Our project YOU-TOPIA will build the bridge from the present to the future by not completely neglecting the past. The project is perfectly suitable for developing and deepening the key competences identified by the EU in terms of lifelong learning (compentences in one's first language, in foreign languages, critical thinking, being confident with ICT, cultural and intercultural awareness and teamwork).OBJECTIVES:The project YOU-TOPIA wants to encourage all participants to have a critical view on today's situation as far as the following "FOCUS AREAS" are concerned:* COMMUNICATION* EDUCATION/WORLD OF WORK* ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY* CITY PLANNING/COMMUNAL LIFEHaving analysed the 'status quo', that is noticed, named and described needs and wishes - we will ask ourselves: How will our societies develop in the next decades?- What might our FUTURE look like? - How will we communicate? - How will we learn and work? - What will be the state of our environment?- How will we generate energy?- What will we eat?- What will our cities/towns/rural areas look like? - Will there be different kinds of cultures? - Where will Europe/the world go to? - How can we shape our future in a positive way? The questions of immigration and integration of refugees will play vital roles here.We will transport our "FOCUS AREAS" into the future and creatively deal with them from the different perspectives of the following school disciplines:- social/political studies- economics- technology/natural sciences- languages/literary studies- art/designAll work will be based on international and interdisciplinary project work - with academic but also practical components. We will - analyse and discuss future-related concepts of our FOCUS AREAS in our project groups and think-tanks- go on excursions to topic-relevant exhibitions, institutions and sites- develop and maintain a project website- create models and design drafts of future cities - produce sketches, drawings and paintings for project-related art exhibitions- have creative writing workshops and develop eMagazines- have a robotics workshop- produce videos referring to the FOCUS AREAS - develop and perform theatre plays in intercultural groupsStudents and teachers from all participating institutions will work together in interdisciplinary teams at their institutions, but also cooperate transnationally via networking platforms on eTwinning and our own project website, as well as during Learning and Teaching Activities for Students and Teachers.We will collect and assess information on subject-related future projects, which we will define in our project teams, using new media technologies as well as traditional ways of gaining information (visits to libraries and exhibitions, lectures at local institutions, working with surveys). Critical thinking and creative approaches will enhance our students' knowledge and raise their awareness for the needs of our time. Input by futurologists will be of great help. We will benefit from the expertise of teachers and students from the north, east, south and west of Europe. There will be a focus on student-centred learning and case-methodology. Innovative aspects will be guaranteed through interdisciplinary and intercultural approaches as well as the methods of inclusive education. The results of our project will be documented on our website, schools' homepages and eTwinning. Results collected in booklets or magazines, creative work and videos will be presented on open days and in circulating exhibitions. Parts of the project suitable for work in class will be used in future lessons and projects.Based on our project work we will develop visions for a future SMART WORLD, eventually laid down in our CHARTA OF THE FUTURE, which we will present to a Member of the European Parliament in June 2019.The participating schools are: 1. GERMANY / MUNICH: Samuel-Heinicke-FOS, founded in 1983, an upper-secondary school of applied sciences, teaching hearing-impaired and hearing students in reverse inclusion classes.2. FRANCE / AULNAY, PARIS: Lycée Jean Zay, a secondary school in a suburb of Paris, preparing students for the General and Technical Baccalaureate.3. SLOVAKIA / BRATISLAVA:Stredna odborna skola pre ziakov so sluchovym postihnutim, a secondary vocational school for students with hearing impairment from all over Slovakia.4. POLAND / KROSNO:I Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. M. Kopernika w Zespole Szkół Ogólnokształcących w Krośnie, a secondary school for general education.5. LATVIA / RIGA:Rigas Valsts 2. gimnazija, founded in 1916, a state-funded upper-secondary school.6. ITALY / MARTANO LECCE:I.I.S.S. "S. Trinchese", a secondary school in Martano, near Lecce in the south-east of Italy.7. SWEDEN / GISLAVED: Gislaveds Gymnasium in the south of Sweden, provides secondary and vocational education.8. IRELAND / LONGFORD: Mean Scoil Mhuire is an all girls' iPad school in central Ireland.
