Eat Local Think Global Erasmus Project

Project Title

Eat Local Think Global

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: Early School Leaving / combating failure in education; Environment and climate change; Teaching and learning of foreign languages

Project Summary

“Eat Local, Think Global” is a project of cooperation between a French and an Austrian school in order to exchange about their local cultural heritage (esp. gastronomy) and about environmental issues (esp. the impact of food choices on the planet’s health).
The Austrian school is located in Vöcklabruck, in a touristic area near Salzburg and the French school is located in Wassy, in a remote area in the Grand-Est Region. Both schools offer vocational trainings, cooking is a part of them.
Most of the French school students are from a disadvantaged social background (2/3rds of them have never been abroad) and have learning difficulties. The average percentage of early school leavers for both schools is around 6%. The main objectives of this project are to increase the students’ cultural curiosity and their mobility as well as to motivate them for learning and enlarging their vocational skills.
The other important goal of the project is to make the students aware of the necessity of acting resource-consciously on a local, national and international level.
37 students, aged 16 to 19, took part in this project. Both groups attended cooking lessons. Both groups learned English at school so it was the language of the project.
This project was associated with an eponymous eTwinning project. Its Twinspace was opened in June 2019 and enabled the participants to communicate regularly and safely and to present the project activities and results until June 2020.
Thus, the project could start at the very beginning of the school year in September 2019. The participants first got to know each other with the “Who is who?” game and thanks to a videoconference. Then they worked on the local food products.
ELGT had planned two mobilities: the first one from 7 to 11 October 2019 offered the Austrian partners to discover the cultural and gastronomic heritage around Wassy (e.g.: The Fossier biscuit factory and the cathedral in Reims, the castle and the Renaissance food habits in Joinville, etc…), to meet local producers and distributors and to cook with local products. The Austrian partners also visited Strasbourg and learned about the functionning of the European Parliament.
The second mobility would have had the French partners discover Vöcklabruck cultural and gastronomic heritage and some of its local food producers (ex: Hallein Salt Mine, an organic dairy in Kuchl, an organic farm in Weyregg nam Attersee, etc…). It was to take place from 9 to 13 March 2020 but was cancelled because of Covid 19.
In October 2019, after they had worked on the local food production, the partners drew up an interactive map of the local producers and distributors. Then, they studied the different distribution channels of a product, the effect of the choice of a product on the environment, the sustainable Development Goals, the official ecological seals of approval, etc…. They chose samples of local products and sent them to their partners in a cloth Advent calendar they had made in class.
They exchanged local specialities.
Most of the planned activities could be carried out before the lockdown. The project assessment and the creation of the e-magazine could be done remotely.
This project contributed to increase the students’ motivation, it improved the image of the students’ trainings in each school. The final assessment and the observation of the students by their teachers showed that they gained knowledge as well as professional and social skills during the exchanges and activities with their partners. The results of the tests that could be done showed that they improved their English.
This project has enlarged the international extent of both schools. The French school was confirmed Euroscol and eTwinning School. The teacher in charge of the project in Austria was named Erasmus+ Ambassador for the vocational training in her country. The associated eTwinning project received the European Quality Label.
It also contributed to increase the environmental status of each school. The Austrian school has launched a new environmentally friendly training and the French school got its 10th Eco-Ecole label. It made both countries’ participants realise the importance of food choice on their health and the environment.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 30533 Eur

Project Coordinator

Lycée des Métiers LP Emile Baudot & Country: FR

Project Partners

• Höhere Lehranstalt für wirtschaftliche Berufe des Vereins der Don-Bosco-Schwestern für Bildung und Erziehung