„Our environment is our future“

Our project aims to raise awareness of the problematic use of natural resources that endanger the survival of future generations. This elementary problem requires supra-regional and coordinated action, which is symbolic of cooperation within the European community. The elementary importance of the problem requires analyzing, questioning and sustainably changing one's own actions in everyday life, going beyond a mere protest. Individual responsibility in everyday life should be made clear. At the first meeting in Halle, various aspects (nutrition, clothing, mobility, ...) are analyzed and questioned in terms of sustainability. Keeping personal evidence of self-selected points (portfolio/"sustainability diary") during the entire project period urges the students to monitor them over the long term and is intended to maintain the motivation for constant activity. Your own goals and measures to change your lifestyle are documented in it, discussed during the next meeting and evaluated at the last meeting. The search for individual solutions for more sustainable action expands in the subsequent phases to a societal level of the region to aspects such as urban design, mobility, food production, ecological systems and recycling. In the last project, the findings are to be transferred to the school and the school premises and these are to be examined for sustainable action on the basis of a questionnaire prepared in advance. Solutions are sought in dialogue with politicians, regional institutions and environmental organizations. Here, the young people can experience themselves as part of a democratic system and learn about opportunities to actively influence politics. The international participation also offers the opportunity to get to know similar problems and their special solutions and to check transferability. The planning comprised four different and successive phases with the following thematic priorities: 1. "My personal lifestyle": Own data and goals for more sustainability such as nutrition, clothing, mobility, ... were collected 2. "My Region": Data on topics such as urban design, ecological systems, food production, recycling were collected, discussed and designed. 3. "My ideal living space": Utopias and possible solutions for relevant problem areas in politics, social affairs, economy and ecology were compared according to the regions and checked for transferability and feasibility. 4. "My school - Go green: Slow-Foot - Zero Km": Above all, all pupils should pay more attention to their diet, i.e. less fast food, towards local and ecologically produced food without long transport routes. The group, which worked together for three years, was made up of four participating schools that have been cooperating with each other in the Eramus program for a long time: Barga (Italy), Elk (Poland) and Dublin (Ireland) and Halle (Germany). The young people between the ages of 15 and 19 attend educational institutions with different orientations (secondary school, high school, vocational college), which means that in addition to foreign language skills, intercultural skills such as willingness to integrate, constructive management of conflicts and the ability to act autonomously are trained in a heterogeneous group. The insights gained during the project work were shown in tutorials, artistic objects (graphics, paintings, posters, plastic, collages and role-playing games), which achieved a special intensity in the intellectual debate. Work was carried out on high-quality exhibits based on professional guidance from the Saxony-Anhalt Media Competence Center for the production and distribution of the digital tutorials and from the Burg Giebichenstein Art Academy. All products created in parallel (tutorials, posters and artistic works) are understood to be works accompanying the project process, i.e. conceptually conceived in the preparatory phases, discussed during the meetings, created as a product of intellectual debate and perfected at home. These exhibits were exhibited in their own schools as qualitatively demanding results in order to achieve external effects. After the pandemic-related break, we had to limit ourselves to national projects, cleanups and video conferences. Then our project extension was approved and we were able to carry out our planned activities in Dublin, Elk, Halle and Barga. Dublin (Ireland): Monday started with thoughtful get-to-know games to bring all 4 countries closer. That helped to break the initial ice, even though the entire conversation was in English. We were given an introductory tour of the school and were allowed to hold our presentations on Halle's presentation in two classes. Lunch was served in the adjoining room at 12 noon. After the meal, the teachers divided us into four groups, in which we were asked to come up with a logo for the Erasmus+ project with the motto "Our Environment is our Future". All participants in the project voted via a website which logo they liked best. At around 2.30pm we had a surprise visit from an organic farm and from the school garden club. They told us why the sustainable cultivation of vegetables is so important and what we can do to live more environmentally friendly. Each international team planted sunflowers on their own initiative, the seeds of which will then be passed on to each country during the next visit. After 3:35 p.m. we were free to organize the rest of the day ourselves. What does the ideal teenager look like in 2030? We investigated this question on Tuesday. Many good ideas came together and creative posters were created. All teenagers had one thing in common: They recycle and buy food from local shops. We reflected on how we were before the Erasmus project, how it changed us and how it will affect our future. After that we created a quiz and the winners got a small prize. In the afternoon we took the bus towards Phoenix Park and Farmleigh. A teacher told us that a variety of animals live in this park and it is the largest park in Europe. There