The agenda Europe 2020 demands, among other things, the enhancement of the performance of education systems and the sense of initiative and entrepreneurship at schools and to counter poverty and social marginalisation. Knowing about these aims and the fundamental importance of the topic of migration itself, we developed MEUS. A project in which students investigate different topics connected to migration trough an artistic approach (theatre):

Austria – Improvisational Theatre, What is Home?

France (Reunion Island) - Epic drama, cultural melting-pot and migration

Norway - Mimic Theatre, Migration and loss

Portugal – Migrants in Musical and Contemporaneous Theatre

Spain - Classical Theatre, Migration in relation to the theatre

Overall, the following main objectives for MEUS have emerged:

* Improving the key competences of the professionals and students of all partner organisations and other stakeholders, through a deepening of knowledge about migration and different theatre approaches;

* Promoting the fight against discrimination, intolerance and xenophobia towards migrants and their families;

* Promoting equality of opportunity with regards to education, social security, housing and cultural rights by means of various artistic and non artistic methods;

* Promoting education in and through theatre with a specific focus on skills development in order to tackle early school leaving;

* Exchanging good practices, confronting ideas and methods related to education, migration and theatre.

The participating schools are located in Austria, France (Reunion Island), Norway, Portugal and Spain. All schools have identified a need for tackling the issue of migration at their schools since all schools have multinational classrooms and their curricula do not always reflect that reality. In fact, in some schools in this partnership, a significant percentage of students are migrants (more than 18%).

It is nothing new that millions of people have left everything familiar to them for a second chance at life. Europe itself is the daughter of several migration cycles caused by wars or authoritarian regimes. Hence, migration is as current a topic as ever. In today's Europe, conventional education often finds itself practised alongside other methods. The role of drama in education in addressing social problems in schools and in preventing school dropout phenomena is acknowledged and well known.

Theatre is an artistic medium that can be used in classrooms all over Europe to tackle the issue of migration. MEUS is a project that aims to raise awareness of migration in Europe, spread the European ideal and improve education across European borders.

We also keep in mind the impact such a project and the mobilities it entails can have on all the participants and their personal and professional future in Europe.