Reframing perspectives on sustainability: appreciating opposing views to influence others and drive change. Erasmus Project

Project Title

Reframing perspectives on sustainability: appreciating opposing views to influence others and drive change.

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: Environment and climate change; Social dialogue; Civic engagement / responsible citizenship

Project Summary

People today face various sustainability and climate challenges (“eco-challenges”).
To address these, strategies need to be defined to create a sustainable world in which group and individual behaviour will need to undergo significant changes.
Our pupils also face these eco-challenges, which may require major changes in the way their lives are shaped and thereby require major behavioural changes.
The development of active (international) citizenship among young people, focusing on taking joint responsibility and action, while seeking commonality instead of polarisation but also appreciating the diversity of opinions and interests, will be required and schools will need to play an important (and leading) role in this process.
Truly understanding the issues related to the challenges of sustainability is essential. This requires investigating them from many different angles and trying to separate fact from fiction.
However, there is a tendency towards polarisation and to “remain within your own bubble” which tends to fix and confirm set opinions rather than an open mindset. Given this strong polarisation of thought constructive discussion is difficult, which inhibits the possibility to reach a common ground and define strategies to come up with solutions to problems.

Our project’s aim is to challenge the pupils to become “drivers of change” focusing on behavioural change. The proposed eco-challenges have a strong behavioural component. Behaviour is influenced by how people view the issues surrounding these eco-challenges and any changes will largely depend on the achieved behavioural changes. Pupils can, although difficult, change behaviour themselves, or may try to influence peers to do so (“peer influencing”). We therefore want pupils to propose ways to answer the question “What can I do myself?” to become a driver of change.
Based on this we want them to create concrete products with proposals how to deal with the relevant eco-challenges and what role they can play, either by themselves or by influencing (the behaviour of) others (their peers), which can then be shared with others.

Based on this realisation, we want them to investigate various eco-challenges in depth:
1) Food (consumption and production) (Gymnasium Beekvliet)
2) Plastics (Trinity Academy)
3) Waste management (Liceo Bagatta)
4) Energy (consumption and production) (KGS Waldschule)

During the LTTAs we will focus on:
1) Presentation and discussion of the results of the preparatory assignment
2) Topic-related excursions
3) Workshops and/or discussions with experts in the field
4) working in international groups and preparing a concrete final product
5) presentation/sharing of results with pupils, teachers and other stake-holders
6) family hosting to experience local culture, traditions and habits of the host country
7) social programme (organized by pupils).

Based on this, every LTTA will result in a product (a view of the future) proposing how pupils can influence the behavioural aspects of the country eco-challenge and how they can use “peer-influencing”. This will be disseminated via open-source platforms within each school and made available for a wider public, mainly through the project website.
Examples of products may be: film, blog, web page, newspaper, “TED-talk”, campaign, presentation, petition or a suitable alternatives the pupils come up with. Between LTTAs pupils develop specific “products” or initiatives, aimed at peer influencing and disseminating the project results and outcomes to a wider audience thereby driving change.

We aim to involve at least 24 pupils (aged 15-17) per school in the project. Each school will ask pupils to indicate their interest by a letter of application/motivation. An inclusive approach will be ensured, giving pupils the opportunity to participate who would not normally (feel they) have the chance to do so. For instance, pupils may also express their interest in other ways if they have literacy/writing difficulties..

We aim to involve parents, the local community and other partners. Parents will host guests, share culture and habits and organise visits to local attractions. They will also be invited to hear about the results of the project.
(Local) organisations will be involved for educating pupils and staff, for instance by hosting excursions, acting as experts, delivering lectures, delivering workshops, listening to pupils talks and more, thereby adding crucial knowledge to help pupils to form their opinions and create their concrete outcomes. Local councils and municipalities will also be invited to attend presentations at the end of each LTTA.

Through the programme pupils will develop various skills, such as critical thinking, creativity, cooperation in international groups, communication and various digital skills and they will feel they can make a real impact. Schools and staff will gain knowledge and lay the foundation for (even) more sustainability-related long-term action.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 131333 Eur

Project Coordinator

Gymnasium Beekvliet & Country: NL

Project Partners

• LICEO DI STATO G.BAGATTA
• Trinity Academy
• Kooperative Gesamtschule Waldschule Schwanewede