Water: Friend or Foe? Erasmus Project

Project Title

Water: Friend or Foe?

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: Environment and climate change; Civic engagement / responsible citizenship; EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy

Project Summary

Approx. 100 students from Mencia de Mendoza Lyceum in Breda, NL and 4th Gymnasium of Rhodes, GR will cooperate in a joint project on climate change and water management carrying the title “Water: Friend or Foe?”
The objectives are create awareness (on watermanagement and climate change priorities in The Netherlands as well in Rhodes) and by working together (Dutch and Greek mixed groups, language being English) and exploring and analysing Dutch as well as Greek (Rhodes) challenges in relation to water management and climate change on solutions on individual, national-European and global level. For example students will be made aware that it should never be taken for granted that we live safely, without fear of flooding or drought.
What are the student’s individual views on climate change? Have they had any personal experience with flooding/water shortage/water pollution? How far can these issues be attributed to the changing climate? Do they think their region/Greece/The Netherlands/Europe/International community does enough to help those adversely affected by flooding, drought and water pollution? What kind of precautions should be being taken to prevent water management problems in the future?
By following the CFEC (Common Framework of European Competence) domain 3 (I can collaborate constructively with peers from other countries on a common thematic task or project) for which all the relevant strands have been rewritten into can-do statements followed by visits to institutions and places of interest which have string added value to the project, we seek to establish a logical as well methodological build-up towards the final product of the project.
Activities in The Netherlands which are closely linked o the project are;
-the port of Rotterdam (zoom in on significance of the port for Dutch economy)and Maeslantkering to protect the very port of Rotterdam during extreme high tides and storms,
-Kinderdijk Unesco world heritage and museum Blokweer as well as Amsterdam with its famous canals both as part of visiting a Unesco heritage site (CFEC) which relates to the theme of watermanagement on the old days. walking tour of Breda,
-Watersnoodrampmuseum Ouderkerk where pupils will see that water can become your worst enemy (foe)
-Biesbosch National park, an important national park which ecology has drastically changed after closing of major river mouths from the North Sea with the result that salt water areas now have fresh water instead.
Activities in Greece are:
The final product will be setting up a mock European political party which, at the end of the project will create a manifesto in which joint observations and recommendations on we can best prepare for the future in light of water management and climate change.
On the long term we seek to make students aware that climate change and water management issues have various implications and are in itself very diverse all over the planet and may differ greatly from what one has to deal with in the home country.
By transferring the domestic issues to a, in this case, European level, we envisage our students to develop a broader mind and put that into practice by finding solutions on a European level.
Great additional value to any group of people working together and meeting each other is getting to know each other, learn from each other’s culture and thus create understanding for each other in the long term.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 32558 Eur

Project Coordinator

SKVOB e.o. & Country: NL

Project Partners

• 4th Gymnasium of Rhodes