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TRAMP – Transnational Mobility of Older People in Europe
The Harkortschule Hamm, a special education school
with a focus on learning, has developed an extensive job
orientation programme to support students with learning
difficulties. […] The realisation of the TRAMP project
should be viewed in this context as well. […] Embedded
in the goals of our school programme, students were able
to increase or consolidate their self-assessment and selfesteem.
Included in our job preparation programme, the
various projects represented an additional component and
especially encouraged the independence of each participating
child and adolescent and therefore greatly supported
the post-school life plan.
This process was further increased by the bringing together
of various generations and cultures. Experiencing
other languages, other skills and the team work regarding
the construction of swings, the puppet stage, the silk painted
scarves, joint cooking sessions as well as the decoration
of the school yard wall were all experiences, which our
pupils rarely have a chance to make. The mediation of
social skills, the willingness to cooperate, to solve conflicts
without understanding the language, joint efforts to decorate
or create objects are all values, which we were able
to offer our pupils in condensed form. The focus of our
school work could thus be implemented in an optimal
way. The project helped us realise the objectives of our
school programme.
Pupils with special educational needs mostly come from
socially deprived families, which often lack the confrontation
with other cultures and a diverse range of offers in
terms of support options. Insofar, the project provided our
students with learning opportunities, which we can hardly
provide within the scope of everyday school life. The staff
and the participating pupils learned a lot from the elderly
from abroad during the work together and look forward
to a new TRAMP project.
Ursula Mecklenbrauck, headmistress of the Harkort
Special Education School, Hamm
34 Part 1
Moroccan, French. In Germany, a large
percentage of pupils with migrational backgrounds
attend special education schools,
many of them speak Russian or Polish and
could therefore communicate well with
Czech participants. Thus, the pupils who
spoke Russian, Polish or French faced the
astonishing yet very pleasant fact that their
native language was not only tolerated in
school, but particularly useful and helpful.
In Prague, pupils with German and French
language skills were specifically involved
in the workshops and would try out their
skills, actually functioning as interpreters.
They mediated regarding difficult technical
issues, compiled trilingual lists of materials
and tools, and talked to the elderly about
everything and anything.
The inclusion of the younger generation
must also be seen as a success factor, because
due to their openness and curiosity the
children and adolescents offered significant
communication incentives. Conversations
would frequently occur, if the young asked
questions regarding work or personal topics
and they would usually receive answers by
several seniors. This could be particularly
observed in the cooking groups, because
the work space was limited and conversations
were easily sparked with regard to cultural
eating habits. The uncomplicated and
informal manner of the young often had
an infectious effect on the elderly, which in
turn resulted in an even warmer atmosphere
and encouraged further communication
processes.
15 of 18 interviewed participants in
Hamm, 12 of 16 interviewed participants
in Oberhausen and 17 of 23 interviewed
participants in Prague thus stated that the
inclusion of children and adolescents successfully
encouraged communication processes.
The sound atmosphere was also due to
the fact that seniors and juniors alike enjoyed
the intergenerational cooperation. The