Solidarity with the Pieria region (Greece): Education – Democratic Citizenship – Health – Environment Erasmus Project

Project Title

Solidarity with the Pieria region (Greece): Education – Democratic Citizenship – Health – Environment

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: Social/environmental responsibility of educational institutions; Civic engagement / responsible citizenship; Integration of refugees

Project Summary

In line with initial objectives, the project has enabled the already existing partnership between the Athénée de Luxembourg and the Pieria region to further develop. The objective of building bridges between Greek and Luxembourg school communities has been at the heart of the project from its very outset and continues to be so after project completion.

The Erasmus+ funded student exchange programme has furthermore opened new opportunities for future cooperation. As such, the project has paved the road for future activities between the Athénée and high schools from the Pieria region. Greek and Luxembourg schools have lent their support to the Greek NGO ‘Kapnikos’ (formerly known as ‘O Topos Mou’), which has enormously developed its activities in favour of disadvantaged people, including refugees.

At the outset of the project, the Greek NGO Kapnikos was expected to assist Greek and Luxembourg schools to participate ‘in a wide range of social and solidarity based activities’ during exchange programmes in Greece and Luxembourg. This objective has been outreached by far. This partnership has fostered new project ideas, such as an innovative approach to protect the environment in the Mount Olymp region, a new partnership between Kapnikos and the Athénée to lend support to refugees in the Pieria region, and future opportunities for Luxembourg students to do volunteer work at Kapnikos headquarters (see attached PowerPoint for details).

The project stipulated that ‘ “EDHE Pieria” will also assist high school-aged children from a refugee camp who will attend the nearby Kato Milia High School’. This objective has also been outreached. There have been new ideas to develop the assistance for school children from refugee camps which has culminated in July 2021 in organising a summer school at Kapnikos headquarters. The idea for this activity came out of the Erasmus + partnership.

E-twinning activities were part of the initial project, which stipulates: ‘The E-twinning tool will enable students from Greece and Luxembourg to communicate and exchange prior to exchange programmes from Greece to Luxembourg/Luxembourg to Greece. ‘ The E-twinning tool was introduced to all participating partners but was not used in a satisfactory manner. Instead, communication between Greek and Luxembourg students took place via traditional social media. Furthermore, a temporary whatsapp group was set up at the initiative of Luxembourg students.

All in all, project objectives, as initially formulated, have been outreached.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 39455 Eur

Project Coordinator

Athénée de Luxembourg & Country: LU

Project Partners

• KATO MILIA HIGH SCHOOL