Our earth, our future?! Erasmus Project

Project Title

Our earth, our future?!

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 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Labour market issues incl. career guidance / youth unemployment; Environment and climate change; Energy and resources

Project Summary

Since climate change is a central, global topic of our society, our project ´our earth, our future?! ´ aims to focus on the increasing change in our climate, to raise awareness of the situation, as well as preventively To develop approaches. The project was prepared in the geography courses of the upper level and is thematically anchored in the school’s internal curriculum. Five students per country were selected by means of a letter of motivation to take part in the projects on site. Two to three countries were visited, so that about 15 pupils were accommodated in host families. Each country followed a similar project plan when implementing it. The first and last day served the arrival and departure. On the second and third days, the students worked on the topic in mixed groups and visited various institutions. The fourth day was used to create the didactic material and the presentations. The visits were prepared and followed up by both teachers and learners, partly through face-to-face meetings, partly via video conferences.
The awareness of the situation mentioned in the goals was created in Poland, Germany and Romania by first working theoretically to define climate change and then examining the consequences of climate change in more detail. The definitions, data and facts about climate change as well as the role play of a climate conference were recorded on the basis of learning videos, which will be made available to later classes as didactic material.
The learners worked both in Poland and in Germany on the question of what effects lignite mining has on climate change. To do this, they visited e.g. a museum in Katowice or the viewing platform in Garzweiler. Further effects of climate change were discussed, for example, on the basis of particle pollution and the ban on diesel vehicles in German cities, or on the basis of the volcanoes in the Buzau district (Romania). Especially on the Garzweiler viewing platform and the conversations with people in Keyenberg who have to leave their homeland, the learners became aware of the extent to which they, their immediate neighbors and fellow human beings are affected. Accordingly, the focus of the further work steps should be on the topics of resource conservation, sustainability and renewable energies. In Belgium, the learners initially dealt with resource conservation in general and then made their experiences more concrete by visiting the glass industry in Lommel. In the Netherlands, the participants visited e.g. a water purification company or new energy systems in Schimmert. The topic was solar panels and heat pumps. With the help of these collectors and heat pumps, e.g. the Snowworld in Landraaf for practically no negative effects on the climate. Employment in renewable energy should continue in Italy. Due to the corona crisis, the learning groups were unfortunately unable to visit Italy personally, but exchanged information about the project there via video chats. e.g. the functioning of sunlight and photosynthesis was examined. The learners observed different plant species in different sunshine. At home, solar cookers were built from recyclable materials to clarify how the greenhouse effect works and to investigate the properties of the conductive and insulating materials. Finally, the relationship between the presence of lichen and environmental quality was examined. The results were recorded using a PowerPoint presentation.
All results and detailed descriptions can be found on our homepage https://ourearthourfuture.jimdofree.com. Each school is linked to the project homepage. Furthermore, each school has set up an Erasmus + wall, which documents the activities and results of the projects and uses them for other students, parents, teachers and visitors, e.g. accessible on open days. Each country also reported on the events in the press. The Erasmus + Wand and the cooperation with the press should motivate new students for further projects.
The goals mentioned so far were therefore achieved, but beyond the goals already mentioned and the results obtained, the pupils acquired intercultural skills by working with the foreign participants by addressing their peculiarities and characteristics and reducing prejudices. In addition, the participants were trained in the area of ​​IT, through the work, the handling and the presentations with the different tools and possibilities. The learners also strengthened their language skills in English.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 102451,65 Eur

Project Coordinator

Betty Reis Gesamtschule & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Carbooncollege locatie St.-Jan Stichting Limburgs Voortgezet Onderwijs
• Istituto Tecnico Commerciale “Vitale Giordano”
• Szkola Podstawowa nr 3 im. Mikolaja Kopernika
• Scoala Gimnaziala “Alexandru Ioan Cuza”
• X plus