Sustainability – pay it forward Erasmus Project

Project Title

Sustainability – pay it forward

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 2019

Project Topics

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

Project Summary

Having met at the seminar in Cologne in 2018, and after meeting informally in January 2019, the representatives of four schools in Germany, Sweden and Norway decided to apply for
a Strategic partnership project for the call 2019 Round 1, handed in by March 2019. If funding will be granted, the project will start September 2019.
The main project idea is that each school gathers a group of students that will be confronted with the questions:
What are the most pressing problems concerning the environment? What does your country do to solve them? What does your school do to solve them? What do you do to solve them? Why are possible measures and solutions not implemented even if they could be? What could be done to change this, add impact to possible solutions, invent solutions?
And, on another level: Why should you be chosen to be part of a two-year-project dealing with those questions on a transnational level?
Six students from each school will be chosen to attend the first meeting in Val, Norway. They will prepare a presentation involving the questions they have been asked at the school, and they will be allowed ample time to discuss those results and to share individual experiences and views. They will experience lessons on environmental problems held at the school (in English for their sake), and they will experience activities to further heighten their awareness. During the course of that first week they will develop tasks to work on: How could problems be solved either saving energy, producing energy, cleaning up the environment, avoiding waste etc., and they return to their respective countries to think of solutions and to do research on solutions already thought of or in practice somewhere.
The second meeting will take place in Sweden, where students will be doing real construction of energy-saving buildings – and at the same time visit sights related to environmental issues. They will return to their «think tanks» to share and discuss their results (this time at the latest they should establish means of communication via internet to deepen and work out ideas and plans they have come up with). Ideally they should invent or construct a practical solution to one of the imminent problems that could be of use in their individual lives. The third meeting at Øya vgs should be mainly an outdoor experience to experience nature in a way many of the students have not experienced it: gathering food, cooking outside, camping, fishing, learning about forests and wildlife. The sensation of getting back to basics should underline the importance of modesty and humbleness instead of further heightening consumption and greed. After further research in the meantime, the final gathering in Cuxhaven should involve finalising the suggestions, putting them in print, film or other forms of distribution, at the same time getting in some experts and stakeholders on certain environmental projects Germany is doing research on to give the students further ideas.
As each group might undergo changes in its make up due to new students taking part in the course of those two years, all the results of the work so far have to be documented and new members will be introduced to the work undertaken so far.
There will be a final presentation of results, online dissemination of plans and results (YouTube, social networks), involvement of the local press – and if possible a Green Flag Award for as many of the schools taking part as possible to heighten the sustainability and to document the results. The further implementation of results depend on the students inventiveness, and also each schools engagement and commitment to implement the results in their own organisation.

Project Website

https://spif-germany.jimdofree.com/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 51234,7 Eur

Project Coordinator

BBS Cuxhaven & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Øya videregående skole
• Bergska gymnasiet Bildningen
• Val videregående Skole AS