Launching our CO3 Erasmus Satellite: COmmunity engagement from schools, COnnecting knowledge and real world, COmunnicating European youth Erasmus Project

Project Title

Launching our CO3 Erasmus Satellite: COmmunity engagement from schools, COnnecting knowledge and real world, COmunnicating European youth

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 Schools Only

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2015

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Early School Leaving / combating failure in education; Teaching and learning of foreign languages; EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy

Project Summary

Our innovative project had a threefold objective which was focused on two goals. On the one hand, we were focused on promoting SOCIAL ENTERPRENEURSHIP as a motivation tool to get students involved in their communities and to develop innovative solutions aimed at addressing social problems that surround them. Also as a tool to increase their autonomy, growth mindset and self-esteem since they were taking part in a COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT learning process whereby they connected their learning, with the reality that surrounded them. They saw the purpose of their learning and they used it to make a change, to improve it; they became THOUGHTFUL AND COMMITED CITIZENS OF THEIR COMMUNITY.
On the other hand, we were focused on increasing student’s language skills by applying a CLIL methodology in which students learned the language through the content by using topics that they were familiar with and in this way they paid more attention to details that they would otherwise miss.

The threefold objective were as follows:
1. COmmunity Engagement from schools or service learning as a means to combine learning goals and community service in ways that can enhance both student growth and the common good.
2. COnnecting student’s skills in their real world by integrating meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities
3. COmmunicating Europe by helping young people to improve their skills through studying and training abroad and by helping education and training institutions to innovate and modernise.

The participating organisations were:
COORDINATING SCHOOL: Salesianos San Miguel Arcángel (Spain). Part of the network of Innovative Centres of Catholic Schools through the 43,19 programme whereby we worked on the methodological innovation: the community engagement / service learning.
PARTNER SCHOOL: Colegiul National Gheorghe Vranceanu (Romania). Since 2011 the institution is a centre for the evaluation for the computer-use licence.
PARTNER SCHOOL Srednja sola Crnomelj ( Slovenia). They are part of an eco-school association in Slovenia, a member of a school company network collaborating with other schools in Slovenia.
PARTNER SCHOOL Pyörön koulu (Finland). Their school is one of the biggest in Finland. They have started two innovative programmes (Kiva koulu and Liikkuva koulu) to acchieve better learning results.
PARTNER SCHOOL Liceo Scientifico Statale “Marie Curie” (Italy). Besides being very active in a national network of secondary schools which interact and cooperate in carrying on projects through the use of the new multimedia technologies.

To fulfil our mission and objectives we launched the CO3 ERASMUS SATELLITE. This “satellite” enabled us to develop the 5 programmes that were carried out in our schools throughout Europe. During the first year all the European partners were in charge of the 5 programmes in their country but by the beginning of the second year of the Erasmus + programme each European partner became responsible for one programme, taking into account the results of the first year, determining which fitted best to be in charge of each of the 5 programmes for a more efficiently accomplishment of the objectives.

The main activities were carried out by he students of each country grouped in this 5 labs:
1. ARCHITECTURE AND RECYCLING (Coordinated by Romania)
– Objective: students engaged directly with the school resources and facilities by analyzing the needs of new spaces at school.
2. EUROPEAN LANGUAGES LAB: (Coordinated by Finland)
– Objective: students participated in language learning and teaching programme by exchanging their linguistic experiences with their European partners.
3. CAREER ADVISORY: (Coordinated by Spain)
– Objective: students fostered a school job search providing students with a range of valuable job offers, European competition, contests, grants… Also it offered lots of useful advices on applications: how to write a successful CV, covering letter, career advisory, etc
4. SOCIAL ACTION: (Coordinated by Slovenia)
– Objectives: students raised community awareness of problems concerning their social environment and suggest possible solutions.
5. HEALTHY LIFE LAB: (Coordinated by Italy)
– Objective: students promoted healthy lifestyle choices and organized workshops and events to provide students with tools and skills to improve their health and well-being.

During the process of the project and at the end of it, we have developed the following materials or structures:
As results of the overall project:
-Five Programmes’ Video Summaries summarizing the experiences of each IN-ORBIT CO3 team, uploaded in the project webpage, and also in the youtube channel.
-Five Blogs and One TwinSpace where you can follow the project experience.
-Five teams in five countries developing and engaging with the Service Learning methodology during two years.
And many other minor results of each LAB.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 59960 Eur

Project Coordinator

Salesianos Inspectoría de San Juan Bosco Comunidad de San Miguel Arcángel & Country: ES

Project Partners

• Colegiul National Gheorghe Vranceanu
• Srednja sola Crnomelj
• Pyörön koulu
• Liceo Scientifico Statale “Marie Curie”