By-train Training through Europe towards Sustainability Erasmus Project

Project Title

By-train Training through Europe towards Sustainability

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 : Strategic Partnerships for Schools Only

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2015

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Environment and climate change; Teaching and learning of foreign languages; Transport and mobility

Project Summary

This strategic partnership has consisted of 4 secondary schools (1. ITCTS VITTORIO EMANUELE II, Bergamo, Italy; 2. ANIARAGYMNASIET, Göteborg, Sweden; 3. IES BELLAVISTA, Seville, Spain; 4. Berufliches Schulzentrum, Amberg, Germany). We consider the enviromental question fundamental for every present society but, in particular, two of these schools offer tourism courses, so together we worked out an Erasmus+ KA2 project titled “By-Train Training through Europe towards Sustainability”.

Our aim was:
– increasing awareness about climate changes and the environment leading to more sustainable general and touristic practices with the support of local stakeholders
– improving participants’ language skills and communicating competences
– implementing non-conventional teaching methods by combining theory with more effective transnational experiences and cooperation

The more than 200 participating students (teenagers aged 15 to 19), constantly monitored by teachers, worked in groups (both nationally and transnationally), using English and Spanish as vehicular languages, in order to do the following:
– investigate the state of our planet at global and local levels
– effect surveys, compare data over the two years and with foreign mates; draw conclusions
– organize, propose and carry out visits and excursions liable to widen and deepen their knowledge of the environmental problems and the effects produced by tourism on urban and natural scapes

After a preliminary trip to Andalucia, in spring 2016, the core of the project was a train journey from Göteborg to Bergamo passing through Germany. The 32 students (accompanied by 8 teachers) who lived this fascinating experience, “slow traveling” around Europe, had to look around them with critical eyes, take pictures and produce a travel report.

By the end of the project our students’ outputs are:

A. A comparative analysis of the state of our environment both at global and local levels with a specific focus on the footprint left by tourism on our urban and rural scapes.
B. A choral diary by an odd group of young slow travelers with a photo report on the journey experience “By-train training through Europe towards sustainability”.
C. A series of texts giving advise for travelling around and between Bergamo, Gothenburg, Amberg and Seville in a sustainable way, such as:
– Bergamo for young slow travellers: a tourist site made by the young for the young (by the Italians)
– Young people through Europe (by the Swedish)
– A tourist guide for young slow travellers through Europe (by the Spanish)
– Sustainable travelling and local food – a selection of European cities (by the Germans)
D Graffitis
E A video with a special song summarizing the entire project and our message
F Some video spots promoting sustainable practices
G A questionnaire on daily habits concerning the environment

We observed a certain local impact, as we did spread the project results by means of our schools websites, facebook and through a number of dissemination events, such as a few days during which the schools organized the following:
– involve staff, students and families to comply with some very simple ecological practices
– exhibit students’ photo report
– carry out interactive workshops on the project theme with pupils from different schools
– give a conference / take part in festivals to publicize the students’ outcomes and the results produced
– release articles about the project on local and national press

On a higher level (regional, national and international) in the future we wish that we may be read and become a model for other schools and future projects, which will consider it necessary to join us in this engagement in defense of the planet where we all live.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 100130 Eur

Project Coordinator

ITCTS VITTORIO EMANUELE II & Country: IT

Project Partners

• Berufliches Schulzentrum Amberg
• Aniaragymnasiet
• IES Bellavista