Gift and Task – our Responsibilities for a Common Future The project team has been inspired by recent discussions about universally important topics like climate, environmental protection, responsibility for our future and changes of consumer behaviour. These issues have not only been broached by the activists’ movement “Fridays for Future”, but they have likewise been picked out as central themes on many levels, in politics and culture, in trade, industry and economics, as well as by educationalists. Everybody involved in the process of forming public opinion is looking for relevant suggestions, for workable approaches to solving the manifold problems, for models suitable to create an awareness for steps which are necessary – and in parts overdue. The project team found these issues immensely suitable to be discussed and worked on in a transnational context as they are relevant across countries and the effects of our behaviour are not limited by national borders but they are the concern of our neighbours as well as our own. For this project we have chosen five topics which will be dealt with in the course of our joint working process. 1. Traffic / 2. Energy / 3. Waste / 4. Food / 5. Clothing All those topics are relevant for students as well as teachers, and ultimately, they are of immediate significance for school as an institution. At the same time, all those issues are highly important for people concerned with more general patterns in politics, economics and technology. The project team propose to start working on the project by collecting data about the initial position of all the participants and their schools by means of a questionnaire. At “half-time” the survey is meant to be repeated as a kind of test in order to infer possible modifications. At the end of the project there will be a final repetition of the survey because the project team will then examine whether dealing with the topics has changed opinions, widened interests, influenced attitudes. Students of the University of Kassel (course of studies: environmental psychology) and lecturers of the University of Liepaja (education) will help us to develop the questionnaire. In both institutions we have contacts with students and lecturers who have done research on this kind of work and will support us. However, the project is not only about taking stock; when dealing with those five topics, it is also about actively influencing and changing the awareness and the behaviour of those directly involved – at best even the greater community “school”, “parents’ home”, “peer group”. At present these are just ideas which will have to be discussed and put into motion. Indeed, the project group has already started a collection of relevant impulses and propositions: Ad 1. Looking for alternative routes: bicycle / e-scooter / car-pooling / bus services Ad 2: Doing research on new energies: examine and – if possible – test photovoltaics or wind power Ad 3: Preparing a survey of waste separation: systematic waste separation, conscious waste avoidance? Sandwich boxes instead of plastic bags? Further changes? Ad 4: Using homegrown products: testing urban gardening, initiating cooking with leftovers, preferring seasonal products, analysing eating habits Ad 5: Talking about the carbon footprint: propagating and trying upcycling, debating the issue of “getting quantity for little vs. getting quality for more”, examine people’s throw-away mentality The mixture of the project group which has been put together is a deliberate one. Thus, South-West Europe (ES / BE), North-East Europe (Fl / LV) and countries situated in the middle of Europe (DE / SK) are represented. In this way we guarantee that, on the one hand, comparative studies will be conducted on climate, on the quality of flora / fauna / water, and on the other hand we will allow comparative work which points out unique features. This is e. g. true of sunshine hours (North vs. South) or of the utilization of regional products. There are two new partners (ES / SK) and four experienced ones in the project group. Sixth-form secondary schools, schools for adult education and schools based on the programmes of pedagogical reformers are going to cooperate: they are committed to religion, progressive education, social education, and they are experienced in working on projects. Everybody involved is aware of the issues and prepared to deal with “difficult topics”: ecology in the hometowns and alternative ways of live. We, the partners, are different from each other, but our zeal, our enthusiasm for pedagogical challenges and our wish to offer “more” than everyday school life to our students go well together. We believe that we will obtain concrete results concerning the above mentioned five topics, these will be results which will change school life – and people’s private lives – in a sustainable way. They will touch on our five topics. The subject of individual responsibility is of the highest importance!
Gift as a task - our responsibility for tomorrow The discussions on the topics of climate, environmental protection, responsibility for the future and changing consumer behaviour were decisive for the motion. These current topics, which are intensively discussed in politics, culture, industry, trade and business and in education, should be worked on with those involved in order to lay the groundwork for proposals, approaches to solutions, models and an awareness that is important for necessary - and in some cases overdue - steps. For the preparatory group, this topic seemed particularly suitable for transnational processing because the issues are of transnational relevance and the effects of our behaviour do not end at national borders. All European neighbours are affected, which became more than clear in the course of the 2nd project year due to the Ukraine war. Five thematic areas have been worked on: 1. environment / 2. energy / 3. waste / 4. food / 5. recycling. All areas directly affect the pupils, the teachers and ultimately the school as an institution. For the project work, the initial situation of the participants and their schools was surveyed with a questionnaire and reviewed again at the halfway point. At the end of the project, the teachers involved were asked once again whether their involvement with the topics had changed attitudes, increased interest or influenced behaviour. For the questionnaire we used the help of students from the University of Kassel (environmental psychology course) and lecturers from the University of Liepaja (educational science). In both institutions we have contacts with students and lecturers who have already done research in this direction and supported us in our work. It was not only about taking stock, but also about actively influencing and changing the awareness and behaviour of those directly involved in all five areas - in the best case also the larger community "school", "parental home", "peer group". The planning involved ideas such as the following: To 1: Look for alternatives for routes: Bicycle / e-scooter / carpooling / bus transport. To 2: Research new energies: Check photovoltaics or wind power and try them if possible. To 3: Record the status of waste separation: systematic waste separation, conscious waste avoidance? Sandwich tins instead of plastic bags? Further changes? To 4: Use local products: try urban gardening, initiate "leftover cooking", promote seasonal products, problematise eating behaviour. To 5: Address ecological footprint: upcycling is propagated and tried out together, discuss "quantity for less" <=> "quality for more", check throwaway mentality. The project group was mixed, so that South-West Europe (ES / BE), North-East Europe (FI / LV) and countries in the central middle (DE / SK) were represented. In this way we wanted to ensure that comparative studies on climate, quality of flora / fauna / water could be carried out, but we also wanted to do comparative work that made unique selling points clear. This referred, for example, to hours of sunshine (South <=> North) or to the utilisation of regional products. In the project group there were two new partners (ES / SK) and four experienced partners. Schools of secondary level II, adult education and reform pedagogy cooperated: denominationally, reform pedagogically, socially pedagogically committed and tested in project work. School management, teaching staff, student body were to be sensitised to work on "difficult issues": Ecology in the home town, difficult pupils, pupils from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds. We are different, but our commitment, our enthusiasm for educational challenges and our desire to offer students "more" than the normal school day fit well together. We believe that concrete results in the 5 thematic areas can have a lasting impact on school life - and personal life as well. The areas of movement / activities, alternative energy production, conscious eating, waste avoidance, careful use of clothing are of particular importance! In the course of the project, two further fields were added: namely two competitions. In the first competition, a fairy tale about the future was to be written, because in this way it could be subliminally explored what is important to the pupils for the future perspective. These fairy tale texts were then the basis for the 2nd competition, in which the task was to illustrate the texts. The results have produced an illustrated collection of fairy tales, which is now also available in print.