Think Global, Act Local – Our Forests The Project was initiated at the TCA in Freiburg in 2018. There, the coordinators of the respective schools met and agreed to work together on a project about forests. We all agred, that forests always have been and always will be a crucial part of our ecosystem. Even though their importance is known, they are endangered in many ways. Reasons for their neglect might be a lack of appreciation of forests and information about forests in the younger generation. However, students, as the future generation, need to be trained to be responsible for their environment since they will serve as models to others and carry their knowledge, attitudes and values into the next generations. If we don't pass on common knowledge about important environmental issues, this might jeopardize the future of us all. Erasmus+ offer a unique opportunity for this. Having students from different countries and cultures working on this project together, they will be able to see the bigger picture and the issue will reach a much larger group people. Each country is facing its own problems when trying to use but also to preserver the forest. While some countries still have vast forest, deforestation to make room for housing and farming is a big issue in others. Only if we see the variety of environmental problems, the sudents will be able to appreciate, understand and be capable to come up with solutions. Solutions may include personal action, organizing in an environmental group or trying to influence policy makers. Each of these will be tacked by the participants. Participants are Integrierte Gesamtschule Maifeld in Polch (Germany), Escola Básica e Secundária Bispo D. Manuel Ferreira Cabral (Portugal, Madeira) Profilirana prirodo-matematicheska gimnazia - Lovech (Bulgaria) Viljandi Gümnaasium (Estonia) and Lyceum of Solea (Cyprus). Each of them is a secondary school. Having participants from very different regions and climates ensures a wide variety of different perspectives to the project. Students aged 14-19 will be able to participate in this project. The different age groups will also add to the variety of perspectives. While many students can participate in projects at the schools, the number of students that may travel and participate in the international events is limited due to limits in funding. Depending on the trip 3-6 students may come along. In a variety of activities which are desigend to make the students actively examine, investigate and question, the students will explore the state of forests, the threats they are facing, which measures are already taken and how to become active themselves. Their ability to see the beauty of nature will be sharpened so that they feel responsible to protect what they see. In all cases experts will be heard, companies and organizations will be visited, and local, national and international authorities will be informed and challenged. A petition to the EU will show the students which possibilities they have to speak up and make a change in a democratic, multinational institution. In several clean-up actions and tree plantings, the students will actively contribute to an improvement of the environment. All of these will be recorded on a counter, to make the change that has been brought about visible in numbers. Also cultural exchange will be a central point. Knowing and understanding other cultures also contributes to a better understanding of their attitude towards the environment. Getting to know other cultures and working with them for a common goal also strengthens the sense of community within the different European countries. The documentary which is made to visualize the project as a whole, will serve not only as a good way to remember the project, but also to encourage others.
The project "Think global - Act Local: Our Forests" started in October 2019 with a preparatory meeting in Germany. During this meeting, team building techniques were presented and practiced. Later these were used at home with the students involved in the project. Furthermore, the exemplary exploration of a forest was practiced using the example of the forest in the Eifel. In cooperation with a forester, the ecosystem and the problems of the forest were illustrated with the help of clear and action-oriented games and materials. Just a few weeks later, the first meeting with students took place in Cyprus. Here, for the first time, the scheme that was to serve as a blueprint for all further visits was carried out. First, a topic previously researched by the students (in this case flora and fauna in the respective forests of the countries) was presented. Based on these presentations, a discussion was held (in this case, a comparison of the forests, with the initially surprising result that the forests are not that different, despite their geographical features). As part of a guided hike through the Trodos Mountains, the special features of the forest (not so similar any more) on Cyprus were explored. Meanwhile, the students cleaned the trails of garbage. There was also guided bird watching. A tree planting was held at the school. It being the first meeting with students, a common logo for the project was. All students were asked to upload their favorite photo to eTwinning for the final documentation. Back home, preparations for the next meeting in Estonia started soon. But COVID sent us into a 1.5-year break. At the beginning of March 2022 the next meeting took place in Madeira, Portugal. The focus here was the special feature of the forest on Madeira, which has to cover its water supply (just like agriculture) completely from the rain in the north of the island. Another focus were invasive species and the way in which they are dealt with on Madeira. In preparation, the students had dealt with the question what a forest on an island in the Atlantic is like. Using the example of a fish farm, the concept of the circular economy was presented, in which production takes place without consumption. Also in Madeira, the students planted a tree, which was equipped with a time capsule in which the participants collected their hopes for the future. Again, pictures were requested at the end for the documentation. Already at the end of March 2022 we went to Estonia. For this purpose, presentations on how forests are used in different countries were prepared. The need for sustainable use was already addressed at this meeting. As part of a hike, rubbish was collected and the local forest explored. The forest was measured, examined, observed and photographed. Again, it became clear how the forest here is different from the forests in other countries and to what extent the problems of this forest are also completely different. The largest tree planting within the project resulted in around 900 trees being planted. To create a connection with the trees, everyone got a certificate with the exact dates of the forest area in which they were planted, so that they can visit “their” forest in the future. In preparation for Bulgaria the students dealt with the special protection of forests and trees in their homeland. The largest and oldest trees and forests and their protection were presented. Trees were discussed here as givers of life and protectors. Afterwards, the students put themselves in the shoes of the trees by reporting on the life of the trees from their point of view. Again there were guided hikes, in which the special features of the Bulgarian forest were highlighted, and a rubbish was collected. A tree was planted in the schoolyard of the partner school. This time, not only photos were collected for the final report, but also short interviews with participant. The final meeting in Germany was scheduled for June. In preparation, the students dealt with the specific problems of the forests in their home countries and also explored what they can do themselves to protect the forest. Once in Germany, these findings were presented and reflected upon in internationally mixed groups. The result was a catalog of demands to be presented to EU institutions. After another obligatory hike with a garbage collection and an introduction to socially, economically and ecologically sustainable forestry, we went together to Brussels. Here we had an appointment with a spokesman for the directorate General for forests of the European Commission. Here the students found out what the EU is already doing for the forest, had the opportunity to present their demands and received constructive feedback.