Understand Biodiversity to share it Erasmus Project

Project Title

Understand Biodiversity to share it

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: Environment and climate change; International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; Agriculture, forestry and fisheries

Project Summary

The environment has an increasingly important place in today’s society and in particular in agricultural education. Reconciling agriculture and biodiversity is becoming a priority. This is how the agricultural high school in Albi Fonlabour came up with the idea of organizing the biodiversity day in 2014. This project has quickly gained popularity by welcoming a wide range of publics, from school children to professionals. This event has been used as a tool to open our students to Europe while working on this theme and thus to give a European dimension to this project.
The objectives were various. First, the aim was to improve communication skills in English, get scientific knowledge but also gain more autonomy, self-confidence through collaborative work. In addition, computer skills but also manual and creative skills were necessary to carry out the project. As for teachers, this project made it possible to develop language skills for “non-language” teachers, to develop project pedagogy and to exchange views on our respective professional practices.
Having already been partners, Fonlabour Agricultural High School in Albi offered the Conde Sao Bento Agricultural High School in Santo Tirso to collaborate on this project. The two schools have a fairly similar training and the classes chosen for the project were technological “Baccalauréat” level for the French and Vocational baccalaureate for Portuguese pupils, aged 16/18.
First, the different activities focused on the development and implementation of biodiversity days in the two countries: creation of games, stands, five senses itinerary, workshop facilitation to educate the youngest on the importance of biodiversity. On the other hand, visits allowed the discovery and the deepening of scientific and technical knowledge.
So thanks to the work of all the students, the project evolved smoothly during the two years. During the first year, the mixed pupils carried out workshops which made it possible to welcome 300 pupils and schoolchildren out of a total audience of 1,800 people. The primary school teachers were very satisfied and appreciated the presence of Portuguese students in the workshops. This positive experience allowed the Portuguese supervisors to better understand the implementation of this same day in their country which took place during the second year of the project. Thus, nearly 100 children were welcomed in Conde Sao Bento high school for the first edition of the biodiversity day. All of the workshops were developed and led by the students of our two schools who were able to raise awareness and make young people aware of the importance of biodiversity.
Through their efficient team work, the students showed autonomy and creativity and offered workshop facilitations and activities in English. Progress in the practice of the foreign language has been noted, especially for the shyest pupils. Throughout the project, students have improved their oral and writing skills and used digital tools funded by Erasmus+.

Finally, the benefits of this project were manifold: in addition to the fact that all the participants were able to improve their skills in different fields, we set up two events which promoted our respective schools and all the people who got involved. These exchanges gave the students the will to open up to Europe and to discover other cultures, through future internships abroad.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 61478 Eur

Project Coordinator

Etablissement Public Local du Tarn & Country: FR

Project Partners

• Escola Profissional Agrícola Conde S.Bento