Nature, traditions and identity in youth’ visions Erasmus Project

Project Title

Nature, traditions and identity in youth’ visions

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: Creativity and culture; ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Cooperation between educational institutions and business

Project Summary

Traditions and local culture are more valued all over the world. In the process of globalization are people started to notice and value the things which are rare and special for small groups of people. Old traditions are less practiced, and people start to forget and loose old skills which made them different from other people.
People all over the world are used to consume a lot and with growing demand and this has led most of the countries in Europe and world to actual and critical problem: climate catastrophe. Different reports and researches show and pinpoint the need to make quick changes in people behaviour in their everyday life to avoid the climate catastrophe, but not only. There is an urgent need to take steps to save the old traditional pieces of every culture which gives to every region its authentic identity.
Our main aim is to analyse those connections and to help to teach pupils in our schools to see the connections between themselves with old traditional culture and nature. Objectives of the project are to implement creative study courses of traditional handicraft and to show how different items of handicraft are made. During every such course will be followed all steps from finding material, preparing it, making the handicraft product, using it, and analysing this in context of local environment. Main questions are how one or another tradition is related with local nature and what kind of identity it gives to people.
Main target group of the project will be pupils who are growing in a world of globalization and modern technology. Our aim is to show and relate their identity with local authentic culture and local nature. Age of the pupils will be 12-18 who have already the basic knowledge of nature, culture, history, and nature. One criteria of selection of pupils is interest to handicraft. Another target groups will be pupils’ parents, local communities, and local stakeholders.
Project is planned to implement transnationally because it is important to show how similar people are from country to country as humans but how nature and culture makes them different. Every partner will have different nature and related handicraft culture. In transnational project meetings will be organized previously mentioned handicraft courses which help to see, learn, and understand how nature and culture is related and what kind of impact it has to people.
Main activities during the project will be:
1. Preparing and implementing one transnational meeting which include handicraft course (every partner will have different material. For example, Estonia will have wool and knitting, Portugal ceramics and tile painting, Bulgaria yarn and leather, Poland ceramics and paintning, Turkey carpet knitting and coppersmith)
2. Between the meetings other partners study same material and its usage in their home region, learn and prepare handicraft products according to their culture and present their products in the meetings. Those developed products could be later used in local communities as gift or souvenir products. All the process will be studied and analysed in context of local nature and culture.
3. In the end of the project will be prepared five tutorials how to design and prepare local handicraft product in connection with local culture and nature.
4. According to the activities will be compiled toolkit with teaching material, guidelines, and analyses how to use handicraft in teaching the nature and culture.
Relevant topics and additional output of the project will be developed awareness and increase of knowledge and skills in following fields: culture and creativity, identity, nature and environment, basic skills, language and communication skills, teamwork and organizational skills, presentation skills, technology, and entrepreneurship. There will be another important additional input to school’s development in long-term perspective: new and innovative ideas to improve everyday classroom work at school, increase of job satisfaction and motivation, growth of tolerance, new opportunities to find friends and partners for new initiatives.
Project results will be used continuously in further classroom work in such subjects like art and craft classes, biology and geography, history, technology, society studies and etc. Produced materials will be good basis to work with topics of environment, history, handicraft technology, local identity, and history. Tutorials and analysis will be accessible online and available to other interested schools and teachers. More information about the project is available on partner school webpage and project webpage.

Project Website

https://erasmusvision.wordpress.com/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 96500 Eur

Project Coordinator

Tõstamaa Kool & Country: EE

Project Partners

• Zespół Szkół Ogólnokształcących nr 8
• SU Bratya Kanazirevi
• Agrupamento de escolas Francisco Fernandes Lopes
• ANTALYA SPOR LISESI