Project for sustainability Erasmus Project

Project Title

Project for sustainability

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

Project Summary

During the respective exchange visits in Groß-Gerau and Örebro, the main project “sustainability and climate protection” is subdivided into several subprojects. In Gross-Gerau, located in the Rhein-Main-area, the project “How to live sustainably in a densely populated conurbation” will deal with various guiding questions, particularly relevant for young people. By trying to find answers to questions such as “How can I personally live more sustainably?” or “How high is the willingness of people to live more sustainably”? our students are supposed to develop a greater awareness of the necessity of people’s willingness to change their lifestyle and habits so that extreme consequences of climate change can be averted. In Sweden the focus will be on the topic “To which extent is Lake Vättern, an important source of drinking water in its area, threatened?”. Students become aware of the fact that climate change has a vast influence on nature and the human being, due to the decrease of natural fresh water reserves.
The participants are students attending higher secondary full-time education. Interested students showing a certain passion for the project’s topic and contents as well as a necessary openness for the hosting culture are prioritized and can apply to take part in the project. Overall, the group size is supposed to not exceed the size of a common class (26 students maximum).
The project is conducted as an exchange programme but based on a project work that lasts one week in each of the partner institutions in Groß-Gerau (Germany) and Örebro (Sweden) and intensively deals with the topic (sustainability and climate protection).
The project’s focus lies on ecological, economic and social sustainability. Knowledge acquired during excursions to companies, municipal institutions and through surveys should give the participants an adequate insight in the topics mentioned before. Consequently, mixed groups (Swedish and German students) consisting of no more than up to six people will work on creating a digital output, for instance podcasts, short documentaries or presentations.
The students are expected to base their specific topic on the general theoretic knowledge they acquired beforehand and to work and reflect on the knowledge presented throughout the project week (excursions, talks, expertise). They are also required to deliver a global overview of their topic, supported by digital tools. Additionally, the results are supposed to be presented in an interesting and understandable way so that the audience can follow easily. Personal views must always be clearly indicated. These views, opinions and perceptions play an important role within the project as the formation of opinions regarding questions such “How can I live more sustainably?” or “To which extent is Lake Vättern threatened?” are definitely relevant when it comes to taking decisions how to align one’s life in the context of sustainability.
Enhancing one’s intercultural competences as well as one’s personal awareness are important goals our project is based on, apart from improving language skills by communicating in English as a lingua franca and expanding one’s specific vocabulary in a certain domain. Gradually, students lose their inhibitions about speaking in a foreign language and become more self-confident in using English as a lingua franca. Finally, students will realize that they are able to use their competences in English acquired in class also in their private life. They will understand that they can easily use English to communicate with other young people in Europe and exchange about complex topics.
On top of that, students will be given the chance to improve their ability to reflect as they learn to explore and analyse different perspectives.
For more than six years now, the project sustainability and climate protection has played an important role within the exchange programmes of our school and is now scheduled in our annual programme . Due to the huge variety in topics, digitally produced outputs, participants (students vary continuously as well as those teachers teaching economy and/or environment), the project can be defined as utterly dynamic and varied which surely captivates students. Furthermore, the participants will given the chance to broaden their horizon in multiple disciplines.
In conclusion, all the participants will be able to benefit enormously in personal as well as professional and educative means.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 32481 Eur

Project Coordinator

Berufliche Schulen Groß-Gerau & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Rudbecksgymnasiet