Humanity has always been dependent on the conditions of their natural surroundings. Their life, their social and political values (in both regional and global contexts) are oriented towards events which appear as both breaks in, and expansions, of human needs satisfaction. These events manifest in the form of cultural evolution in different societies. Through the ecological conditions demanded by demographics and climate, it is up to European countries to design plans for not only maintaining, but also redesigning social environments. The foundation of that would ideally be the awareness of regional and international culture experienced by the family, education and knowledge of traditional and geo-cultural requirements. Facing the approaching climatic changes, who would want to defy a new view of the world, intervening with society’s development? Who would think of maintaining status quo? Who would negate human evolution and progress as a natural extension of human life and experience? Probably only those, whose historical awareness lies in the clutches of a closed system. Europe has served as a guarantor for an open, constantly evolving democratic culture. Therefore, our continent must set itself the task to take over responsibility in a global context, to grant every person’s right to life and survival. This ERASMUS+ project sets itself to deal with the future of a fair Europe and, in the broadest sense, the whole world. By doing that, the project’s aims are to increase the consciousness of the participants’ images of others and their own cultural identities and to facilitate democratic awareness in dealing with the diversity of European cultures. For these needs, the education towards a humanistic consciousness is necessary, bringing in line social, political, ecological, and economical factors with different geographical and cultural conditions. The consciousness of EUROPE as WORLD CULTURAL HERITAGE. This ERASMUS+ project sets itself to deal with the future of a fair Europe and, in the broadest sense, the whole world. By doing that, the project’s aims are to increase the consciousness of the participants’ images of others and their own cultural identities and to facilitate democratic awareness in dealing with the diversity of European cultures. The schools that are taking part in this project are the Istituto Comprensivo Statale IC3 "Don Bosco - D'Assisi" in Italy, the ICOLLEGE LA VILLE AUX ROSES in France and the Tallinna Humanitaargümnaasium in Estonia. Each partner school will participate with 15-20 students at the age between 11 and 14 years. The most important objectives are: - European World Cultural Heritage: Knowledge of European and national cultural heritage will be gained from dealing with the cultural and economic conditions of a partner school’s home country. The project-specific contents, Family environment, culture and media awareness, will be worked upon by international groups of students at each partner school. Thus, students will gain a deeper awareness of their own cultural heritage and that of their guests and hosts. - Strengthening of competences: In internationally mixed groups, students will deal with different traditions, its cultural meaning and similarities and differences between nations and cultures. Based on the results of their research, students will gain a schematic overview of different life-concepts and their representation in images. The diversity of Europe will span the whole project as an implicit focus. - Presentation of findings and products: pupils will present and explain their results and concepts of a European future, and will argue on why their ideas might prove worthy of future recognition on a diverse European continent. One of the project’s aims is to create an awareness of fairness and diverse regional conditions as a granting factor for European solidarity - Discussion and finding creative forms of expression: Open discussions should enable them to develop new perspectives and ideas, and to transform the given concepts into creative products. - An aesthetic final product: The self-elaborated concepts will finally be shaped into and expressed in an image and/or in a film. In particular, pupils benefit from cultural exchanges, multinational events, visits to cultural and historical sites. This project takes into account the various "Sustainable Development Goals" of UNESCO. In particular: Goal 1: No poverty Goal 2: No hunger Goal 4: Quality education Goal 6: Clean Water Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities Goal 11: Sustainable Cities And Communities Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production Goal 13: Climat Action Goal 15: Life on land Goal 16: Peace, Justice and strong Institutions
The Erasmus+ project "Places to create" PACT took place with students from the school partnerships from Italy - Torre del Greco, Estonia - Tallinn, France - Chateaubriand and Austria - Graz. The aim of the project was to bring together young people between the ages of 12 and 15 from different partner countries to work together on various issues related to cities and regions. The four workshops on the following topics were held as already described in the application, the individual results of the research during the workshops were presented by the student groups. The artistic output was reflected in the design and conception of a board game. For the mutual presentation of the workshops held in parallel (each in two partner schools) we used the platform Padlet (LINK). Due to the pandemic, we had to extend the project by one year and in 2021 we had a virtual workshop lasting several days in which all schools and participants of the project participated (see interim report) The workshops were held as follows: 1. Cultural knowlege through research and comparison: In this workshop, participants explored different places and regions in their respective countries. They learned about their cultural significance, historical background and social dynamics. 2. Mediamaze :- How are these displayed on the Internet: In this workshop, the participants were informed about the different media formats used to represent cities and regions on the Internet. They learned how to create their own content and share it on social media. 3. Places to preserve: What needs to be protected in cities and regions: This workshop dealt with the protection of cultural heritage, the natural environment and social structures in cities and regions as enshrined in the UNESCO goals. The participants discussed the importance of preserving these elements for future generations. 4. Places to create: Sustainable cities and regions: In the last workshop, the participants dealt with the concept of sustainability in cities and regions and have prepared 20 questions on each of 4 Unesco goals in advance. Involving themselves with it, they learned how they can contribute to sustainable change in their communities, especially in the areas of poverty reduction, education, sustainable urban development and environmental protection, and sustainable energy. As a result of the project, the young people developed a board game that focused on four of UNESCO's 17 goals: no poverty , education, sustainable cities and the environment, and sustainable energy. The board game was a creative tool to illustrate the complexities of these issues and encourage youth to advocate for positive change in their communities. The participants from Italy, Estonia, France and Austria benefited from the project in many ways. They had the opportunity to share their own cultural backgrounds and learn from each other. Through the interactive workshops, they expanded their knowledge of the different aspects of cities and regions. They also developed their media literacy and skills to create and share content on the internet. In addition, the project allowed participants to express their ideas and opinions on the topics of the project and to actively participate in discussions. They developed a deep understanding of the importance of cultural heritage, environmental protection, and sustainability in their communities. The project was presented both within the class groups and in public. The class groups had the opportunity to share their experiences in their schools and to inform their classmates about the project. In addition, the homepages of the school as platform for the project, where information about the activities, results and objectives of the project will be published (The klusehomepage is in the process of renewal until sptember 2023). The homepage serve as a platform to inform the public about the project and raise awareness of the issues covered. In addition, a PADLET was set up: There, the young people are able to upload their own contributions, photos and videos to document their experiences and share them with others. This allowed them to raise their voices and express their thoughts on the themes of the project. The project was also featured on social media for a wider reach (maybe). By using hashtags and sharing content, the young people were able to reach other young people and interested people and make them aware of the importance of the topics. Overall, the Erasmus+ project "Places to create" was a valuable experience for the participants from Italy, Estonia, France and Austria. They were able to expand their knowledge, develop new skills and actively participate in discussions about the design of cities and regions. The project has not only deepened their understanding of cultural heritage, environmental protection and sustainability, but also strengthened their motivation to advocate for positive change in their communities.