Changing Cities, Future Citizens Erasmus Project

Project Title

Changing Cities, Future Citizens

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: Social dialogue; Environment and climate change; Civic engagement / responsible citizenship

Project Summary

Changing Cities, Future Citizens is an interdisciplinary project integrating natural and social sciences, languages and charity work. A core group of 35 students aged 15-19 in each of the five partner schools from Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Italy and Spain will study the phenomenon of city. Already over a half of the global population lives in urban environments, and the difficult environmental issues are inherently related to urban living. The city will be dealt with as a physical, environmental and social entity, thus offering a versatile phenomenon that already has an effect on our students.The need for this project arose in discussions among the partners when looking at the needs of the schools and the urgent problems related to society and the world.
Our main priority is for our students to acquire and develop basic skills and competences by using innovative methods since they will need not only academic but also practical skills for both their future studies and work. Other objectives are promoting civic engagement and responsibility as well as raising awareness of global warming, the importance of individual choices and sustainable solutions. We also want to increase the students’ motivation in studying sciences and improve their interest in project work by recognizing their participating either by giving them certificates or study credits or both. This is why we also encourage them to use the Europass in some form.
One aim is the exchange of good practices. The participating teachers will learn how to use phenomenon based, theme based and team based leaning methods in their own work. They will also teach their colleagues these methods. This will lead to new courses and integrated curricula.
The five LTT activities focus on different aspects of the city. In Innovation, Now! students will familiarize themselves with city structure, planning and development. Problem solving skills are learned when redesigning the patches of land assigned to teams to make them more attractive for the inhabitants, taking into account the needs of the city and its residents. In Greenset Your City! in Valladolid students will try their hand at renaturing cities, so that they can become more sustainable and resilient to combat climate change. The students will cooperate with universities, create a scale model in collaboration with two EU funded projects by Valladolid City Hall. In Leave Your Mark! in Jihlava students will focus on congeniality in city environments and how site-specific art can affect town dwellers and their well-being. Students will mold different places in the town with site-specific art, creating works to improve the environment. Have a Say, Speak UP! Community in action in Thiene focuses on decision making and active citizenship. Students will debate important societal issues in a Young Citizens Assembly. Furthermore, they will plan community development projects to be carried out in their hometowns. They will cooperate with politicians and organisations, understanding the processes behind decisions and the importance of taking initiative and volunteering. In Building a Future in Tampere students will combine and contrast the knowledge gained throughout the project, creating ideal cities with characteristics that would both attract prospective inhabitants and be sustainable. In a fair, they will present and advertise their cities with smart features, getting feedback from a jury consisting of professionals.
The project will be carried out by using phenomenon based learning, a learner-centered approach. It will combine learning at school with connections to working life and universities e.g. through excursions and lectures. Students will work on the different themes in transnational teams, taking responsibility for their own learning, mentored by professionals in the field, teachers facilitating the process. Many pre-tasks will be done on eTwinning, so ICT will play an important role. Evaluation, dissemination and documentation will be carried out on eTwinning, the project website, other media and exhibitions by students and Erasmus teams.
As a result, students will learn entrepreneurial, leadership and organisatorial skills, improving their language skills and digital competences. The project will also benefit the teachers and organisations. Beside the improved ICT and language skills, good practices will cause changes in school curricula. Motivation for international projects will improve, and cooperation with the partnership will continue as new projects, and the organisations will keep up and develop the network gained through the project, and use the contacts in the future.
We believe our project will give our students an insight into working in a multi-cultural environment. With many European countries highlighting national interests as well as solidarity among EU members decreasing at the moment, it is even more important for the next generation to see the benefits of a united Europe.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 164882 Eur

Project Coordinator

Tampereen kaupunki / Lukiokoulutus/ Tammerkosken lukio & Country: FI

Project Partners

• LICEO CORRADINI
• Fundación Educarte
• Stredni umeleckoprumyslova skola Jihlava-Helenin, Halkova 42
• Droste-Hülshoff-Gymnasium Rottweil