Water, a European Task in a Global Context Erasmus Project

Project Title

Water, a European Task in a Global Context

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 : Strategic Partnerships for school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2014

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Energy and resources; Research and innovation; Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning

Project Summary

Schools from 7 different countries (Germany, Iceland, Poland, Spain, Turkey) initiate a multilateral partnership and carry out their project idea “Water – a European task in a global context”. Due to geographical, Social and cultural aspects, each country contributes individually and particularly to the project. Inda-Gymnasium Aachen is the coordinating partner.
Water is the origin of life and affects mankind on the whole world. Therefore, we want to deal with the manifold aspects of water and its importance for our daily lives in the context of an international exchange. The participating partners have a different view on the availability of water, providing the students with the experience and the awareness of access to drinking water and a thoughtful reflexion of their own water consumption. Topics covered within the three-year project activities are:
– Water conditioning, chemical and physical properties of water
– Water treatment and drinking water abstraction
– Distribution of water in the geological, geographical and political context
– Water and agriculture
– Water as a threat: flood and flood control
– Infrastructure: economical an ecological issues
– water power, geothermics
– water as economic factor, tourism, wellness
– the intercultural dimension of water:water in Art, music, literature

The international dimension of the project refers to the UNESCO topics “water” as well as “World Heritage Earth” as different concepts of life and different perspectives on the dependence of water are being examined from economical, ecological and cultural points of view. Water is part of different curricula in all countries, therefore the project provides the chance to benefit from its results and products to a large extent.
Aims of the project are the awareness of the various forms of using water, the exemplification of the international relevance in various contexts and the developement of solitions for problems related to the topic of water. Our students are going to analyse their own water consumption in the light of sustainability in order to realize the European and the global importance of private and public use of water. In this context we also deal with the problematic distribution of water. On the one hand, the aim of agriculture in arid environments is the international market thanks to irrigation, on the other hand politicians discuss the privatisation of drinking water supply. The latter would mean that water becomes a trading good instead of common property. We want to discuss the access to drinking water as a human right.
Besides, we intend to work on the economical dimension of water as energy ressource, infrastructure and its importance for tourism, taking the ecological repercussions into consideration, too. The basic aim of the project is the awareness of the cross-border, interdisciplinary importance of water and the resulting consequences and challenges, also for our daily routines. This aim cumulates in a charta on European water protection, comprising a comparision of the national implementations of the corresponding EU directives. According to Europe 2020, the project focuses on the future and on sustainable growth.
Our students aquire and extend their presentation and research skills. They learn how to plan, carry out and analyse surveys and other data collection methods. They gain an insight in social science and academic research. They improve their foreign language and intercultural skills.
The activities, which mainly take place in the course of the transnational meetings, comprise for example visits to water treatment plants and power stations, analysis of water consumption and the presentation and documentation of working results. Students participate both in a cognitive and holistic way, for instance by cooperating with “Engineers without Borders” and by developing filter systems for water treatment.
As a long-term result, the students increase their appreciation for the precious resource of water as a basis for a sustainable and social life.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 421950 Eur

Project Coordinator

Inda-Gymnasium & Country: DE

Project Partners

• IIS Albert Einstein
• ZESPOL SZKOL CENTRUM KSZTALCENIA ROLNICZEGO IM. ADOLFA DYGASINSKIEGO W SICHOWIE DUZYM
• Gazi Ortaokulu
• IES TORRELLANO
• Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík
• PLATON M.E.P.E
• Angel Kanchev Third Secondary School