Hands On Plastic Environment Erasmus Project

Project Title

Hands On Plastic Environment

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 adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning; Environment and climate change

Project Summary

Plastic in environment is an important and popular topic throughout the world and environmentalists and ecologists talk about this issue through different media securing wider access to inform public about its impact on natural environment, urban and rural areas and about the measures to apply in order to protect these habitats. In the last century, plastic materials made revolutionary changes in industry, medicine, food and communication, and today, our life could not be imagined without plastic. This is especially important in urban and some rural areas, where food industry, energy and production of reusable and non-reusable containers, plastic packaging, bags and items from everyday use could not be the same in different wrapping. Plastic influence on the environment is huge and European Centre for Plastic in the Environment regularly issues guidelines to the manufacturers to achieve the balance between commercial demands and environmental impact which includes additional services, like recycling and the market for recycled products, labelling, collection and waste management and compliance with EU legislation.

Partnership, formed by 6 EU countries (UK, Slovakia, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey), shares interest and experience in participating, creating and implementing a project for benefit of local national and wider European participants and public users. All partners worked already in similar projects. The knowledge and attitude towards plastic origin and influence must be the norm of life today and this project aims to reach out in partner’s country’s population, and to inform people of any age, level of education or social, economic and ethnic background about the use and misuses of plastic also the benefits of recycling related to health, economy and active citizens impact on social behaviour. This is the idea which led us to propose this project which concerns majority of people in Europe and will tackles the problem in an innovative way through digital, mobile devices, VR presentation, exhibitions and public talks about the “journey” of plastic from its source material to its use and disposal or recycling which would produce the energy or will be transformed into a new plastic form.

The project’s aim is to provide the new learning initiatives for staff and target group participants: educators, young people, diverse stakeholders and public in local partner countries. The project’s goal is to develop and share different working practices between the partners’ organisations and to transfer the innovative pedagogical and training experiences in order to provide diverse skills and increased confidence in delivering this kind of work. We plan to achieve that through events, wide-range of digital communication, transnational meetings where the exchange of experiences, good practices and the information about the local environmental education will be the base of cooperation and joint activities.

Diverse approach to environment will allow some innovative practices to be integrated in local partner’s activities and would bring more awareness to local service users, advancement in training of the partners’ staff, and to deliver the tangible outcomes: e-handbook, Blog, digital video VR/3D presentations, use of social media, exhibitions which will include talks about these topics and workshops for staff, stakeholders and public, to introduce the facts related to plastic junk disposed in natural and urban/rural environment and how to reduce irresponsible and harmful impact on people and promote acceptable behaviour. Environmental hazards are part of this presentation but we also aim to include exhibitions, fact files with photographic material related to plastic “journey” from its source to its end, with more conceptual way of tackling the problem, which especially suites young people.

The major beneficiaries are the partner’s organisations’ which improve working practices, increase staff’s competence and implement new knowledge, pedagogical practice and experience in their regular work and expand the network of collaborators, but also gain much wider network of key stakeholders, professionals and public participants. The benefit of working with partners from the different countries is in diversity of approaches to this topic and different practices which are implemented in partners’ organisations works, which support intercultural and structured dialogue, which is an added value to the project. It also promotes multilingual opportunities and possibility of translation increasing partner’s engagement and before their international meetings, it improved communication and support visits, which provides more opportunities for dissemination and better exchange of knowledge and skills. The impact of the project was monitored closely involving partners network of collaborators, media and wider online audiences, which secures long life and educational benefit of the project.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 55240 Eur

Project Coordinator

Pro Art & Co & Country: UK

Project Partners

• KECIOREN MUNICIPALITY
• Institút socialneho, profesijneho a karieroveho rozvoja, n.o.
• FUNDACJA WYMIANY KULTUROWEJ TO TU TO TAM
• Asociatia InitiativaCetatenilorSeniori
• Balkanska Agenciya za Ustoychivo Razvitie