Crossing borders, connecting hearts: Empowering intercultural communication (1 week in Athens)

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Dates

2026: 09.11.2026 – 14.11.2026

2027: 08.02.2027 – 13.02.2027 | 05.04.2027 – 10.04.2027 | 18.10.2027 – 23.10.2027

2028: To be announced (Ask for dates)

Intro

Are you ready to navigate our interconnected world and communicate effectively across cultures?

“Crossing borders, connecting hearts” invites you to explore intercultural communication and global citizenship.

This course encompasses a diverse range of projects, such as empathy-building exercises, trust-building strategies, and collaborative intercultural project design, to help you foster mutual understanding. Discover how to use simple, inclusive frameworks to master cross-cultural empathy and meaningful connections in your classroom.

Who is this for?

This course is tailored for education, cultural and youth professionals of all levels – including teachers, leaders, counselors, mentors, camp leaders, extracurricular activity coordinators, and more – who want to promote intercultural communication in diverse settings.

No prior intercultural expertise is required. Just curiosity and a willingness to engage in open dialogue. Participants will benefit from an international learning experience while traveling with Erasmus+.

Objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Understand global citizenship: Develop a deep understanding of intercultural communication concepts and active global citizenship.
• Promote cultural empathy: Work on fostering empathy, respect, and mutual understanding across cultural boundaries.
• Integrate inclusive competence: Acquire practical strategies for integrating intercultural competence seamlessly into your daily teaching.
• Explore diverse perspectives: Engage with diverse perspectives and experiences shared by educators from around Europe.
• Enhance cross-cultural communication: Improve your ability to communicate effectively and resolve conflicts in intercultural contexts.
• Build trust and rapport: Practice non-verbal communication and cultural nuances to establish trust in diverse classrooms.

Modules

• Module 1: Foundations of global citizenship. Introduce key concepts in active global citizenship and reflect on personal biases and cultural awareness.
• Module 2: Effective cross-cultural communication. Learn strategies for building trust, understanding non-verbal nuances, and resolving conflicts through team-building activities.
• Module 3: Inclusive competence in education. Share best practices, integrate intercultural competence into your curriculum, and analyze successful initiatives.
• Module 4: Empathy and perspective-taking. Participate in empathy-building exercises to develop the ability to see the world through the eyes of others.
• Module 5: Exploring cultural identities. Encourage open discussions about cultural identities and share strategies for celebrating diversity in educational settings.
• Module 6: Practical implementation. Design collaborative intercultural projects, action plans, and build a network of educational institutions to foster ongoing dialogue.

Course Outcomes

• Build a practical intercultural toolkit: Explore accessible empathy-building exercises and practical activities that can be adapted to different learning contexts.
• Enhance intercultural literacy: Gain the critical tools necessary to guide youth safely and effectively in cross-cultural dialogues and European initiatives.
• Drive inclusive transformation: Build confidence in addressing cultural challenges, supporting diversity and inclusion within your institution.
• Empower youth/student voices: Shift young people from passive observers into active global citizens by modeling intercultural empathy.
• Promote positive school/organizational culture: Foster open communication, mutual understanding, and respect within diverse learning communities.
• Exchange European best practices: Connect with an international network of educators and youth workers, sharing strategies and building long-lasting cross-border partnerships.

Equipment

No special equipment is required. All necessary materials will be provided during the course.

See all available Erasmus+ courses we offer.

Destination:

Athens. The city with the most glorious history in the world, a city worshipped by gods and people, a magical city. The enchanting capital of Greece has always been a birthplace for civilization. It is the city where democracy was born and most of the wise men of ancient times. The most important civilization of ancient world flourished in Athens and relives through some of the world’s most formidable edifices.

Who hasn’t heard of the Acropolis of Athens? Photos and history of the most famous archaeological monument in Europe is admired by thousands of people. Acropolis is nominated to be one of the 7 wonders of modern world. In fact the trademark of Athens is one of the favorites. The Holy Rock of Acropolis dates back to the 5th BC, the famous Golden Age of Periklis. Athens met times of bloom and decline, but still shines under the Attic sky gazing the future. Still sparkling like the marbles of Parthenon and the limpid white of Pentelic marble.