The United Nations' Agenda 2030, adopted in 2015, contains 17 development goals for sustainability. From these we have selected the following sub-goals together with our partners for our project: 1. Affordable and clean energy 2. Peace, justice and strong institutions 3. Climate action 4. Responsible consumption and production Involved schools: - Niels-Stensen School Schwerin, Germany - Kotkan lyseo, Kotka, Finland - IIS Mario Rigoni Stern, Bergamo, Italy - III Liceum Ogólnokształcące in. Marii Skłodowskiej-Curie, Świdnica, Poland The students involved in the project are about 16 to 18 years old and learn in high school grades 10 - 11. During the two-year project period, 4 meetings will take place. A joint work phase of 5 days is planned at each school location. About 8 pupils from each school are to take part in the project meetings. During the project, the participants should not only get to know the 2030 Agenda better, but also work out the relevance of the selected sub-topics in their home country and beyond in a comparison of European countries. For this purpose, the pupils first determine the respective status quo in their countries at their own school. The pupils collect information, question the responsible institutions and adopt the relevant legal provisions. These inventory assessments are compared and discussed at the joint project meetings. The comparison and evaluation of these initial situations in the participating countries is the basis for further processing. We expect quite different results in the participating countries, especially when peace, justice and strong institutions are compared, but we consider this a challenge and not an impediment. Nevertheless, possibilities for the realisation of the sustainability goals in the respective countries should be worked out, whereas, on the other hand, solutions should be found how the selected sub-goals can be implemented in all the participating countries in a united and equal Europe. Experiences from a previous ERASMUS+ project underline that despite Euroscepticism and even rising nationalistic tendencies the European idea has a strong and positive influence on young people. It will be decided in the group and with the partners through discussions and critical consideration whether a minimum or a maximum consensus promises the greatest possible implementation. The content of the work during the project meetings should be varied and supported by a wide range of activities and methods. Among others, we planned various workshops, courses / laboratory work / lectures at a university, visits to companies and research institutions, discussions with members of the parliament as well as with officials from public institutions. The students will create a variety of materials for further use during the project meetings. The project should then be transferred to the wider school framework by making all results visible. The topic can also be worked on by other classes, class levels or learning groups of all schools after the official project has ended. In the long term, the project work should help to develop an understanding of the importance of sustainability in the selected fields on a national and European level, to possibly raise critical questions and to change the students' own attitudes and behaviour patterns, and to get the students interested in the other sustainability goals of the 2030 Agenda. By working on the planned project, the pupils not only acquire intercultural and regional knowledge, but are also forced to do this exchange in the foreign language (English). In this way, they deepen and expand their foreign language skills. This language competence will be of valuable advantage in their post-school life in a common Europe.
The United Nations' Agenda 2030, adopted in 2015, contains 17 development goals for sustainability. From these we have selected the following sub-goals together with our partners for our project: 1. Affordable and clean energy 2. Peace, justice and strong institutions 3. Climate action 4. Responsible consumption and production Involved schools: - Niels-Stensen School Schwerin, Germany - Kotkan lyseo, Kotka, Finland - IIS Mario Rigoni Stern, Bergamo, Italy - III Liceum Ogólnokształcące in. Marii Skłodowskiej-Curie, Świdnica, Poland At the beginning we planned a two-year project. However, due to the corona pandemic, no on-site meeting could take place in the first one and a half year. The extension of the project by one year ultimately made it possible to hold meetings at all school locations. The students involved in the project were around 16 to 18 years old and were studying in grades 10 - 12. Around 8 students and 2 teachers from the partner schools traveled to the project meetings. During the project, the participants not only got to know the 2030 Agenda better, but also recognized the relevance of the selected sub-topics in their respective home countries and beyond in a comparison of European countries. To do this, the students first determined the current status quo in their countries at their own school. They collected information, questioned institutions and learned the relevant provisions oft he law. In addition, some tasks were completed that had been sent in advance by the host schools in preparation for the project meetings. During the project meetings, the results of these preparatory tasks were presented, compared and discussed. The content of the work during the project meetings was varied through a wide range of activities and methods. Among other things, workshops, lectures, exercises, conversations and discussions with representatives as well as company and city tours were carried out. During the project meetings, the students created a variety of material such as posters, presentations and videos. By making the results visible, the project could be transferred to the wider school context. The topic should continue to be worked on by other classes, grade levels or learning groups in all schools even after the project has officially ended. In the long term, the project work has contributed to developing understanding of the topics being worked on at a national and European level. The students were made aware of the content of the 2030 Agenda and especially of the selected sub-headings. They were encouraged to critically question their own attitudes and behavior patterns, but also those of other people, and to sometimes bring about changes in their personal and school environment. The question “What can I do?” became more of a focus. By working on the project, the students also acquired intercultural and regional knowledge and were forced to carry out this exchange in the foreign language (English). This enabled them to deepen and expand their foreign language knowledge and communicate increasingly more naturally and confidently with the other project participants. By intensively discussing relevant topics together, the students were able to establish contacts with each other, some of which still exist today, even after completion of the project.