The title of the project “We Create for Ecology” speaks for itself – it engages ecology, creativity, polytechnics and last but definitely not least- language acquisition. It is for pupils and teachers who are passionate about ecological issues and who want to create amazing things to help their area of living, who want to meet new people with the same interests from a different country, travel to new places, gain a lot of knowledge over the period of two years, actively practise English language, and simply grow as a person, because when you give back to nature for what it has been giving you, you are awarded with an amazing feeling that drives you to do more and more. Being located in landscape that has been affected by surface coal mining and is now being recultivated with recreational zones, lakes and newly created landscape, our school teaches children to understand and solve environmental issues as well as to comprehend the interrelationship of the sustainable use of natural resources, the landscape and healthy environment and to gain awaraness of how they themselves can contribute to the development of the environment they live in. For a long time our school has been involved in a lot of ecological activities, such as organising various Fair Trade Events, participating in Student Conference of Environment, planting trees in the forest near the school, collecting litter in the forest, doing research activites, keeping an outdoor exhibition of rocks, mini-arboretum, educational trail and a weather station in the school area, etc. We would like to use the project and its funding to help us extend our ongoing activites and to promote them to the next level, to raise awarness of ecological issues to wider public, to create sustainable products and use them in nature. Participants of the project are pupils from two partner schools, one from Most, the Czech Republic and the other from Meppel, the Netherlands, their parents, teachers, organisations and anyone who is interested and passionate about ecological topics, the biggest impact being on pupils and teachers who will then influence all of the other mentioned participants. The pupils will travel to their partner schools where they will work together on making bird feeders, bird houses, insect hotels, bumblebee nest houses, they will install these in nature and watch the birds and insects, document their findings, using the photographs for creating calendars, printing them in large format and organising exhibitions and presentations for other students and wider public. They will compete in creating their own project logo and designs of their future products. They will organise Fair Trade Events, Land Art exhibition, plant flowers, learn about bees, make photo herbarium and almanacs, participate in local fairs, etc. Apart from four trips that are planned for groups of twelve pupils and two teachers to visit the partner school, the participants will communicate throughout the whole project via phones, emails, Skype calls, social media, a special website designed and kept by them, sharing photos and vlogs with their experiences. The best way how to learn is through experience and practice, that is why the project is designed to engage the pupils very actively, they will be led and supervized by their teachers but pupils themselves will design, create, cooperate, communicate, use, share, exhibit all their products and ideas throughout the whole process. Students themselves will raise awareness of wider public through their activities. The project is designed to benefit students, organisations and wider public right now as well as in long term process. All the products created by students will be used also long after the project finishes- the bird feeders, bird houses, insect hotels, bumblebee nest houses, flower meadows, photo herbarium, almanac, calendars, designs, photo documentation, vlogs etc. Everything will be sustained in future and all documentation will be used for study material. Other organisations will benefit from the activities as well (for example organisation NaZemi and Club of Environmental Education) not only for raising awareness of ecological issues, promoting fair trade ideas, but also sharing good practice in terms of ecological activities.
We Create for Ecology was an international project designed and carried out by two partner schools- Základní škola Svážná Most, Czech Republic, and Terra Meppel, The Netherlands. The main objective was to raise awareness of ecological issues among the youth through doing various projects. Students have learnerd about birds and insects, they have made bird houses, bird feeders, insect houses, bumblebee houses, squirrel feeders, they have met a forester and a bee expert, they have made extensive research on the project topics. They have learned about Land Art and tried some LA projects on their own. They organised an event called Fair Trade Breakfast and gave information about fair trade to the attandees. They have learned about coal mining and the recultivation of the mine areas, that is so specific for the area of one of the partner schools. They have made photo herbals, learning about flowers and herbs, and they have made photo books with all the memorable moments. The participants learned how each one of them could do something to be helpful or sustainable in their environment. The students from Svážná and Terra schools live in such different environments that it created amazing conditions and opportunities for everyone to learn from each other, especially during the exchange trips when they stayed in a foreign country. Meeting new people, communicating in English, cooperating during various projects, staying with a foreign host family and learning about their everyday life, producing amazing things together, making friends for life, it was all part of everyone's journey. We managed to do all activities we had planned, with only two exceptions- the second exchange trip had to be canceled due to Covid 19 pandemic (force majeure). It was very sad for all participants as they were so excited to learn abroad. Instead, we were able to make online meetings where we carried on with some of the little projects. We found a way how to stay in touch via video chats, social media, and a website with all photos of our projects. The website is http://meppelmost.wixsite.com/wcfe. It is secured by password because there are minors in the photos. The password was given to all participants as well as other students from both schools (and their parents). The password is wcfe2021. During and after the pandemic it was clear that the students needed social contact more than anything else, so the online meetings were aimed mainly at that. Lots of talking, socialising, exchanging social media information, but also doing some little projects together, drawings, evaluation of the whole project, discussing the experience everyone had and what we learned along the way. We also brainstormed ideas for future potential projects as we would like to continue our international friendship and cooperation. The second activity that had been canceled two times due to the pandemic (force majeure) was participating at Easter Fair. The fair had been canceled both years by the city due to the government restrictions. We still plan to participate at the fair next year even when the project is officially over. We met all objectives that had been set out and we even did some extra little projects. We also involved more people than we had planned so it is safe to say that we raised awareness in our schools / cities. We keep doing online meetings even outside the project and with different pupils as it is a great way how to practise English and start new friendships that will most likely lead to other projects.