Knowing, acting and stating: these are the three key words of this European project which was initiated by 6 teachers from 5 different countries, who wish to work together. Bulgaria, Spain, Italy, Roumania and France have set up an educative project based on 2 observations : The educational system cannot remain passive when ecological impacts threaten our natural and cultural heritage. The teenagers – 3, 300 pupils aged 14 to 18 from all walks of life represent a sample of the huge variety of the European populations – must understand who they are and realise the impact they have on the world to become fully aware of the role they can play. All the pupils of each of these schools take part in this project, which implies that they will play an active role in it. Mobility programmes are a means to understand the extent of what is at stake on a European level with such an action. The task is facilitated by the preparatory work to set up these mobility programmes, the reports of the different meetings and the use of the eTwinning platform: they make it easier for all the actors to discuss matters, assess how efficient the exchanges and actions are and they also galvanize the different actors. The methods which will be at work are simple : to know how important the cultural and natural heritage is ; to bring awareness to the bonds that tie them together and form the basis of our human identity ; to acknowledge our collective and individual duty to preserve this heritage ; to carry out precise actions so as to protect and promote this heritage ; and finally to make cogent speeches to both bring people together around the same project and create vocations. Several activities will be put in place - visiting remarkable sites, thinking waste reduction over, creating debates, setting up interviews, and finally writing and performing pleas to renew our commitment to convince audiences – and they will be the cornerstones of this project, which mainly rests on an inductive approach. In the long run the benefits of these actions will be three-fold : On a local level, the aim is to create or reinforce a cultural cohesion within each school by placing an ecological ethic high on at the top its agenda, a measure which will ensure the preservation of our natural and cultural heritage in the long run. On an individual level, the aim is to make each pupil a fully responsible person, who is aware that every move counts and that every word can have an impact. Finally on a more general level this two-year project will make it possible for all the actors to observe the effects of a European political project through concrete and precise actions, which, in turn, will lead them to understand that beyond boundaries a common artistic and natural wealth-based humanistic ideal can be defended by each European citizen.
“Heritage: act now to save the future” is a project led by 6 high schools between 2018 and 2021, financed by the European Commission through Erasmus+ Program (key action 2). This project aims at finding practical means to fight the causes of climate change, and at protecting and promoting natural and cultural heritages. It lays on the celebration of the Year of European Heritage and on the context stressing the need for an urgent and global action on environmental issues such as pollution and global warming. The main objectives of our project are: - making students take part in the process to change their high school by creating challenges and daily life habit changes. - promoting motivation at school in order to reduce school disengagement risks - creating healthy competition and including students in the project - enabling students to define the idea of heritage, to know and to make people know their own heritage - discovering the heritages in the countries being part of the project, their issues and their problems - allowing students to speak up to protect and promote heritages - exchanging teaching methods within the groups of schools being part in the project This partnership includes 6 schools with students from 14 to 18 years old, from 6 European regions such as Bulgaria, Romania, Italy, France (2 schools) and Spain. Through the project, students discover the wide range of traditions, cultures and heritages of these 6 European regions thanks to preparatory works, video sharing, and various activities organised by students during the meetings. The inner differences between these schools contribute to a global understanding of european culture and heritage as well as climate change and environmental issues. A European culture and a wide cultural and language openness animate every school in the project, which is also dealing with issues such as the integration of disabled students or socially-precarious students, as well as school disengagement. Here is a list of organised activities:: - psychosocial activities: contacting each other by e-mails, messages on Facebook, on ETwinning, livening things up thanks to games and group creative works, ensuring communication through letter writing. - Activities to discover heritages : presentations, visits of emblematic sites - artistic activities: workshops, creative works, poster creation - debates: dialogues and in-situ or virtual meetings - activities to write and to read speeches - article and poem writing Here is the list of fulfillments: - Various works published in websites, Facebook pages and on ETwinning. - Increased self esteem and motivation - A better knowledge of heritages and the strategies to promote and protect them - Initiation to environmental issues: changing individual and group habits through global and daily life actions. - Keeping contact and brainstorming thanks to online meetings - High rating of the project by parents and school community - Acknowledgement of the project by the region Departments of Education Identified Impacts and benefits of this project can be linked to the following elements:: - The involvement of schools in heritages and environment have modified their own school culture, getting a local highlight through press articles, selection in various challenges and competitive exams, eco friendly labels, creation or strengthening of links between schools and local authorities - investing the new knowledges and know-hows of students into other projects such as a partnership with Political Sciences School (for a French school), or the preparation of the French final oral exam of Upper High School - the commitment of fellow students in associations created up by students having been part of the project - a global involvement in reducing waste, water and energy use - a practical conception of the role of Europe in every citizen daily life (projects once financed then valued and broadcast) - durability of the project through an active Facebook page and two dedicated websites