“Europe Naturally! Forest and Sea – Diversity and Responsibility” Erasmus Project

Project Title

“Europe Naturally! Forest and Sea – Diversity and Responsibility”

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: Environment and climate change; EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy; Teaching and learning of foreign languages

Project Summary

The project “Europa Naturally! Forest and Sea – Diversity and Responsibility” originates in the identification of the participating schools with their immediate environment. The KGS Waldschule Schwanewede owes its name to the neighbouring forest, and the Collège Gran Man Difou in Maripasoula is located in the midst of the rainforest. In French Guiana, the forest and sea ecosystems are inseparably linked by the mangroves, while northern Lower Saxony is characterised by its proximity to the North Sea. Both the forests and the sea are severely threatened by human activity in both countries. So it is in the interest of both school communities to get involved in a European project that focuses on forests and the sea and that aims to protect these ecosystems.
Our main goal is to motivate our students to become committed activists in environmental and climate protection. This project also strengthens the European sense of community, promotes critical thinking in the European context and opens up realistic perspectives for action in Europe. We support students in the development of key competences such as communication techniques, methodological competences such as research methods and presentation techniques as well as scientific research methods. In international teamwork, foreign language skills are applied and expanded, openness and tolerance are practised and the European awareness of all participants is promoted.
A total of 27-28 students from Schwanewede and Maripasouola will take part in the project. The origin of these children could not be more diverse in terms of cultures, mother tongues, religions, family and financial backgrounds as well as educational opportunities. With this project we want to overcome all disadvantages and open up future perspectives for young people in Europe. The students learn that children from insignificant Schwanewede, remote Maripasoula or even from an isolated village Haut Maroni can make their voices be heard as EU citizens who are committed to environmental protection in Europe.
Methodically we give the SuS the opportunity to learn scientific work in theory and practice and to understand scientific contexts, e.g. the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea as a common ecosystem, the special importance of mangrove forests for the CO2 cycle and the uniqueness of the North German Wadden Sea. The students know that forests are the lungs of our earth and compare the biodiversity of the tropical rainforest with that of the European mixed forest. They understand the significance of the rainforest for our climate and can judge the dangers of deforestation and extinction of animal species.
As our students are still very young, this work is largely action-oriented. The students visit places where nature is endangered as well as places where nature and species protection is successfully practised or where people even live in complete harmony with nature. They collect information and material for an exhibition and conduct interviews on Europe and environmental protection with the people they meet. The students recognize the need to preserve nature and to protect it from further destruction by humans. Joint action is initiated on the basis of a pan-European sense of responsibility. The students develop ideas for spreading information, for active environmental and species protection and for sustainability. In addition, they get in touch with NGOs such as Greenpeace, BUND and NABU in order to find out about campaigns for environmental, species and climate protection they may participate in. These joint actions promote democratic action and active EU citizenship.
The students turn a motivation film for student exchanges, design an information leaflet about the project and develop an exhibition on European bio-diversity in the forest and the sea for Climate Day 2021 in Schwanewede / the <> in Maripasoula. The evaluation of the internationally conducted interviews (see above) leads to a presentation of the results on Europe Day 2021. The students finally initiate a campaign on environmental and climate protection at both schools.
We want to strengthen the European and the environmental profile of both schools by integrating the project’s topics into the school’s internal curricula of the above-mentioned subjects and thus into everyday teaching. This also corresponds to the efforts to anchor the “17 goals for sustainable development” in schools.
With our participating students we expect not only an increase in scientific and political understanding as well as an increased interest in natural sciences, European politics and foreign language learning, but after the experience of international teamwork in a meaningful project, we also expect a strong personal development, more self-confidence and an increased willingness to stand up for their goals in Europe and to act as responsible citizens.

Project Website

https://padlet.com/Mrs_Stoneturner/egnzcjn2o3ds4x9j

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 16100 Eur

Project Coordinator

Kooperative Gesamtschule Waldschule Schwanewede & Country: DE

Project Partners

• COLLEGE GRAN MAN DIFOU