Sustainability and citizenship: the Education Challenge for the future Erasmus Project

Project Title

Sustainability and citizenship: the Education Challenge for the 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 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Environment and climate change; Civic engagement / responsible citizenship

Project Summary

World population faces a situation of climatic emergency and overexploitation of the planet’s natural resources derived from the current production and consumption model. Individuals and institutions must make an effort towards the achievement of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
The European Green Deal, which sets out how to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050 offers a reference framework that can serve as a foundation of the European educational Project.
Although the solution to this global crisis must be local, we need to develop the means to make this happen. Security and wellness depend on diversity and proximity so, we must pay attention to local economy and natural environment.
Our goals are
-raise awareness of the importance of using clean energy sources encouraging technological development in our countries.
-bring our students to those local traditional productive practices characterized by their sustainability and to the linguistic uses derived from them. The defense of cultural plurality is one of the principles of the EU.
-consider efficient economic possibilities and provide our students with resources that allow them to face future with hope.
-promote less competitive and more cooperative behaviors.
-show how ICTs can be incorporated into innovative and environmentally friendly business initiatives, making our students see that an effort in technological training can lead to interesting career opportunities.
-encourage cooperation at all levels as it allows us to learn from each other, including sustainable initiatives related to successful production, recycling, transport methods carried out in the participating countries.
-help students understand what a life and a natural and social environment of quality is.
-prepare students to value and make personal and professional decisions thinking about the future, and the effects that they may have on their societies, regions and planet.
To achieve these goals we contacted five partners: a Polish school in a city committed to the development of clean energy technology, a Romanian School with an economical profile committed to the European Project, an Azorean partner devoted to the protection of their rich natural heritage, a school in Greece focused on the integration of pedagogical innovation and the Spanish school recognized for its commitment to social responsibility.
The project, addressed under a multidisciplinary perspective wants to highlight a range of professional options that may fit the students’ different needs, competences and interests, thus touching most of the issues. We want them to come to know:
– Their own habitat, its resources and the looming threats so that they can develop an ecological behavior, a concern about biodiversity, environmental disputes and local policies.
– Their own culture: a traditional knowledge of sustainable productive practices and the language uses associated to these practices.
– New enterprises, contacting local business initiatives, innovative cooperative modes, examples of best practices in the rational use of resources and / or social benefits contribution.
We will establish meetings with experts in environmental matters and engage our students and teachers with social agents: business sector, political leaders, citizen associations, academic institutions. From these practical experiences, students are able to analyze the local productive and consumption practices in order to verify that we share associated environmental problems and solutions.
Throughout practical work and investigation our students will approach the valuable achievements of their own cultural heritage from a sustainable point of view in order to preserve and share them with their partners.
In order to increase critical awareness and promote citizen commitment, our students will discern those activities that cause environmental damage in our regions, and will analyze fraud and media manipulation by writing field reports.
Students get better communication skills by expressing feelings, desires, reflections and conclusions about climate change and their own habits.
Expected results are: cooperative virtual spaces, a permanent green team and a green space in each school, a digital book collecting the intangible cultural heritage elements studied, a dossier containing the youth perspectives, a documentarie and a handbook with all the activities done.
Such projects can be the seed of a new behavior and a new ethical sensitivity starting in schools and growing and spreading into families and communities. Engaging our schools with the social agents involved in our regions and working together around the same goals strengthens social and civil networks. However the most important benefit that we expect to reap is a renewed look of our students at their own land. We hope to see youngsters take care and regenerate the environment we share since it is the source of their lives.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 163170 Eur

Project Coordinator

IES LUIS SEOANE & Country: ES

Project Partners

• 2nd Peiramatiko Gymnasio Athinon
• IX LICEUM OGÓLNOKSZTAŁCĄCE Z ODDZIAŁAMI DWUJĘZYCZNYMI W RZESZOWIE
• Colegiul Economic Buzau
• EBI Francisco Ferreira Drummond