CONTEXT/BACKGROUND The project is thought to promote the awareness of emergency concerning the environment and climate changes. We have observed that many bad behaviors are performed because of 2 important lacks: 1)lack of knowledge about the environmental emergency. We think that the consequences of climate change must be explained in simple words and to as more people as possible(families, local community, large audience public by media). That’s why every activity of the project, is supported by seminars, conferences, workshops, with the presence of expertise, volunteers, local government stakeholders. The teachers will be the first to be trained, they will have methodological training, to be more effective with the long term results of the project. The theoric part will be very inclusive(1°-2°Priority), in fact, students will do their researches and surveys in groups, they will have the opportunity to develop their autonomy in the learning process, as they will be free to choose the specific issue linked with the main topics. 2) lack of real citizenship education. The partner schools community with their pupils will do indoor and outdoor activities to promote active citizenship in an international context. The students will be trained to be sentries of their environment and culture(1° Priority) to be very strict with adults bad habits. We are sure that, they will be more effective and proactive than the adults because they will be also trained to cooperate and will react against any bad behavior towards the environment. OBJECTIVES are: Contributing to a better future for our young in a better Europe. - Using the environment and the cultural heritage to motivate students at other subjects transversely; -fostering the environment protection as a means of economic advantage and cohesion; - acting in volunteering groups to protect the environment as a tool to foster social inclusion. -Working with other European peers will be a motivation to improve communicative skills with foreign languages. NUMBER AND PROFILE OF PARTECIPANTS We are 6 schools, the coordinator is Italy-Istituto Comprensivo F.D’Amico; the other partners are: Liceul Teoretic Mircea Eliade Scoala Gimnaziala Nr 2 Lupeni –Romania; Szkola Podstawowa nr 6 w Trzebini-Poland Siauliu Rajon Kairi Pagrindine Mokykla-Lithuania, Trikatas Pamatskola-Latvia, Dimotiko Sxoleio Kalis-Greece. The target students involved are aged from 7 to 17. The main communication tools will be TIC tools, video conferences, Website, emails. We will have 3 Short-term joint staff training events (1 the first year and 2 in the second year) that are aimed at the teachers and involved families. The coordinator will venue the first and the last Short-term joint staff training. The pupils' exchanges(3 the first year and 3 the second year) will give an international value to their learning experience. Several events will be organized during the exchanges, therefore all the community will be involved. These events will be more attractive because of the international group that will interact with locals to focalize the environmental problem. These pupils exchanges will be attended by 5 students per partner school, accompanied by 2 teachers. The hosting schools will organize classes to include the international working groups, to involve in the experience as more pupils as possible. The date will be: Short-term joint staff training events 10/2019 Italy-10/2020 Latvia-05/2021 Italy Short-term exchanges of groups of pupils 12/2019 Poland- 03/2020 Lithonia-05/2020 Romania-10/2020 Latvia-02/2021 Greece-05/2021 Italy OUR METHODOLOGY will be active, participatory, based on pupils interests, needs, and motivation. The concrete activities will be tailored to include students with special needs or social disadvantages, they will be supported and encouraged by their group. The flipped classroom,problem-solving, cooperative learning, workshops,game-based learning and digital based learning activities, TIC methodology are the methodological choices to carry on the project. IMPACT: Our students will have a positive impact towards environment, they will find out different/alternative solutions in a financial - business logic into a life long learning perspective. THE POTENTIAL longer-term benefits After the project, the participants will be able to have correct behavior toward the environment, surroundings, and culture. They have changed their “forma mentis” Respect will imbibe all the actions in the daily routine, our students become more responsible and sensitive towards the environment, that will be seen as a tool for educational and social inclusion. Our students will be involved with attractive activities and will be less inclined to abandon the school(3°Priority). Also the benefits are a potential in life long perspective,all will be able to appreciate the individuality of each person or country and understand that Europe is united in diversity.
