Within this context, ALP, as coordinator, and another three schools from Sicily, Northern Macedonia and Romania, are taking part in an Erasmus KA2 project called ‘Strategic Actions For Early School-leaving Reduction’, SAFER in short.

This project sees teachers and LSEs from each country visiting the other countries to learn about the methods used in the various schools to tackle the early school-leaving problem.

Earlier this month, two groups of educators and students were involved in two mobilities, one in Carini, Sicily, and the other in Istanbul, Turkey.

The theme of the first mobility in Carini, Sicily, was ‘Outdoor activities and training in nature’. The scope was to get the students out of the classroom and increase their interest and motivation by holding lessons outdoors, according to the subject.

The activities that were held in Carini were culture-oriented; therefore, the participants were taken to several places of cultural importance in Sicily.

These included the Teatro Massimo in the capital city of Palermo, the archeological site of Segesta in Trapani, the Paleochristian catacombs and the Castle of Carini, where the group met with the town’s mayor, and the ethnographic museum Palazzo D’Aumale in Terrasini, among others.

Throughout their stay, the Maltese group was guided by the students of the host school, who had prepared information relative to the places being visited.

The educators were also involved in a number of workshops.

The hospitality students, under the guidance of their teachers, prepared lunch and the final dinner, consisting of traditional Sicilian food.

On the last day, the educators had an evaluation meeting to assess the outcome of the mobility and to prepare for the next mobility which will take place in Romania in October.

This first mobility, which served to introduce the schools to each other, was deemed a success as it reached all of its objectives.

ALP students in Turkey

The group of five students and the accompanying teachers in Istanbul, Turkey.

The second mobility saw a group of five ALP students, accompanied by their teachers, embarking on an enriching educational trip to Istanbul, Turkey. This visit marked the second student learning mobility under the Erasmus+ project W.I.S.H. (‘We Internationally Share Happiness’).

The project is designed to equip students with strategies and tools to cultivate happiness, focusing on reducing stress and anxiety through fostering good relationships, physical contact, communication, physical activity and connection with nature, rather than relying on social media.

During their time in Istanbul, the students engaged in a variety of activities, including sailing, biking, trekking, fishing, cooking, video editing and drone filming.

They also had the opportunity to explore the historical peninsula and immerse themselves in Turkish culture.

Seven schools from Belgium, Italy, Turkey, Romania, Spain and Malta collaborated on the W.I.S.H. project.

The next student mobility event is scheduled to take place in Malta in November.