NEOS stands for Network of European Oriented Schools. So it's a network of European schools which are co-operating with each other on different projects. Halikko high school has been working with the network since it was started in 1999. At this moment NEOS has schools from Finland, Germany, Poland, Hungary, Italy and Spain.

Back in the year 1999 when NEOS was founded every member had to sign the agreement of Cologne: Members must prepare the youth for the expanding Europe. Important values are tolerance and openness towards foreign cultures.

• Learning about different cultures
• Diverse education of foreign languages
• International projects
• Getting to know about European working life

Halikko high school has organized two teachers' meetings in Finland. The first one was in 2004 and the second was in spring 2012.

List of participating schools:

-Europaschule Köln, Germany
-Berufskolleg am Wassertum - Bocholt, Germany
-Helene-Lange-Realschule , Germany
-Europaschule Herzogenrath, Germany
-Berufskolleg im Bildungspark, Germany
-Gustav-Heinemann-Gesamtschule, Germany
-Istituto Tecnico Turistico Economico Statale 'G. Mazzotti', Italy
-Istituto "E. Majorana", Italy
-Istituto Omnicomprensivo "D. Alighieri" via le scuole, Italy
-Neumann janos középiskola és Kollégium, Hungary
-Zespó Szkól Nr 110. Warsaw
-I liceum ogólnokształcące w dzierżoniowie, Poland
-Colegio Nuestra senora de los desamparados, Spain

Schools connected to NEOS
-Cité Scolaire 2, Place de Montreal, France
-Ahlcon International School Mayur Vihar Phase-1, India

Comenius project

Halikko high school took part in a Comenius project 2012-2014. The goal of the project was to maintain a European youth online magazine. The project got financial support from the EU's Comenius fund. There were eight different schools taking part in the project from different sides of Europe. There were schools, from Finland, Germany, Italy, Poland and Hungary taking part in this project. The magazine served the schools that are members of the NEOS network. While students were making the magazine they were improving their mediaskills and learned about economics and entrepreneurship. When the students were working together, they also got to know each other and different cultures. Students could also improve their language skills. There were also international meetings between different schools. There were about four students and two teachers from every school participating in these meetings. Erasmus+ There was an Erasmus+ project with teachers in 2014-2016. Thinking Green: Sustainable Tourism and Sustainable Communities We started a two-year Erasmus+ project funded by the European Union in 2019 and it's finished in 2021. The project was called Thinking Green: Sustainable Tourism for Sustainable Communities. The project involved six European schools from Spain, Portugal, Lithuania, Germany, Slovenia, and our school from Finland. The goal of the project was to get to know what sustainable tourism is. The students found out what tourism is like near the partaking schools, and what kind of benefits it has. During the project, the students reflected on what kind of travelers they are. At the same time, they became more aware of what kind of tourism is good, and how to be more responsible.   More on the projects home page: https://thinkinggreenproje.wixsite.com/erasmus  IBT IBT stands for International Business Twinning. IBT is an international project that concentrates on entrepreneurship. We have partners in Salo's twintowns Anija (Estonia), Elva (Estonia), Rzhev (Russia) and Gárdony (Hungary). The goal of the project is to work every month with similar tasks in every countries that are participating in the project. The tasks are connected with entreprenuership education. Students receive one course for participating this project. There are also international meetings where students and teachers from different schools meet each other. The first meeting was held in Salo in 2011. The second meeting was held in Gárdony in Hungary in 2012. The third meeting was held in Anija in Estonia in 14 - 19. April 2013. The fourth meeting was held in Elva in Estonia in May 2014. The purpose of the meeting was: - to bring together and find ways for co-operation of young people, educational institutes and enerprises in the region - to create a communication tool through teinning activities concernng the globalisation in respect of young people - to share contact and opportunity for co-operation and partnership of companies in the region, as well in the neighbourhood settlement

International working experience

NEOS schools give students a chance to take part in an international work experience. Especially in German schools work experience is part of the curriculum so it was only logical for us to start the experiment with the Europaschule in Cologne. In spring 2014 our student Liisa Oranta travelled to Germany for two weeks and worked there. Below is a little interview about Liisa's thoughts about her trip to Germany.

Name: Liisa Oranta

When did you visit Germany?
Spring 2014
Why did you want to go there?
I have studied German since elementary school and this was a good chance to develope my oral skills.
How was the life there?
Pretty much the same as in Finland. Life was maybe a bit more hectic because I went to see many famous sightseeing spots. And I also worked during the weeks.
What suprised you the most there?
The city of Cologne was a bit bigger than I imagined and also the German people were truly helpful and kind. The food was also very stereotypical ( sausages, potatoes, beer etc...) but still delicious.
How was your foster family?
The family consisted of parents and the daughter of my age. I had gotten to know her earlier during her visit here in Finland. They were really nice and helpful.
Did you like working there?
I worked at the theater for children and young people. I really enjoyed working there: for example I sorted out letters, gave out brochures and saw plays.
Did your speaking skills get better?
Maybe a little especially my language understanding got better but many people spoke English to me.
Whom would you recommend international working experience to?
Outgoing, spontaneous persons and to people who are interested in different cultures.