we were also guided through the House of Guinness and admired the rooms, the garden and the greenhouse. In the evening there was a kind of get-to-know-you meeting where all the parents, students and teachers of the Erasmus team came together. Everyone brought typical food and talked. We were then impressed by the musical entertainment, with older students from the community college shaping the evening with accordion, guitar, piano, singing and an Irish dance. On Wednesday we met at the bus station to go to the rediscovery center. During the tour of the redesigned former boiler house, we were given an understanding of the urgency of recycling clothing, furniture, paint and water and how this can be implemented in accordance with the principle of “make new from old”. The cultivation of sustainable vegetables and fruit on the roof terrace of the facility was also explained to us. We then attended a workshop where we learned how to make a backpack out of an old t-shirt. We presented this at a fashion show before noon. Afterwards we took the bus to the center of Dublin, where we not only saw the O'Connell Monument, The Ha'penny Bridge, and the Trinity Collage, but also enjoyed the atmosphere and the beautiful architecture. On Thursday we first worked in groups of four in the Irish school on a promotional video on the topic of sustainability. After we were shown a promotional video from the previous Erasmus project, each group had 30 minutes to think about their own product and the type of video. We had a lot of options to choose from, we could have filmed a video with us as actors, we could have filmed a stop motion, we could animate something or we could have done something completely different.After each group had come up with a plan, the basic ideas were briefly presented to ensure there was no overlap. You could already hear some great ideas for promotional videos about sustainable straws, toothbrushes, jewelry and much more. Each group then had until 1:00 p.m. to work on their video. The promotional videos were scheduled to be presented to everyone on Friday. After that we had a half hour lunch break and then drove an hour by bus to Glengalough, a national park, to look at a very old and picturesque cemetery there and then to start a small hike up the mountain. Friday and thus also the last full day of the week in Ireland started with the final "fine touches" of the advertising videos. After about an hour everyone should be ready and the presentation started. They should all present an environmentally friendly alternative to frequently used everyday products, everything from toothbrushes to straws to jewelry was included and you could see how much effort, but also fun, the production was for the students. In addition, it became clear to everyone that sustainability must also be influenced by personal responsibility. Then the Erasmus team was visited by Irish Minister Jack Chambers, who had been in contact with the Irish Erasmus team for a while. Through their contact with him, the Irish students worked on improving the city's transport routes. They did this by addressing the issue of a lack of safe footpaths to a nearby canoe center. But now they had made sure that the expansion of this would start. Elk/Poland Our journey began with a stopover in Warsaw, the capital of Poland. There we had the opportunity to visit the fascinating art box exhibition "Planet". This exhibition presented various films that were illuminated in high definition on the walls of several rooms and addressed the beauty of nature and the destruction of the environment caused by growing industrialization. It was amazing to see artists bring the canvases to life and get us thinking about the impact of our actions on the environment. After a stroll through Warsaw we visited the botanical garden. There we could admire the variety of plants and be inspired by nature. It was a welcome break from the hustle and bustle of the city and a chance to experience the beauty of nature up close. On Monday we were officially welcomed and got to know each other better with various introductory games. In the German lessons at this school, we had the opportunity to introduce ourselves to the other classes and learn more about their schools and teams. It was interesting to see how different our schools were and yet also had a lot in common. To promote team building, we visited a climbing forest the next day. There we were faced with various challenges and had to find solutions together as a team. It was a great opportunity to improve our collaboration and communication. On Tuesday we took part in workshops where we dealt with environmental problems and possible solutions in our respective countries. We exchanged our ideas and discussed possible solutions. We then toured the town of Elk and explored its sights. On Wednesday we visited an ecological farm that operates sustainably. There we learned more about herbs and natural history and had the opportunity to deepen our knowledge in workshops. In the evening we met with parents, teachers and students in Elk's newly designed environmental center for a typical local picnic. It was a wonderful opportunity to exchange ideas and experience cultural diversity. On Thursday we visited the national park in the Masurian marshes. There we received an introductory lecture in the visitor center and conducted experiments in the field. A hike allowed us to explore the untouched nature of the region. Later we visited a synagogue. At a lecture we learned that during the Second World War the German National Socialists had wiped out almost all Jewish life in this community. On Friday we got involved in a planting campaign on the school grounds, where we planted trees and plants together with the headmaster. With the receipt of the certificates, our exchange in Elk came to an official end, but all the students met for bowling in the evening. Halle/ Germany Our ERASMUS team prepared a demanding and interesting program for this week. We expanded the topic "Our