Context: The project involved students aged between 5 and 16 with activities appropriate to their age and different levels of learning. We started from the concept of "RESPECT" applied at 360 degrees and declined in different forms, to develop practices of civil coexistence and consolidate inclusive, green, and responsible behaviors, in the short, medium, and long term. From an initial survey 2 important shortcomings were observed: 1) the lack of awareness and knowledge of the environmental emergency and 2) the lack of real education for active citizenship aimed at the environment. The main objective was therefore to change behavior and personal choices, putting respect for the environment, and cultural, artistic, and landscape heritage first. Each partner school organized 2 meetings to raise awareness of the objectives of the project and involve the school community and citizenship in a European dimension of environmental issues and Erasmus plus action. The second meeting was extended to voluntary associations with the presence of experts to start a collaborative path in carrying out the objectives and activities. Immediately afterward the competition to create the logo of the project was launched in the partner schools. 2 teachers were identified who took care of the promotion and visibility of the project through the website, social media, newspapers, and local radio. The primary school has contributed to enriching the Erasmus corner by creating objects made with recycled material and dedicated to the partner states. The students, in each partner school, did research and group surveys to deepen their knowledge of their cultural heritage, and chose what to adopt to present in the next meeting (a monument, a poem, a dance, a song, a typical dish, a beach, a lake, a forest). Meeting LTTA (C4) as planned was held in Poland. The partner schools had their first exchange with students in the family. The activities were presented by the students in PowerPoint and Prezi. Il logo presented by Romania was considered the most relevant and was chosen by all the pupils of the partnership. Objectives achieved:1)Raise awareness among pupils to be proactive towards the protection of the environment and cultural heritage;3)Promote the knowledge of each country involved in the project; During the meeting in Poland, the calendar of activities for the following two months was confirmed and all the planned activities were carried out. The months preceding the meeting were dedicated to the issue of climate change and human survival also through the protection of bees. Guided tours were carried out to see the consequences of climate change in a person. The reading books suggested to the students were all related to the same environmental issue. In several cases, the students met the authors of the books. The teachers involved were always in touch, also exchanging information and suggestions during the implementation activities (P5-P6-P7-) and also sharing teaching material with Kahoot, scramble, puzzles, etc ...; Objectives 2 and 4: Promote knowledge and consciousness about nature and the consequences of climate change; promote the exchanging of good practices from each country and school for environmental protection Due to the Pandemic, the C5 activity could not be done in present and was postponed. At that point, the coordinator and partners' goal was to keep the project alive. To this end, several meetings were held on the Zoom platform to continue to involve students even if at a distance, and to re-modulate the program of activities by doing online meetings and creating activities related to the project. 3 online meetings were organized with Latvia (C3-C7) and Romania (C6). In the meeting in Latvia as well as in Romania, it was possible to have more students participate. All the institutes involved started planting trees to build the "garden of respect" that at the end of the project, was visible in the green spaces of each partner school. Obiettivo 7, facilitate the acquisition of values that underlie civil coexistence, in the awareness of being owners of rights and duties by respecting others and the environment In Latvia during the online meeting, Objective 6 (training pupils for active citizenship, within the framework of the principles established by European) has been developed to make all students active citizens, developing in them an awareness of the protection of the surrounding territory.In fact, Latvian pupils have shown how to develop this awareness, showing care for the forest close to the school and the activities related to the protection of the land with worm farming. In the meeting in Romania, both the Romanian school and the Italian school involved 3 experts, who deepened the issues related to environmental protection and the circular economy, allowing the exchange of good practices (objectives 4-6). In addition, "The Garden of Respect" and the 3 Rs market (reduce-reuse-recycle) implemented in each partner school gave visibility to the project and encouraged its dissemination. Before the C2 and C9 meetings in Greece and Lithuania, activities were carried out involving the local administrations of the partner schools, to learn how each territory manages water (a resource in depletion) and how to deal with the hydrogeological consequences due of climate change. The students visited the aqueducts, purifiers, and purifiers and studied the laws governing water use, water viability, dirty water management, and the consequences of melting glaciers. During these activities the students collaborated with the local community by putting active citizenship into practice, involving local media, and promoting the project. The activities related to the discovery of green and circular economy companies were all concentrated in the last period of the project because the conditions of the pandemic allowed it. Objective 5 (Developing in young people an entrepreneurial mindset that is based on the circular economy and sustainable development) was pursued throughout the project period and was verified at the meeting in Italy and then in Romania. La Verification of the results was always carried out through the presentations of the works carried out by the students. The online and face-to-face Kahoots, Prezi, and learning through digital and non-digital games, were also great ways to motivate and develop collaboration, communication, and inclusive dialogue skills, implementing the use of English. Objectives 8, 9, and 10 (Promoting solidarity and tolerance; developing the ability to collaborate, communicate, to dialogue; implementing the use of foreign languages as a necessary tool for communication).