German-french focused european sustainability Erasmus Project

Project Title

German-french focused european 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 : 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; Energy and resources; EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy

Project Summary

The second French/German exchange with our school partner the Collège du Pinier in Melle took place over two school years (2018/2019 and 2019/2020). It involved 19 year 8 students from France and 16 German students (years 7, 8 and 9) from the Leonardo da Vinci Campus. The French students have been learning German for three years. The German students have been learning French variously for two to four years, since year 5.
The students met in Strasbourg in May 2019. This first meeting allowed the students to engage with questions about democratic principles and the significance of European institutions for environmental protection.
Our current project for the application period 01.09.2019 – 31.08.2020 deals with the topic “Environment and Sustainable Development”. Originally, the project aimed to promote social engagement within an artistic and cultural framework. The main objective of the exchange was to awaken cultural curiosity in the students while allowing them practical opportunities to explore their linguistic skills in the German and French languages.
For the first two days the students visited the ‘Centre permanent d’initiative pour l’environnement’ in Coutieres, where they discussed the importance of environmental protection and the sustainable use of resources. After this, all of the students met in the French partner school and discussed how to practically implement issues raised over the last two days. They focused in particular on the separation of waste and how to optimise the a more sustainable system of waste disposal, and also on school dinners, to explore the possibility of vegetarian or vegan options. The French school was very keen to receive for the Environmental Sustainability Label (https://www.eco-ecole.org) and the French students who learn German became “environmental ambassadors”. Our German students took this idea back to Leonardo da Vinci Campus, where they are exploring the concept in the educational pathway “Economics and Sustainability”. During the French visit at our school in Nauen, planned for the 23.03.20 – 30.03.20, this topic was to be extended to include recycling and upcycling. In particular, we aimed to focus on how art can contribute to sustainability. Upcycled clothing and accessories were to be presented in a fashion show for the entire campus, thus engaging the whole school community in the project. Unfortunately, due to the Corona pandemic it was no longer possible to fulfil the goals of this project. Despite this dire situation, whereby schools were closed and there could be no physical contact between the students, we have managed to continue some aspects of our project. For example, our partner school investigated the operation and benefits of wind power and prevented two trees being felled on their school ground. In our school in language lessons the students in the 8. class focussed on different energy sources and their potential benefits and drawbacks. They presented their findings to the class in the hope of securing a contract to build a power plant for the chosen energy source in a fictional country. The students concluded that the future of energy provision lies in diversification.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 21249 Eur

Project Coordinator

Internationales Ganztagsgymnasium am LDVC & Country: DE

Project Partners

• COLLEGE DU PINIER