Creating a Sustainable International Learning Community Erasmus Project

Project Title

Creating a Sustainable International Learning Community

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: Civic engagement / responsible citizenship; Environment and climate change; EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy

Project Summary

Background
Due to technological developments and the internet, we are connected worldwide with people and information. We are facing tremendous global challenges, formulated in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and we need to prepare our young people in addressing them. The generation that we are now educating in secondary schools will face the consequences of these challenges like pollution, global warming, a growing economic divide and the displacement of an enormous amount of people. Due to the interconnections of these global challenges, we need to cooperate on local and global simultaneously levels to deal with them. Global citizenship, as responsible, self-conscious and critical citizens, is therefore also getting more important.
Governments, societal organizations and educational institutes recognize the need to educate young people as global citizens. The goal of this project is to develop a programme about Global Citizenship Education (GCE) by creating a “Sustainable International Learning Community” called SILC. Through SILC our pupils get involved in global challenges at a local, national and global level and get a better understanding about social, environmental, and political issues which creates a field of tension between the individual and the collective.

Objectives
The main goal is to co-create, implement, and evaluate a joint programme on global citizenship based on the SDGs and according to the guidelines of the SILC concept for the three participating schools.

The objectives are:
1. To design a coherent set of learning activities around one or more SDGs including clear learning outcomes and different forms of assessment that are culturally appropriate for different educational levels;
2. To develop and implement a program for GCE as a coherent part of the curricula in the participating schools;
3. To create a challenging international learning environment by implementing the educational concept SILC;
4. To create a sustainable foundation for partnerships which are sealed by a MOU.

Number and profile of the participants
Our target group is pupils in the age of 13-16 years. All pupils will be involved in the program, by participating in the exchange programme and school activities, such as projects and presentations. For the selection of pupils to join the exchange programme, the focus will be at criteria like a balance between boys and girls, attention for difference in level of education, and character and personal qualities to assure enough diversity within our teams. There will be four exchanges, each consisting of 12 pupils and four teachers. In total 48 pupils and 16 teachers will be involved in the exchange programme.

Activities
Each activity is related to the SDGs with the main focus on SDG 1 (No Poverty), 2 (Zero Hunger), 4 (Quality Education), 5 (Gender Equality), 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), 13 (Climate Action) and 15 (Life on Land).
Through the LTTAs intercultural competences will be developed, through assignments where pupils make vlogs and tell each other about their daily lives, how they live, spend their leisure time, and what your school looks like. The international orientation within the curricula will be strengthened by addressing the global issues highlighted by SDGs. The interactive workshops, assignments, a buddy programme, and assessments are just a few examples that are used to support the personal development of students and teachers.

Methodology
The three partner school are going to co-create the LTTAs and will involve highly motivated and active pupils, e.g. members of the ECO- and GSA-team in this process. All pupils at school will take part in various activities linked to the SDGs. The results of the activities will be shared through various creative ways ranging from vlogs, a website, and presentations. The international context of the project will enable pupils to enhance their language skills and experience different cultures. eTwinning will be very useful when teachers and pupils are preparing the LTTAs prior to a visit. To communicate with partners email, WhatsApp, and Microsoft Teams will be used, and documents will be shared via OneDrive and Teams.

Results and impact
A challenging learning environment will be created by involving pupils with global issues in their own (school) environment. These activities should result in more ownership and enthusiasm for GCE linked to SDGs and are going to be evaluated during, in between, and after the activities.

Long-term benefits
1. GCE is integrated in the curricula of the three participating schools;
2. A sustainable partnership between the schools is established;
3. SILC is established and more stakeholders are part of the SDG programme.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 89280 Eur

Project Coordinator

STICHTING GROEN ONDERWIJS OOST NEDERLAND & Country: NL

Project Partners

• Colegiul Agricol “Daniil Popovici Barcianu”
• Transylvania College. The Cambridge International School in Cluj