environment is our futur": "My ideal living space" from ecological to social, economic and political aspects for current reasons. On Monday morning, all participants in the Erasmus project met in the auditorium. To lighten the mood, we played three small games to get to know each other. We then showed our exchange partners our school. At 11:00 a.m., local politicians welcomed us to the town hall. In the afternoon we continued to prepare our exhibition about our ideal living space, in which we added a description of why we imagined our living space to our collages or drawings of our living space. On Tuesday, the ERASMUS+ team met at 8:30 a.m. in the Fährstraße car park to set off for our first full-day excursion to Berlin. Although it was still quite early, there was a great atmosphere on the bus. We drove away the two-hour drive with music. After we had visited parts of the old wall at Potsdamer Platz, we went on to the Bundestag. When we passed the security check, we were led through the various areas of the Bundestag by a member of staff. Particularly impressive were the remains of old graffiti of Russian soldiers from the Second World War, which were integrated into the modern design during the reconstruction of the building destroyed in the Second World War. In the further course of our tour we were informed about the history of the building and the history of Germany, which ended with a visit to the Reichstag dome. We had lunch in the Bundestag canteen with a splendid view of the Spree and the library of the German Bundestag. Finally, we visited the magical Christmas market at Alexanderplatz. On the third day we drove to the "Bauhaus" in Dessau, where we explored the Bauhaus in two separate tours, which with its concept of minimalism has current references. During this guided tour we all learned more about the Bauhaus style. For example, there wasn't a single picture on the wall in the whole building because the space was designed in such a way that it wasn't necessary. The designers were of the opinion that the furniture in the room defines it and the rest is "only" decoration. After a short lunch break, there was a workshop for the students on the architecture of the future. There were four stations that we worked through in small groups. At the end of this workshop, each group was allowed to design their future house on DIN A3, which then became part of our current exhibition at school. On Thursday the Erasmus group was divided into two teams. One group visited the city economy in the north of Halle and the second group stayed at the school to take part in an art project. The first group drove to Hordorfer Strasse to take part in a guided tour of the recycling of Halle's waste. At the beginning there was a brief introduction to recycling in Halle and the various options. Then we toured the entire grounds of the city economy. We saw large bins for different types of waste, such as hazardous or organic waste. There were also very large boxes where hundreds of kilos of paper were pressed. Overall, it was interesting to see how recycling works in Halle. The immense amounts of waste from all over Halle were impressive. This encouraged us in our efforts to rethink our consumption. At the beginning of the art project, two graduates of Burg Giebichenstein introduced themselves. They had planned several works for us: one of them was a small round of introductions in which we introduced ourselves and a problem that we see in today's society. The aim was to design posters that deal with the problems of today. We were given paper to create an outline for the poster. After we had thought about it for a long time and good drafts emerged, we really got going. The designs were transferred to boxes or flags and later displayed throughout the school building for several weeks. In the evening we met with our parents for the vernissage at 6 p.m. in our auditorium. Culinary delicacies prepared by parents and students and a performance by our school orchestra, which received much applause, spoiled the senses. The orchestra particularly impressed our international guests by presenting each nation with a piece of music typical of the country. We proudly presented our exhibition, in particular the large banners produced drew attention and testified to the willingness to recognize the challenges and problems of our time and to face them consciously. Despite the football World Cup, the evening lasted a long time with many discussions between representatives of the school management, parents, teachers and the students, who have since developed friendships with their guests. It must have been a particularly big celebration for two birthday children. All international partners had the homework to produce striking artistic images in an A4 format as thought impulses on our topic "My ideal living space". The gallery created from this in our auditorium on Monday was expanded verbally by the workshops and discussions that took place in QR codes. On Friday we perfected this gallery. This resulted in a collection that not only provides lasting information about our project, but is also a snapshot of ideas, wishes, dreams, fears and the challenges to be overcome for our future, which young people from three nations documented. At the end, the Erasmus participants took 10th graders through our exhibition, but it remained open to interested classes the following week. A hearty snowball fight and building a big ERASMUS snowman ended our week. Barga/Italy On the first day of our ERASMUS project, we were warmly welcomed at school and got to know each other better through various introductory games. This time, too, the individual groups within the project, but also in individual school classes, presented their country, their city and their school. At the same time we discussed the results of our research in our home country on the topic: local food without transport routes. For lunch we were able to enjoy a menu that was cooked, prepared and served by the school's vocational students. We