Join us! Living responsibly as Europeans – creating a sustainable environment Erasmus Project

Project Title

Join us! Living responsibly as Europeans – creating a sustainable 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 : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Environment and climate change; Energy and resources; Social/environmental responsibility of educational institutions

Project Summary

The project was founded based on our contacts with schools in Portugal, the Netherlands and Greece. There has already been a trustful cooperation in European projects. The exchange led to the realization that the schools asked the same question despite their differences: How can schools change in a resource-oriented and sustainable way in times of climate change in order to release environmentally responsible young people into life? Pupils, parents and teachers are faced with the challenge of creating an ecological awareness for the school community and Europe, which, based on an education on environmental awareness and resource conservation, shapes individual environmental responsibility for the future. Every school has approaches to pursue the “Global Development Goals”* in its school program. Consumption, climate protection, dealing with energy resources, life on land and under water are the focus goals of this project. The participants strive to increase the effectiveness of existing environmental programs and their expansion. The diversity of the schools is the key resource that is used for the innovative design and development of the schools. The new partner schools from Croatia and Poland (both newcomers) were specifically searched for via the eTwinning portal.
The six participating schools are secondary schools with similar age structure (11 to 18 years). All have a coordinating “European team”. The project participants of all social and cognitive levels attend special courses (compulsory elective courses, European courses, Erasmus+ clubs, workshops) in which they are networked with each other across the borders of their own school using eTwinning. 25 students attend these courses, which are open to all students in the school community. Two teachers and four students each take part in AULs, in which they actively participate and experience. “Join us! Living responsibly as Europeans – creating a sustainable environment” describes the project goal: By conceiving the educational offer to secure our living environment (on land, under water) through reflection of climate protection measures and energy generation concepts, we work together to awake awareness of the surrounding nature. We promote a consciously responsible environmental shaping as consumers in Europe – for the individual and the community. Self-efficacy and resources are achieved at student and teacher level and used to strengthen a sustainable thinking and acting society. Active design and ecological, responsible orientation of the living space “school” through pupils and teachers experiences innovation and space in exchange; the participation of every school in Europe is becoming conscious (especially of young people, who are otherwise closed to this experience). The activities of the project can be found on four levels: teacher training (exchange of concepts / workshops), short-term exchanges for school groups (workshop design, school presentation, consolidation of results / implementation), information for parents (events, parent participation) and Europe (exploration of partner cities as an active European, joint campaign “Join us! Living responsibly as Europeans – creating a sustainable environment”).
The methodology takes all levels and social groups into account by using experience as the starting point for work. The structure and implementation of the project follow the think-pair-share principle: 1) At home, finding solutions in the project 2) Discussing, sharing, preparing for dissemination during the AULs 3) Spreading innovative ideas at home. This 3-step can also be found during the AULs. Observing in school, participating in workshops, experiencing Europe – these are the basics for activation, integration, development, dissemination, implementation of examples of good work. The project is bilingual. Concepts are exchanged in English and translated into the mother tongue. The result is the template for innovation, implementation of the solution approaches for multiplication in the own system as a concept template, mind map, PowerPoint, documentation of experience (stop motion, posters, podcast). Results and reports are presented in the online portfolio on eTwinning and on the school homepage. For the ongoing campaign “Join us! Living responsibly as Europeans – creating a sustainable environment” surveys, statistics, flyers, posters and presentations are created for distribution. This way we share good examples of our work, face the challenge of becoming and promoting socially and environmentally responsible educational institutions in all schools. We form ecologically-oriented educational institutions that encourage active shapers of their future in Europe, in which the individual is responsibly and sustainably consuming and acting to protect the climate in their environment.

*http://www.bmz.de/de/themen/2030_agenda/index.html

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 180730 Eur

Project Coordinator

Oberschule Westercelle & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Agrupamento Escolas Marinha Grande Poente
• Zespol Szkolno – Przedszkolny w Biesiadkach
• Copernicus SG
• OS Koprivnicki Bregi
• SYGXRONA EKPAIDEFTIRIA TRIKALON – ATHINA A.E.