European students´climate report Erasmus Project

Project Title

European students´climate report

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 school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Environment and climate change; Reaching the policy level/dialogue with decision makers

Project Summary

“We are connected in complex systems and everything affects everything. Our only way to challenge the upcoming climate catastrophe is to work like we are one. We need you and you need us. Arrange, invite, meet, talk, question, invent, invest, build, discuss, evaluate, succeed, progress, try again – just never give up”
Anna Ögren Student at Strömbacka school. Speech in United Nation.
Climate change and global warming is engaging young people all over the world and today we can se hundreds of thousands students in school strikes all over the world, this in the frames of “Friday for future”. UNICEF has sought to integrate sustainable development into ongoing programs that engage young people in local action. Global warming and climate change is also one of the key targets in EU 2020 and in UN:s agenda 2030 for sustainable development. Therefore, there is a need of developing strategies and tools for working with young people in the field of global warming and climate change on a European level. This project, when teachers’ and students´ from different European countries develop tools together did promote that process.

Project Objectives:
– To increase upper secondary students´ awareness and knowledge about climate change and global warming, both in their nearest environment and on a European level. How do we adopt, what can be done and how do local and European politicians tackle the issue?
– To produce a virtual “Students climate reports” on an local and European level
– To let young student´s voices be heard and communicated with local and European decision makers, this to promote empowerment and active citizenship among young people
– To increase the use of new and innovating learning and teaching methods.
– To develop educational strategies for working with new and innovating learning and teaching methods, this by producing a teachers guide.
– To produce a teachers guide that supports the objective above

Six schools from six different countries, Sweden (Piteå), Slovakia (Zilina), France (Paris), Italy (Parma), Spain (Cambrils) and Greece (Kos) has participated. The schools have been chosen because of their interest and knowledge in the field. The regions also represents a variation of Europe, from North to south, from east to west and from coast, Island to the inland, this for representing a variation of European climate.

With the help of two special organizations, Luleå University of technology and ARPAE (Regional Agency for Prevention, Environment and Energy in the Emilia-Romagna region, Italy), schools have produced their own local climate report and in the end a common European students´ climate report, that covers all regions. The main priority was to produce teachers guidelines for working with global warming. Guidelines that could be used by teachers’ and students´ all around Europe. The Teaching training department of the University was responsible for the guidelines and they were produced in close cooperation with all participants. The guidelines are virtual and free of use.

In this project it has been six weeks of common teacher training, one in each country. The training has been supervised by both special organizations and by the hosting school. Each training week had different themes, connected to the schools geography and to their special competences. At the same time there has been a student´s exchange that has focused on the students climate report work. Between the training and exchanges teachers and students have worked with the climate report in their own schools, using what they have learned at the exchange and at the training.

Together with the head coordinator, Luleå University of technology, under supervision of associated professor Ulrika Bergmark did monitor the evaluation of the project.
Dissemination as been done continuously according to the dissemination plan and in the end of the project there were six disseminations conferences, one in each country. In all we have had around 20 dissemination activities, articles and media interviews not included.

The project did reach it´s objectives as it did produce the student reports and the teacher guide. The students were very committed in the work and they learned a lot and they did influence political on local, EU and international level. By their engagement and by their knowledge they made a different in the field of climate change.

The teacher guide contains four modules that can be used separately, but also together. As the guide is easy to use and as it can be used in different ways the guide the prerequisites for a wider use of the guide is very good. Also that the guide is disseminated in various ways gives good opportunities for a wide use. If the guide will be used in may schools in Europe it could give a considerable positive impact at improving teaching for sustainable development on a local and on EU-level.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 252355 Eur

Project Coordinator

Strömbackaskolan Piteå & Country: SE

Project Partners

• 2nd Lyceum of Kos
• AGENZIA REGIONALE PER LA PREVENZIONE, L’AMBIENTE E L’ENERGIA DELL’EMILIA-ROMAGNA
• Lycée professionnel les côtes de villebon
• Gymnázium
• INS LA MAR DE LA FRAU
• LULEA TEKNISKA UNIVERSITET
• LICEO ATTILIO BERTOLUCCI