Since 2025 we have had preparatory communication to establish a student exchange with a highschool in Granada.
We are happy to start our exchange with IES Luis Bueno Crespo in 2025.
During the spring of 2026, a group of eight 16-year-old students from Carlslundsskolan traveled to Granada, Spain, to visit our partner school for a week focused on culture, STEAM education, civic engagement, and history.
The week kicked off with a warm welcome from the principal and an orientation by the Erasmus+ Coordinator, setting a great tone for the project ahead. Through student-led tours and collaborative presentations, the students reconnected after months apart, which really helped boost their public speaking confidence and sharpen their English skills. This initial phase gave everyone a sense of belonging while highlighting the fascinating similarities and differences between European school systems.
One of the highlights was trying out the school's award-winning "Music of the Spheres" initiative. Working in mixed international teams, the students used a STEAM approach and digital software to transform poetry into physical 3D art. The Swedish students also shadowed their hosts during regular classes, getting a firsthand look at Spain's teaching styles, grading systems, and overall classroom dynamics.
The program also focused heavily on what it means to be an active European citizen through dedicated workshops on democracy. By jumping into structured debates and activities centered on human rights, the students learned about democratic laws and core European values. It was a great space for them to discuss opposing opinions, think about future elections, and practice seeing things from someone else's perspective, ultimately helping them understand their own role in a democratic society.
Outside school, the learning moved into the real world. Guided tours of historic Andalusian monuments helped the students connect local history to a broader global context, encouraging them to think critically about past migrations and cultural shifts. They also visited a local science park for some hands-on experimentation, working together to solve problems in a lively, multilingual environment. Finally, staying with host families gave the students a true insider look at daily Spanish life and language. Navigating everything from public spaces to family dinners naturally bridged cultural gaps, boosted their communication, and helped them form genuine, long-lasting friendships across Europe.
"It was great, my host family was kind and I felt at home. Even though not everyone was very good at English we managed to find ways to communicate and I understood a lot of the Spanish."
"My match with the Spanish student was great, we became great friends and we had so much fun."
"When it comes to freetime activities, we went swimming in the sea, went to town, were in the Sierra Nevada, played soccer, beach volleyball at the beach, went on walks and ate Spanish food."
During February 2026 our Erasmus group hosted students from Granada for about a week. The group took part in a tour around the school, typical Swedish classes such as home economics and even got the chance to spend time outside in the snow. During the week the Spanish students also took part in the yearly ice-swimming that all our 9th graders do in sports class. Many were really brave and jumped in the ice cold water!
The main topic of the stay revolved around active citizenship and the way young people can have an impact and influence the way the cities they live in are designed. Through a partnership with the municipality Carlslundsskolan got the chance to learn more about the project of Umeå becoming Europe's Youth Capital. Through dialogues, discussions, brainstorming and presentations the students developed specific ideas about what their dream city should look like, who and what it should include to best fit their needs as young adults. As the students were able to present their ideas to responsible people from the municipality, they understood how valuable their thoughts are to design the cities of the future.