THE ECONOMIC CRISIS IN EUROPE: GLOBAL AND LOCAL CONSEQUENCES, FUTURE PERSPECTIVES AND SELF-EMPLOYMENT Coordinator School: IES El Brocense, Cáceres, Spain. Partner Schools: Kemin Lyseon Lukio, Kemi, Finland; Fyllingsdalen videregående skole, Fyllingsdalen, Norway; Kaufmännische Schule, Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany; and ZSP w Kaliszu Pomorskim, Kalisz Pomorski, Poland. 1. AIMS OF THE PROJECT: - Main aim: How the current global financial crisis has hit each country participating in the project? We will study this subject from a global perspective (trying to compare different macroeconomic figures, and exchange the results) but they will also be addressed from a local point of view (how the crisis has affected our pupils, their families, their friends and the place where they live). - Secondary aims: Future perspectives. We will try to suggest different alternative ways to find a solution to the economic problems in each country. Self-employment. We will promote the enterprising spirit as one of the essential bases of economic recovery. 2. OUR LOCAL ASSOCIATED PARTNERS. The department of Economy in IES El Brocense has organized in several ocassions, throughout the last 10 years, different activities in collaboration with local organizations. All of them will collaborate in our Erasmus+ Project in different ways. 1. ACUEX (Asociación de Consumidores y Usuarios de Extremadura). Created in 1985, ACUEX is an organization that defends the rights of consumers and users. (www.acuex.org). In each of the last two years they have given a class about publicity and consumers rights to our students, in IES El Brocense. They will colaborate with our Erasmus+ Project by helping our students to make a study of the CPI (consumer price index) by giving some lessons in our school. 2. Punto de Activación Empresarial. It is a place where all the regional government resources are put in service of the entrepreneur. Some of our students have already visited this PAE, and they have received some business classes there.(http://activacionempresarial.extremaduraempresarial.es) They will colaborate with our Erasmus+ Project in the study of the required process to set up a company in Spain. 3. Cámara de Comercio de Cáceres. It has collaborated with the department of Economy in IES El Brocense twice, giving a lesson about the European Union to our students, and a lecture about bussiness´ ideas. They will colaborate with our Erasmus+ Project in the study of most important exports in our community, and the most important activity sectors in our region. (www.camaracaceres.es) 4. Specialists in tax-education, from the Spanish Tax Agency. The department of Economy from IES El Brocense has a tax education programme lasting 8 years, in colaboration with a specialist technician from the Spanish Tax Agency. He will colaborate in our Erasmus+ Project, making different workshops with our students about fiscal pressure rate, comparative analysis about the main national taxes and the welfare state. (http://www.agenciatributaria.es/AEAT.educacion/HomeEducacion_es_ES.html) 3. TOPICS ADDRESSED BY THE PROJECT: 1. The UE economic situation. 2. The current economical, social and cultural situation in each country participating in the project: - The Gross Domestic Product, - the GDP per capita, - the rate of unemployment - the inflation and the CPI - the HDR - taxes - welfare system. 3. Democratic institutions in each country participating in the project. 4. The financial system and taxes in each country participating in the project. 5. The labour market in each country participating in the project. 6. Self-employment in each country participating in the project: - required process to found a business. - formation expenses. 4. EXPECTED RESULTS: From a global point of view: 1. Multimedia presentation about the UE economic situation. 2. Multimedia presentation about the economic situation in each country participating in the project. The parameters of interest in our analysis will be: the Gross Domestic Product, the GDP per capita, the rate of unemployment the inflation, the countries position according to the HDR. 3. Multimedia presentation about democratic institutions in each country participating in the project. 4. Multimedia presentation about the financial system and taxes in each country participating in the project. 5. Multimedia presentation about the Welfare Sistem in each country participating in the project. 6. Study of the labour market, and the unemployment rate evolution in last 5 years, as one of the biggest problems nowadays in some European countries. 7. Analizing mass media. Each country will look for news from the other countries related to the economic crisis, and make a press dossier. 8. Web page, blog and forum, made by the coordinating school, where all the results and products of the project will be shared. From a local point of view: 1. Reports on the crisis: photographs and short films made by students. 2. Film – screenings.