Less Plastic, more Future: a Service Learning Approach for Inclusive and Sustainable Europe Erasmus Project

Project Title

Less Plastic, more Future: a Service Learning Approach for Inclusive and Sustainable 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 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Civic engagement / responsible citizenship; Teaching and learning of foreign languages; Environment and climate change

Project Summary

The 24-month KA229 Erasmus+ project “Less Plastic, More Future: a Service Learning Approach for Inclusive and Sustainable Europe” is realized by “Istituto Comprensivo Alberto Burri” from Trestina (Italy) together with “Rantzausminde Skole” from Svendborg (Denmark), “Gregor Mendel Gymnasium” from Amberg (Germany), “Fundacion Escuelas Profesionales de la Sagrada Familia” from Andujar (Spain) and “Collège de Notre Dame de Graces” from Ardres (France). In the frame of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the European Green Deal, the main objective we intend to achieve is a real improvement in students’ awareness and sense of responsibility towards environmental issues, in particular in terms of prevention, waste disposal and plastic use/abuse: the project will lead to a change in students’ daily habits and to the acquisition of an “ecological mind”; at the same time, thanks to the theoretical knowledge they will gain, but especially thanks to active and inclusive service they will render to their community in the frame of Service Learning Methodology, students’ civic and social competences will be fostered and socio-economic differences will be overcome. Consequently, due to the larger European scope of the project, true sense of European Citizenship will be enhanced. Another objective we would like to pursue is to lead students to a sense of real belonging to their community: partner schools will open to their territories and work in synergy with local authorities, companies, public and private boards, thus bridging the gap between formal and non formal education and also between school education and the world of labour, making learning more meaningful and attractive for pupils. All these transversal skills will be developed jointly with basic skills and key competences, especially foreign languages (not only English but also other partner languages), ICT skills, critical thinking, entrepreneurship and sense of initiative. Participant groups will include primarily 12-14 year old students from all schools (with particular attention to disadvantaged ones), teachers and administrative staff and also parents’ committees; due to the open and civic methodology of Service Learning, local authorities, public/private boards and companies, experts of the environmental branch, museums, schools and educational agencies will support the project in local activities and “hosting” mobilities. On the whole, we expect that about 2,500 people will take directly or indirectly part in the project. Activities envisage an initial preparatory meeting, five learning, teaching and training activities, Service Learning environmental sessions in each partner country, environmental plastic-free students’ campaigns, school markets of reusable objects, tutoring sessions of younger pupils, conferences, visits and multidisciplinary workshops with branch experts, together with a development of project topics at curricular level. In terms of intangible results, we expect overcoming of prejudices and barriers, intercultural openness and understanding, sharing of European common values beyond national differences; students’ skills and personal development; consolidation of the European dimension of partner schools; teachers’ professional development. Tangible main results will be a project website showcasing all the activities and research materials produced, with a “Newsletter” section; a rich TwinSpace on the eTwinning Platform, which will function as virtual colloborative co-constrution space and communication platform ; a multilingual Handbook on the Service Learning Good Practices realised in each partner school; a short-film on environmental topics resulting from an international students’ festival ; “Green Citizen Guidelines” and a final, common “Declaration” with our future environmental aims. Minor outputs will be presentations, researches, magazines, artistic works, calendars, reports, videos and photographic galleries etc. We expect relevant impact in terms of students’ environmental knowledge, consciousness and active involvement, in their skills and personal development, in enhancement of active European Citizenship, inclusion of disadvantaged groups, teachers’ professional development, environmental awareness of the entire local community, European internationalisation of the involved institutes. On top of this impact, longer benefits will derive from participation in the project: all schools will integrate procedures, practices and outputs in their curricula and their educational offer plans will also be based, to a large extent, on the Erasmus + activities and deliverables; teachers’ exchange of good practices and confrontation on classroom strategies will have a positive impact in the long run; partner schools will implement new policies on the basis of what has been learnt abroad; new European collaborations will derive thanks to project media, TwinSpace and Erasmus+ Results Platform.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 157206 Eur

Project Coordinator

Istituto Comprensivo “Alberto Burri” & Country: IT

Project Partners

• Gregor-Mendel-Gymnasium Amberg
• Rantzausmindeskole
• Fundación Escuelas Profesionales de la Sagrada Familia
• Collège Notre Dame de Grâce