During the week 31 March – 4 April 2025 5 students and 2 teachers of Agrupamento de Escolas José Saramago, Portugal took part in the students’ mobility in Athens, Greece. The hosting school was 53rd Lyceum of Athens. The Portuguese students were hosted in Greek students’ families. The activities that the 53rd Lyceum’s teachers planned and implemented, focused on the students’ career orientation and their academic and professional options.
The students took part in a career counseling conversation with the 53rd Lyceum’s school psychologist. The students prepared a semi-constructed interview in which the school’s psychologist answered many questions regarding this profession. They also discussed about career orientation and its psychological aspects for young people, their families and the school community.
They also practiced the Students Consultation activity, an innovating educational project in which the students simulate the City’s Counsil and suggest solutions to important issues regarding the urban environment and the city life, thus improving their active citizenship skills.
Not only that but also they had the chance to be engaged in experiential activities regarding professions related to arts and culture, like dance, music, tour guidance, archaeology and monuments’ preservation.
Moreover, the Greek teachers implemented the career conversation model “My Career Story”, in which the teachers were trained during the online training courses. The students made a good use of the 3-part “My Career Story” so that they can understand more about themselves, namely their skills, values, needs and career wishes.
Regarding the cultural activities, the students enjoyed walking guided tours in some of the most iconic monuments and archaeological sites of the city of Athens. They visited the famous Acropolis and its marvelous monuments. They also visited the Acropolis Museum where they not only admired the unique exhibits of Classical Art but also participated in experiential activities at the museum. The Greek and Romanian students had a walking tour in the city center and visited landmarks such as the Unknown Soldier monument, the Prime Minister’s office, the Panathenaic stadium, the Zappeion, the byzantine churches, the Roman Agora and Hadrian’s Library, the Plaka old city neighborhood.
The students and teachers from both schools not only enhanced many skills related to self-awareness, communication, creative thinking, foreign language speaking, creativity, collaboration etc., but also reinforced their European identity, enriched their cultural capital and solidified the good partnership between the 2 schools.
