Connected by the sea Erasmus Project

Project Title

Connected by the sea

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 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Agriculture, forestry and fisheries; Cultural heritage/European Year of Cultural Heritage; Environment and climate change

Project Summary

The majesty of the sea has always fascinated us human beings and is vital to our existence and life on earth. Throughout history, the world has always been connected by the sea in different ways. Humans depend on the sea when it comes to food, work and transportation. With this partnership, our aim is to develop a project that focuses on the sea from different perspectives; as a way of connecting people, reinforce peaceful relationships, as a source of creating job opportunities and as an energy and food resource. Moreover, the project will empasise that the sea is and marine life are under threat. Pollution, climate change and waste, such as plastic, is currently a major concern and can ruin the sea as a food resource. The seas are interconnected, and thus the preservation of the seas is a common resposibility.

The project will also emphasize fundamental European values such as democracy, diversity, peace and solidarity. In addition to these central values, other important objectives will emphasize increased social competence for the participating countries through the planned activities as well as digital and artistic expression in various ways. The participants will improve their knowledge about the sea on different levels: history, geography, politics, science, Languages, career opportunities and raised awareness of the preservation of the marine biodiversity and a sustainable development are all central objectives of the project.

The activites and concrete results of the project will involve presentations, creative work such as theatre and video documentary, the creation of a website, a webpage on E-twinning, different awareness campaigns, career fairs, film festivals and art exhibitions. Various and many dissemination activities will be crucial throughout the entire project. In addition to the involvement of the partner school, the local community will also take part in activities related to the project where local media and politicians will be invited.

The five participating schools are each connected to their sea: Ingieråsen Skole in Norway is located by the North Sea and the Norwegian Sea, Agrupamento de Escolas Morgado de Mateus in Portugal is located by the Atlantic Sea, The High School of Petra, in the island of Lesvos in Greece is located in the Mediterranean Sea, Scoala Gimnaziala Nr. 1 Unirea in Romania is located by The Black Sea and Collège Beauséjour in French Martinique in the Caribbean basin. Together this will contribute to increased understanding of the way the sea works as all partner schools are able to experience the sea and its biodiversity up close. The sea will function as a common platform to achieve increased understanding and this will unite all the partner schools.

The project will give 100 students opportunity to participate in a short-term exchange. These will be chosen to reflect the profile of the school in total, bringing students with different socio-economic background together bringing a broader perspective to the project. In addition to the traveling students, the project will also involve several classes from each of the five schools aiming to involve a total of thousand students.

For the involved students it will be a unique possibility to increase their foreign language competence and motivation in language learning, use foreign language in daily life through practice, develop self-expression skills, increase career opportunities, increase awareness, understanding, tolerance and respect not only of cultural and social differences between nations, but also for our seas. For teachers, it will be a great chance to be engaged in European collective team work and interdisciplinary cooperation, improve their pedagogical skills by exchanging and sharing teaching methods, good practices and ideas that will enrich their professional expertise and develop teaching skills with innovative approaches for communicative skills.

The potential long term benefits of the project is to make our students aware of European diversity as a good value and of the sea as a common treasure and a collective responsibility. We intend to reinforce their conscience as European citizens sharing the same values: respecting and valuing diversity, being tolerant, sense of responsibility, caring for the sea preservation. Our results, reports and website will serve as a resource and inspiration for all stakeholders. Our project may function as “a drop in the sea” when it comes to highlightening and raising awareness of the importance and preservation of the sea. However, through our dissemanation activities the partners will act as an important voice in our communities and beyond. After all, many drops make a sea.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 163669 Eur

Project Coordinator

Ingieråsen skole & Country: NO

Project Partners

• COLLEGE BEAUSEJOUR
• Agrupamento de Escolas Morgado de Mateus
• Daily Junior High School of Petra of Lesvos
• Scoala Gimnaziala Nr. 1 Unirea