The project title "Green Energy Link for YOUrope” expresses the project’s main objective: developing a collaborative phone application. The app focuses on dealing with energy issues on several levels:• how to produce green energy and involving around the high school (F), • evaluating new solutions (D, DK), • how to reuse energy (I). We decided to work on energy because it’s one of the key issues of today’s world in regard to its demand, supply and use, it not only affects our daily lives and is therefore relevant for various school subjects, but it also plays a significant role in terms of our political, economic, ecological and social future.Due to this fact it is of utmost importance to approach this topic from different perspectives. Aiming at raising an awareness of the problems, chances and challenges with respect to the demand, the supply and the use of energy and thus developing sustainable ideas for a solution for an efficient use of energy, it is necessary that all participating countries collect data on similarities and differences of the above mentioned aspects at the beginning of the project t. The main goal of our project is the development of a Mobile App that focuses on the 3Rs ( Reduced, Reuse, Recycle) issue target results such as teaching and learning materials, as well as a film and an exhibition shall also be made accessible to the wider public of the participating schools. Furthermore, the participants will be given the opportunity to develop various skills in the field of communication, media literacy and social interaction. In addition, the project will also be beneficial in terms of intercultural exchange and it will help to improve the students’ language skills. Through the study students will gain an understanding of how to supply and use energy (more) efficiently and in a sustainable way. Thus, they will realize that it is time for a change which in Europe can only be achieved if all countries work together. Accordingly, the participating countries (Denmark, France, Germany and Italy) were selected - based on differences in their use of energy and natural resources. All of these countries represent various energy policies which will need to be examined in order to learn with and from each other.Hence, the project´s outcome will benefit from the participation of students aged between 14 and 18 years as well as teachers who approach this topic differently due to their own experiences.During the five activities that are planned, the attendants (approximately 40 students and 10 teachers per activity), who should vary if possible, will gain insight into the partner countries' current energy concepts, e.g. through a survey of different types of generating plants and taking field trips to energy-related places. They will document their results in the Mobile App and collect concepts for the exhibition. The participants are also expected to function as multipliers in their surroundings to provide common access to the collected data.Through different approaches (art projects, questionnaires, interviews of politicians, statistic investigations as well as their evaluation) students will explore several aspects of the topic. While doing the various learning activities students will cooperate on a transnational level. By producing teaching materials together (e.g. film, exhibition) students will learn about principles of using natural resources in an environmentally friendly way. At the same time they get to know country-specific ways of energy supply and related problems as well as future plans like using alternative energy resources. After the project’s completion, the results will be conserved in the Mobile App (Google Play and others platforms). Furthermore, an exhibition can be used by schools or other institutions. The usage of teaching materials and its distribution inside and outside of school (using eTwinning or Smart Exchange) and also a circulating exhibition, will help to reinforce the project's key issues to a larger number of students and other people like parents and other citizens living in the schools' surroundings.Trying to find ways to use natural resources more efficiently, e.g. by saving energy at the participating schools and in students' and teachers' homes, will enable participants to learn with and from each other. The rationale and the long-term goal of our project is to make participants comprehend that energy is one of the key issues of today's world as well as that of the future and that a sustainable use of energy and resources is essential. In order to achieve this, we aim to create an awareness of what problems, chances and challenges with respect to the demand, the supply and the use of energy there are in the participating countries. On the whole, the project pursues the support of the climate protection goals of the EU, which is our motivation to carry out this transnational project.
1- Background Four high schools which were partnes on a previous Comenius project came together around the topic of energy and created GELY "Green Energy Link for YOUrope". This project focused on the treatment of energy problems at several levels: • produce green energy in high school (F), • evaluate new solutions (D, DK), • reuse energy (I). 2- Aims The 4 initial aims were: to enable students to understand environmental and energy issues, to participate in a collaborative work between European partners highlighting the educational practices of each, to allow a rural public to increase its feelinq of European citizenship and to use computer communication tools. The results of all our work on our project have been integrated in a mobile phone application and have been the subject of a public exhibition that has passed through the 4 high schools. 3- Participants profile: The BEAUREGARD high school, (Montbrison) with a general and technological topic in a rural area, Droste-Hülshoff-Gymnasium, (Berlin) offering musical and scientific lessons HimmelevGymnasium, (Roskilde) with a strong emphasis on science and communication Liceo Scientifico "B. Rescigno" (Roccapiemonte) with general orientation, in a disadvantaged area of southern Italy. 4- Description of the main activities Each team conducted their own project on the theme of ecology. THE 4 ITEMS * In France, in Montbrison, the students restored and fitted out two old phone booths. These have been transformed into recharging point of mobile phones thanks to the installation of solar panels. In addition they developed the application for phone, * In Italy, students worked on recycling in order to aim at zero waste in their high school. After several surveys and polls of their classmates and teachers. The students created panels with good advice to achieve their goal. * In Germany: students have strongly wanted to work on the issue of biogas. They studied the impacts of this new production, the advantages, the drawbacks. * In Denmark, two fields of work: solar energy and water with a strong partnership with the Technological University of Roskilde. They encouraged the school to renovate their toilets so that they consume less water. But also the lighting of the rooms. The savings achieved were measured and analyzed by the students. THE 5 MEETINGS Five European meetings have been set up in order to assess and evaluate the progress of these four projects and for the students to meet each other. These meetings have been actively prepared by the students and the four-day program was as follow: * welcome in high school, * presentation of each team in English * presentation of the progress of each project in English * visits related to the project topic 5- Results and impacts achieved The young people have all made progress, especially in public presentation, in English oral language. And they did their best to provide a good stay at home for their foreign fellows. The exhibition was displayed in the four high schools. Students, families, teachers and residents of the city of each school were invited. Enclosed: photos of the opening of this exhibition. Finally, the application has made it possible to disseminate the Gely project to many users. Impact on participants • better awareness of ecological issues • improved speaking in public skills • increase of students' level in English • traveling: discovery of the plane, the TGV, night homestay, local habits Impact on organisms • better knowledge of other high schools and how they work • possibility of setting up in our school problems raised in other high schools • new opportunities in students skills assessment • Strong partnership between our four high schools Impact on teachers • creation of multidisciplinary intra-institutional teams and implementation of innovative pedagogies adapted to a voluntary and sometimes difficult public, • The need to speak English at all meetings has helped us to improve our foreign language skills 6 - Long-term benefits At the end of the European funding, in France, the phone booth will be kept in working order. This device creates a new friendly space in the high school. STI2D teachers will also use this booth in their teaching lessons. In Italy, the recycling dynamic is set in high school and all hope that it will go on. In the same way, in Denmark, at Roskilde High School, energy savings are real.