School Food Lab Erasmus Project

Project Title

School Food Lab

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Health and wellbeing; Social/environmental responsibility of educational institutions; Environment and climate change

Project Summary

School Food Lab – a class exchange project between Flanders and Hungary about food, sciences and sustainable consumption
This KA229 project is a class exchange between Szent László Görögkatolikus Gimnázium, Egészségügyi (Debrecen, Hungary) and Regina Caelilyceum (Dilbeek, Belgium).
Our project is based on SDG12 ‘Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns’ and the EU Green Deal – Farm to Fork. Our schools will work together aiming to exchange good practices to improve the awareness and the need for sustainable consumption in our students, in our schools and in our students’ wider community.  

Both schools work with a class group of 28 science students and 5 project teachers. The students are in their penultimate year of secondary education. The working language is English.
This project is based on two horizontal priorities: Environmental and climate goals and Common values, civic engagement and participation. These priorities are linked with three main topics: Environment and climate change, Social/environmental responsibility of educational institutions, Health and wellbeing.
Following the learning cycle of Korthagen, the students will set up a research project, analyse and compare the results of both schools and suggest solutions to develop a more sustainable community and environment. Keeping a sour-dough base for bread ‘alive’ during the 2 years serves as a concrete example of such a research project, which can serve as inspiration for their own research projects. Based on the process of exploration, mapping, reflection and publication of results they will develop a strategy of awareness-raising and action plans.
While setting up their own research students will strengthen their scientific and STEM skills. During the process of the whole project every student will develop competences (knowledge, skills and attitudes) in co-working, intercultural learning, communication, … They will try to map the richness of this experience in a LEVEL5 reference system.

In the course of the 2 years (Sept 2021 – Aug 2023) we plan 2 teacher meetings and 2 student meeting, 1 of each in each school.
During the teacher meetings, we work on the professionalisation of the teachers with regard to project management, development of skills and competences, next to the internationalisation policy of both schools. In that way, the whole school community will benefit from this project, and not only the participating students.
During the student meetings, we will let the students discuss, brainstorm, investigate, develop the content and good practices, so they own the project. This also includes the development of communication and dissemination strategies.
In between the meetings, the work goes on at both schools, mainly in their normal (science and language) courses, so subject teachers are involved as well.

Throughout the project, we follow the learning cycle of Korthagen on all possible levels: for the project as a whole, but also for the different project meetings or a scientific research project.

We envisage these results after the 2-year project: action plans to raise awareness about sustainable food, a recipe booklet, newsletters to be used at both schools and in the wider community, a scientific methodology, reflection on the suggested action plans and the whole project, incorporation of and reflection on the acquired competences (knowledge – skills – attitudes) in students and teachers.
As potential long-term results we envisage
– a growing awareness with regard of food consumption and a sustainable policy about food consumption in general at school;
– a more professional, interculturally aware group of teachers;
– a policy at school with regard to internationalisation and
– a list of good practices to share with other schools and the wider local community.

All these results will be shared on these platforms: eTwinning, School Education Gateway, Erasmus+ Project Platform and the websites of both schools.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 46714 Eur

Project Coordinator

Regina Caelilyceum Dilbeek & Country: BE

Project Partners

• Szent László Görögkatolikus Gimnázium, Egészségügyi Szakgimnázium és Szakközépiskola