Healthy Life – Happy Life! – Exploring different aspects of a healthy lifestyle Erasmus Project

Project Title

Healthy Life – Happy Life! – Exploring different aspects of a healthy lifestyle

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 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Environment and climate change; Health and wellbeing

Project Summary

The project “Healthy Life – Happy Life! – Exploring different aspects of a healthy lifestyle” was a cooperation of partner schools from Italy (Istituto Istruzione Superiore “ENZO FERRARI” – Battipaglia). Romania (Colegiul Economic Dimitrie Cantemir – Suceava), Greece (2o Geniko Lykeio – Edessa), Germany (Johann-Joachim-Becher-Schule BBS Speyer) and Sweden (Plusgymnasiet AB – Jonkoping). This geographic heterogeneity deliverd some interesting constellations, which could not be integrated into the project fully because of the Covid19-situation. We were not able to travel to Sweden and only 2 groups were allowed to travel to Greece, where the program had to be modified because of the situation.
Greece has the highest share of smokers (38%) within Europe, whereas Sweden is to be found at the other end of the scale with only 7% smokers. Romania and Italy have the lowest share of overweight people in the EU, but Germany, for example, lies above the EU-average in this category. This diversity made a valuable contribution to the success of the project. Pupils were surprised by the significant differencies.

In order to cover different aspects of a healthy lifestyle the main project topic was split up into five sub-topics.
– Italy: Benefits of a Mediterranean diet
– Germany: Vegetarian or non-vergetarian diet – What are the effects on my health, my budget and our planet?
– Romania: Be Sugar Wise
– Greece: The fight against smoking (was realized, but in a shorter way with less participants)
– Sweden: “Allemansrätten” – The Right of Public Access to the nature – we wanted to explore food from the woods, but this week had to be cancelled completety.

Selecting these sub-topics served the purpose to reach the main objective of the project, “Promoting the acquisition of skills and competences”, in the fields of “Health and wellbeing” and “Environment and climate change”.

The percentage of smokers in the EU countries has generally declined over recent years, but among young people the percentage of smokers is the highest compared to other age groups.
Obesity and bad smoking habits apply for a considerable part of the students participating in this project. The external assessment of smokers and overweight people by society in general and potential employers in particular diminish the chances of these youngsters to be successful at school and in the workfield. Some of the students were so moved by the results of the workshops that they started crying when thinking about their relatives being stuck in such unhealthy and resources-consuming habits.

These self-organized learning processes especially in Greece and Germany lead for some students to concrete options for actions acting differently towards a healthier life by improving their eating habits. Some wanted to turn vegiterians after the project and many of the students claimed to reduce their meat consumption drastically. Also they became embassadors for non-smoking-habits. By addressing the participating students the project contributed to reaching the aim of “Supporting schools to tackle early school leaving (ESL) and disadvantage”.

The students worked on the various sub-topics of the project by preparing for and taking part in the LTT meetings taking place in each participating country and by doing some follow-up work and also preparing presentations for the upcoming meetings.

Each visiting team consisted of two teachers – one time the German team brought in addition to that their headmaster, another time an exchange students who was working as an assistant teacher at the school and five to six students. The students had been selected by each partner school according to criteria agreed upon at each partner school independently. In the host country’s team thee were naturally more teachers and students, about five teachers and 25 – 30 students.

During the LTT meetings the students worked in workshops and in groups and produced and other material, like a cooking-book. In Germany each student recieved a portfolio with the materials they had to work on in the workshops and could therefore easily bring home all the information and results and spread them in their schools. The practical activities of the LTT meetings were documented by video clips which are to be published on the twinspace. The dishes which are cooked on the first three LTT meetings are also documented and made accessible to the whole project and the public, in a cooking book.

After the LTT meetings there had been follow-up activities at each partner school, but even more there were activities to prepare the next meeting topics. These activities like additional surveys and designing and producing e-books with recipes, ensured the sustainability of the project results even beyond the end of the project. The material gatherd and elaborated is going to be used by the partner schools and the subject is going to be part of the curriculum of the schools.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 113753 Eur

Project Coordinator

Johann-Joachim-Becher-Schule Berufsbildende Schule Speyer & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Plusgymnasiet AB
• ISTITUTO ISTRUZIONE SUPERIORE “ENZO FERRARI”
• COLEGIUL ECONOMIC DIMITRIE CANTEMIR
• 2o GENIKO LYKEIO EDESSAS