Coming from different countries from distant corners of Europe, with different social and ecological backgrounds, our students share the same responsibility for our common environment. This project seeks to raise awareness and educate them in environmental issues, develop a ‘lifestyle education programme’ and test its effectiveness in improving adolescents’ environmental education. To start the ecological activities, our students will analyse their local situation and present it to the other participants; this will promote pro-ecological attitudes. Then they will set up a virtual Eco-Club, run by the students themselves under teachers’ guidance, with the purpose of turning the school into an ecological, environmental-friendly school. The idea of the project is very simple, focusing on environmental awareness. What makes it specially innovative and attractive is the fact that students will have a particularly active role and degree of autonomy in the implementation of the activities. Students will be responsible for making decisions about them, and will develop an Ecological Code of Behaviour based upon their own work. Likewise, they will lead discussion groups and debates during the project meetings, as well as give presentations and elaborate surveys and reports, among other things. The results of their work will be available on a blog which they will administrate. Students and teachers involved in the project will contribute as active and responsible citizens to maintain and improve the quality of the environment in which we all live. They will have chances to reflect upon regional, cultural and social similarities and differences. The project will involve students of Secondary school (aged 13-14) from different countries and will be centred around five main topics: (1) Recycling and waste segregation (2) Electricity and water consumption (3) Consumption of local products (4) Urban transport (5) Protected areas Each of these five topics will be approached by following a 4-phase cycle: analysis and raising awareness (field research activities) > presentation of results (student conferences at project meetings) > debate and evaluation > action and dissemination (school activities after the mobilities). Through these activities, both students and staff will have the opportunity to: - improve learning and scientific skills; - enhance cooperative skills within home schools and between the partner schools; - develop linguistic, expressive, artistic, computer, social and civic skills; - increase awareness and develop a new mentality concerning all environmental issues. The main planned activities are: - set-up of an Erasmus+ Corner; - set-up of a project blog; - creation and management of a virtual Eco-Club, whose mission is to turn the partner institutions into eco-friendly schools. - slideshows about each school; - logo contest; - research work about environmental issues; - diagnostic survey and questionnaires; - conferences and presentations held by students, followed by debates and joint reflections; - recording of a documentary or video tutorial about environment-friendly habits; - photo reports and exhibitions; - multilingual glossary (e-dictionary and printed version); - Ecological Code of Behaviour (digital and printed version); - catwalk show with clothes and fancy dresses made with recycled materials. - puppet show with music instruments, all made with recycled materials; Teachers will resort to inclusive, innovative methods of teaching, thus encouraging students to investigate, explore and analyse by following a cooperative, project-based methodological approach. The participant teachers may also provide support to other colleagues interested in adopting such innovative methods. Dissemination will be carried out throughout the project with the publication of articles in the local press, social media and on each school website to inform students, staff and stakeholders on project activities promoting the Erasmus+ programme. On the project website we can convey all the information and documentation available, with particular reference to the results of the different project phases. The Internet and such powerful social networks as Twitter may lead dissemination and impact much beyond our nearby educational communities, allowing us to activate a direct contact with potential beneficiaries (much more than the number of those who are involved in the project) and interact with them. Finally, we believe that gaining knowledge of each partner’s traditions, culture and habits will allow young people to see that they belong to a common European family. In other words, in everyday teaching our students can experience environmental issues in their country, whereas through a transnational project they can experience themselves as citizens of the world. An experience that, to go along with the Erasmus slogan, will change their lives and open their minds.
The Environmental Awareness Across Europe (EAAE) project was designed to raise awareness and educate our students in environmental issues, develop a lifestyle education programme and test its effectiveness in improving teenagers’ environmental education. Our students analysed their local situation and presented it to the other participants, thus promoting pro-ecological attitudes. They organised their own activities through a virtual Eco-Club, run by the students themselves under teachers’ guidance, via a blog and a WhatsApp group, with the purpose of turning their schools into ecological, environmental-friendly institutions. The idea of the project is very simple, as it focuses on environmental awareness. What makes it specially innovative is the fact that students had a particularly active role and degree of autonomy in the implementation of the activities. Indeed, they were responsible for making decisions and collaborated to develop an Ecological Code of Behaviour based upon their own work. Likewise, they led discussion groups and debates during the project meetings, and gave presentations and elaborated surveys and reports, among other things. Together with their teachers, the students involved in the project contributed as active and responsible citizens to maintain and improve the quality of the environment in which we all live. In passing, they reflected upon regional, cultural and social similarities and differences. The project involved secondary school students (aged 13-15) from different countries and focused on five main topics: (1) Recycling and waste segregation (2) Electricity and water consumption (3) Consumption of local products (4) Urban transport (5) Protected areas Each of these five topics was approached by following a 4-phase cycle: analysis and raising awareness (field research activities) > presentation of results (student conferences at project meetings) > debate and evaluation > action and dissemination (school activities after the mobilities). Through these activities, both students and staff had the opportunity to: - improve learning and scientific skills; - enhance cooperative skills within home schools and between the partner schools; - develop linguistic, expressive, artistic, computer, social and civic skills; - increase awareness and develop a new mentality concerning all environmental issues. Some of the most important activities were the setting up of an Erasmus+ Corner, the project website, the management of a virtual Eco-Club, PPT slideshows about each school, the logo contest, field research work about environmental issues, diagnostic survey and questionnaires, student conferences and presentations followed by debates and joint reflections, photo reports, videos and exhibitions, multilingual e-dictionary, Ecological Code of Behaviour (digital and printed version), exhibitions of objects made with recycled materials. Teachers have resorted to inclusive, innovative methods of teaching, thus encouraging students to investigate, explore and analyse by following a cooperative, project-based methodological approach. The most innovative, experienced teachers provided support to other colleagues interested in adopting such innovative methods. Dissemination has been carried out (it still is) throughout the project with the publication of news items in the local press, social media (mainly Twitter and Facebook) and on each official school website to inform students, staff and stakeholders on project activities promoting the Erasmus+ programme. On the project website we have conveyed information and documentation about some of the most appealing activities, paying particular attention to the results of the different project phases. It has been regularly updated. The Internet and such powerful social networks as Twitter has led (or is still leading) dissemination and impact beyond our nearby educational communities, allowing us to activate a direct contact with potential beneficiaries (much more than the number of those who are involved in the project) and interact with them. Finally, we believe that gaining knowledge of each partner’s traditions, culture and habits has made our students aware that they belong to a common European family. In other words, in everyday teaching our students can experience environmental issues in their country, whereas through a transnational project they have been able to experienced themselves as citizens of the world. An experience that, to go along with the Erasmus slogan, has changed their lives and opened their minds.