Water is an integral part of life, both for survival and cultural expression. Without water, we cannot live. We build our cities near water, we consume water, we bathe in water and work with water. Water seperates people from each other (oceans and rivers, struggles for water resources) but water also unifies people (common religious rituals). Each culture in the world has a different way of viewing, using and celebrating water. But each of them recognises its value and importance for human life.This project aims to raise the students` awareness for the various facets of this topic aswell as for the common need of finding a responsible way of consuming water no matter to which cultural group they belong or in which country they live. Working on this topic will foster a dialogue between different cultures and lead to a greater understanding of how water is valued in the three countries.The topic "water" is perfectly suitable for planning and carrying out various projects in connection with different subjects. And it is perfectly suitable for comparing all those different aspects within the three countries (Germany, Romania, Turkey).In the course of this project the participating institutions will research, compare and report about similarities and differences concerning the significance of water in Gummersbach, Otelo Rosu and Ankara. They will create e.g. a video film, a dictionary, a CD, a play, charts and diagrammes in which they will document and reveal their findings. On the basis of their results they will be able to point out that despite the differences, all three countries have the common duty to preserve their water resources for future generations which is a common goal in terms of growing together in Europe.
