Growing up in 21st Century’s Europe Erasmus Project

Project Title

Growing up in 21st Century’s Europe

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 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy; Environment and climate change; Early School Leaving / combating failure in education

Project Summary

Our partnership consisted of six schools located in different areas across Europe. One school gave up after two years, therefore the project has been concluded by five partner. Our Project started from the strong need to raise awareness in our schools and local Community in order to adopt more environmentally friendly behavior. Our aim was to set up an environmental friendly project by building up European citizenship, with young pupils and their families.
The work on values resulting from eco-friendly activities (self-respect, game rules, solidarity, team spirit, a taste for effort) helped to establish a responsible attitude and thus restore the values almost forgotten by some children and parents in our schools such as self-confidence, self-awareness, self-control, motivation, effective conflict solving and empathy.
The Project involved:
1.A total of 33 teachers of the schools partnership: they were fully involved in every activities and in the exchanges with other schools;
2. Administrative, managerial and teachers schools staff: they helped to manage the project and to organize the mobilities in their own country;
3. Pupils aged 3- 12: a total of 150 pupils participated at the local activities and they were fully involved in the project. 34 pupils aged 9-12 years old from UK, Italy and Greece were involved in exchanges abroad.
4. Parents: they were involved in the outdoor activities and, some of them, during training for school staff.
5. Local Municipalities: they were informed about the project and took part at the events organized within hosting partner, during the dissemination events; in some country such Italy and Estonia they helped teachers to organize training events.
6. Local agencies ( such forestry agency; librarians…): They were fully involved in ecological days and in the training events.
The participation to Erasmus Project “Growing up in 21 st Century’s Europe” gave all the partner the opportunity to work togeher trying to harmonize in the face of common challanges. The Erasmus programme offered the opportunity to devise our own methods and practices following a bottom up approach, as the result from the pedagogical knowledge and our teaching experience.
The activities organized for pupils included:activities in the “pine trees forest”, “5 senses workshop”, environmental in education trail, take care school gardens, activities to recycle materials and separate waste, ecological days; workshop with local farmers and eco sustainable factories.
During the training for teachers we have been arranged: traveling seminars (the ochre trail, a regional park, workshop in the forest; workshop on sustainability and local production).
By teaching values such as respect and tolerance, social responsibility and solidarity, we intended to promote respect for people, especially for disabled and disadvantaged students.
The methodology has been project based learning; every step included a cycle: finding out, analysis, refelection, new action. All partners involved exchanged knowledge and good practices in order to raise the student’s awareness related to the environmental protection and European citizenship. By implementing activities with ecological content we highlighted values such self-easteem, adhering to rules, solidarity, team spirit, helping to create responsible attitudes, giving the right motivation, promoting self awareness and self control, respecting our neighbor, empathy, effective problem solving and avoiding conflict. These elements will help pupils to connect emotionally with the natural environment and realize its value for a future life-style and for the benefit of themself and others.
The results have been: at school level a tangible change in the environment sustainability; increasing environmental awareness of all actors involved; adopting the schools’ eco-agenda as the project result. At local level we strengthed links with local communities and exported good habits. At European levels to increase awareness that environmental issues are European and global issues and they need to be addressed by an European vision.

Project Website

https://erasmusgrowingup.blogspot.com/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 109350,74 Eur

Project Coordinator

Istituto Comprensivo Villaputzu & Country: IT

Project Partners

• Petőfi Sándor Katolikus Általános Iskola és Óvoda
• Framwellgate Moor Primary School
• Kohtla-Järve lasteaed Tuhkatriinu (Kohtla Jarve kindergarten “Tuhkatriinu”)
• Ecole Les Moulins
• MAVROMATAKI M. & SIA E.E.