Humans First Erasmus Project

Project Title

Humans First

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: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy; Energy and resources

Project Summary

The project “Humans First” deals with the interdependence of the energy industry and human rights. The concern for an efficient, climate-friendly energy supply in Europe is mostly known to the students. The concern for an efficient, climate-friendly energy supply in Europe is mostly present to the students. It’s been driving the young people into the street recently (Friday For Future), where they are protesting against the inactivity of those who are responsible.
The urgency of dealing with the problem and possible solutions themselves, however, has rarely arrived in young people’s everyday lives, as the effects of the scarcity of resources are not yet directly affecting their lives and are often communicated in a very abstract and general way. That is why it is a major concern to draw the attention of students to the future of energy supply.
In accordance with the concerns of the project “Humans First”, the following goals are to be pursued in the project “Humans First”:
• Overview of the topic of energy supply
• Capturing political structures of the energy industry
• Focusing on human rights as a cultural asset
• Taking over responsibility / becoming an active citizen
The product of the project “Humans First” will be the elaboration of a curriculum to strengthen education for sustainable development in the energy sector and the specification of individual teaching modules. The topic offers the opportunity to combine many professional teaching approaches of different subjects (e.g. Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Geography, Social sciences, Active Citizenship).
Against the background of our curricular work, the necessity of organizing an activity as teacher training becomes clear: structure and contents of curricula, administrative requirements and obligations need to be compared and probably adapted in an international context.
The four learning activities at the respective partner schools should serve to make the aspect of global thinking in its unavoidability visible to the pupils and to let them experience e.g. structural change in the Ruhr area through the phase-out of coal mining, alternative energy sources, energy saving / recycling, migration due to climate change.
While dealing with the issue of sustainable energy supply and its handling at local and national level is a problem area to be developed in schools between learning activities, the collection and comparison of the respective country-specific results will be done together during the joint learning activities as well thinking about grasping the possibilities of economic, ecological and political action on a global level.
Each learning activity is intended to support the entire product with a subproduct: The students develop small presentations in the form of posters, films or assignments (lessons for pupils) on the respective topic of the activity. These joint activities can be used to work out the lesson modules on the subject of project.
The participating students will be between the ages of 15 – 17 years. There will be eight students from each partner school participating in the activities. In total, 24 students per partner school will be involved in the project. Depending on the organisation and timetables of the prospective school, students will be prepared for the learning activities in their courses in their Year groups or in extra workshops.
Cooperative and self-organized learning are to be focused on in the learning activities: The students first develop a research question that is of interest to them and then use the different learning opportunities to pursue the solution to this question: texts, internet research, museum visits, contacts to external “advisors” (politicians, entrepreneurs, etc.). If necessary, the teachers support the students with advice on working strategies and time management.
It is the undeniable benefit of international Erasmus project that enables the students to share problems in their everyday life and immediate environment and see international dimensions at the same time. Taking over responsibility, getting involved and giving each other mutual support in an Erasmus project is hopefully going to make an effect on their lives as responsible citizens.
The exchange of opportunities to take initiatives in the field of sustainable energy supply, energy and waste prevention, recycling and social and political issues is even more challenging and enriching in a transnational context. The project “Humans First” and its product in the form of curricular ideas and lesson plans are intended to closely link the theoretical and practical examination of sustainable energy supply while also considering human rights.
In different stages of the project, activities will be worked out, to which more students or even the entire school community can contribute. This is to ensure that the results of the project not only influence the teaching content and methods of the project schools, but also shape school life in general.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 124614 Eur

Project Coordinator

Stadtgymnasium Dortmund & Country: DE

Project Partners

• IESLESFOIES
• Unity Education Trust
• Liceo Andrea Maffei