The Comenius projects are European programmes, the aim of which is to develop the skills of the pupils who take part in them and to promote exchanges and cooperation between classes.

     Halil and his classmates in the sixth form at the Social Sciences grammar school in Istanbul experienced a 10-day exchange with their counterparts from the Jean Geiler grammar school in Strasbourg.

     They tell us about it:

     “I'm learning French and our pen pals are learning Turkish. Thanks to this project, we find out about each other's culture. Before meeting each other, we had been in touch on the internet thanks to Facebook and MSN.

In Strasbourg, we were told about the French school system, the university and the opportunities for international study exchanges. We visited the Alsatian museum, Haut Koenigsbourg castle, the villages of Obernai and Ribeauvillé, and the Alsace Moselle memorial. At the European Parliament, we met MEPs and attended a plenary session.

Thanks to the high speed train, we even managed to spend a day in Paris!”

     The youngsters also played football, went to an opera and got a taste of French gastronomy.

     This project, launched in January 2009, is in its third and penultimate phase. Next year, the French youngsters will be visiting Istanbul.