BACKGROUND/CONTEXT:Our project You-Topia was started with the objective of bringing young people from many parts of Europe together and at the same time making them think about the future they want to live in: "The best way to predict your future is to create it." (assigned to Abraham Lincoln). We decided on this huge topic because it has utmost relevance for our future. With every day the project gained more relevance and the topic itself more media attention. "Fridays for Future" is just one catchy phrase to be mentioned in this context which arouses the students' interest and attention enormously. Additionally, many institutions organised events and presentations exactly on the issues we dealt with (environment, digitalization and alike). BACKGROUND/CONTEXT: Our initial idea to start this project took shape in our six FOCUS AREAS we chose to work on: (1) communication (2) work/education (3) energy/environment combining those elements in a model of a (4) smart community/city adding elements of (5) smart life and thus reaching our ideal (6) smart world. Back in 2016 signs of a European Union being threatened from falling apart (referendum in the UK, etc.) and also a significant menace by climate change and the chances and risks coming along with digitalisation were visible. Those were key issues forming the context for this project. Students were made sensitive towards taking up responsibility and also taking action for their own future, according to Abraham Lincoln’s words: "The best way to predict your future is to create it." OBJECTIVES We wanted to raise students’ attention and bring them into action to form a future worth living for. We followed the principle “Small changes, big impact.” They were invited to follow the media more attentively as well as the offers made by many organisations in this area (e.g. Green City, Oekonom, offers by universities). Next to just following the news we wanted them to take action by founding Eco-Groups at the participating schools, thus disseminating the results of the project work within You-Topia. Apart from working on the issues themselves, another major goal was to connect young people all over Europe in order to fight stereotypes but also to learn collaboration in an intercultural context which will most certainly be helpful for their future. English being the working language would also be of significance for their private and professional lives. We also included Sign Language (see tutorials on our website) and thus promoted this interesting and different way of communication. PARTICIPATING ORGANISATIONS By focussing on seven schools from different parts of Europe we were given the opportunity to look into different kinds of culture and their ways of addressing an issue. Next to regional differences we also wanted to bring together students from different social backgrounds (students of “elite schools” – students with special needs). MAIN ACTIVITIES The main activities were intercultural workshops when meeting at LTAs focussing on the FOCUS AREAS mentioned above creating eMagazines, writing and performing theatrical plays under surveillance of a deaf actor, doing creative writing sessions, creating models (of a smart future city and barrier-free architecture), visiting places of interest (e.g. Verba Voice showing how communication for deaf people can be fostered all around the world, the interactive museum Cool Planet focussing on climate change, an eco-farm and eco-resort showing sustainable ways of farming and tourism) doing experiments in professional laboratories (examining the quality of water at the University of Riga) doing workshops (e.g. tracing one’s ecological footprint, doing simulations on sustainable economics) making short videos at local schools focussing on the relevant FOCUS AREAS (preparatory work for the upcoming LTAs) and - depending on the FOCUS AREAS - creating presentations and posters showing the content at surveillance RESULTS/IMPACT All the results (as far as copyright issues allowed) were uploaded on the website www.you-topia.eu. We compiled “Our Charter of the Future” which we handed over to persons of interest at our last meeting in Brussels. Due to the election to the EP shortly before our meeting, we could not get hold of a politician. However, we got in touch with one of our MEP here in Munich who shows interest in the Charter and our project. A photo competition entitled "Beauty in Nature": Students were invited to hand in pictures and captions for a photo exhibition and competition conducted during our LTA in Martano expressing what "Beauty in Nature" means to them. We created a Smart World of You-Topia board game compiling aspects of and insights in all FOCUS AREAS. We could compile visible results (see MAIN ACTIVITIES above) but also invisible ones, encouraging the participants in our project to take action in a local as well as intercultural context for more environmental justice.