then completed a city tour through the historic old town, during which a representative of the city welcomed us warmly in the town hall and told us about Barga from his life, which was very exciting and entertaining. On the second day of our project we visited the beautiful city of Florence. There we were accompanied by an experienced city guide who showed us the most important sights and historical places. It was fascinating to discover the city's rich history and culture, but also to learn about its environmental threats. On Wednesday we held a workshop on the topic "Slow-Foot - Zero Km", in which we informed and dealt with current developments in international comparison in presentations prepared at home. In teams we presented our drafts for evaluation sheets that could be used for an evaluation within the framework of the project. We then went on a hike to an ecological farm where we were given lectures on honey and olive oil production. We had the opportunity to taste different products and learn more about sustainable agriculture. In the evening there was a joint meeting with students, parents and teachers, where we shared our experiences and got to know each other better. The next day we visited the "ITT Ferrari" chemistry vocational school and took part in a workshop on the theory and experimental practice of converting waste oil into biodiesel. It was exciting to understand the chemical processes and to see for yourself how sustainable technologies can be applied in practice. We then visited a paper mill in Lucart, where we could learn about the production process of paper and the progress towards more sustainability in this industry.In the afternoon we explored the bunkers from the Second World War and the associated museum. It was impressive to see how these historical sites in Italy were preserved and made accessible in order to remember the events of the past and how the previous knowledge from books and films was made vivid and authentic in discussions with contemporary witnesses. On the last day of the project, we carried out an evaluation by filling out the questionnaires we had designed beforehand and discussing them in workshops. We created posters to document and present our results and findings. Finally, we showed our work in the central, well-attended school dining room and in front of the ERASMUS team and other students of the school. During the entire project period, work was carried out continuously on the topics of energy and resources as well as the environment and climate change in different formats: National workshops during the times of pandemic restrictions, keeping individual sustainability diaries, project weeks, preparatory homework, cleanups and workshops during the work meetings themselves contributed to the content dealing with the problem. The aim of this was to understand the content of this process of climate change and the indispensable consequence of rethinking one's own lifestyle in order to slow down climate change. The students self-critically assessed the results of the project in the self-designed evaluation form, which documents a large number of participants in the growing sense of responsibility for dealing with resources such as water and energy, commodities: There was great agreement about the information from the project on water consumption, locally produced food , Biodiversity, Recycling Impact achieved by Fastfashion on the environment.Some items experienced a direct action change, e.g. B. the elimination of the use of disposable plastic products or the increased willingness to donate for things that are no longer needed. At the same time, the values ​​show that the growing awareness is only partially followed by immediate activities and that the process of individual behavioral change and corresponding restrictions is slower, e.g. B. Meat consumption. Some differences, such as planting bee-friendly plants, are partly due to the different habitats between city and country, e.g. Dublin/Halle and Masuria/Tuscany. A great achievement can be seen in the broad agreement that the ideas of the project were discussed and shared with acquaintances, families and friends, and the project participants thus acted as multipliers. In all phases, project results were shown in tutorials, films, graphics, posters and sculptures, which led to the intellectual abstraction and thus the content-related compression of the results for the participants and thus at the same time food for thought for external visitors to the exhibitions or demonstrations shown with the exhibits (class lessons, service consultations , parent meetings, ...) delivered. The objects were also published on eTwinning. By organizing a project week on the topic "Our environment is our futur", topics could be deepened and brought closer to different topics adapted to the grades. However, as the highest value of the survey shows, the students were able to successfully apply, expand and consolidate their foreign language skills they had learned during the mobilities. The high degree of agreement in the increased understanding among the national, from different classes and above all international members of the project also seems important: friendships exist that want to continue, in mutual visits, appointments for weekly "tandem" for the purpose of language learning. The individual friendship thus provides a small building block for international understanding. Quite obviously, not only has a rethinking of one's own living habits been carried out, as well as an understanding of political decisions that are and will be associated with restrictions in order to limit climate change with all its effects, which was the aim of the project. The students unanimously confirmed in the surveys that these topics - also stimulated by them - are the subject of public debate, which, in addition to presentations and exhibitions, also had a lasting influence on friends, family and the surrounding area and will be the starting point for further necessary activities.