The project entitled "H.E.L.P." - "Help the Environment, Love the Planet" aims at encouraging students aged between 14 and 17 from 5 participating countries to work together on a topic that dominates the 21st century: climate change and environmental protection. The partners come from different parts of Europe; Spain (Tenerife), Portugal, Germany, Slovenia and Lithuania. The focus is on the biosphere of the forest. Forest damage caused by fires, drought, pests, loss of insect diversity and the use for humans connect all participants. The forest ecosystem will be considered on different levels. Damage that has occurred will be shown and put into relation to one another in order to jointly develop strategies for its reduction - also in cooperation with experts. The pupils will be sensitized to the ecological problems of other European countries and their influence in their own lives will be made clear in order to jointly develop target-oriented solutions. Knowledge about the environmental benefits for the individual is also an important part of the project. This project will be realised in constantly active working groups at the schools, by producing information material such as brochures or flyers, by producing insect hotels or traps, by cooperating with specialists, by actively working in the forest and by creating a personal portfolios. With a forest sponsorship and the creation of natural meadows, the pupils will be able to observe the changes and influences closely and in close proximity. The inter-European exchange will be ensured by using different media and platforms (eTwinning, video conferencing, WhatsApp groups, homepage) and the meetings in the individual countries. The results and the learning gains of the participants will be regularly evaluated and documented. This approach should lead the participating students to get to know and appreciate other cultures and landscapes, overcome prejudice and xenophobia, improve their foreign language and communication skills, increase their self-esteem, learn how to use digital media and ultimately get better job opportunities. Every school will strive to use the planned changes in the school building and grounds in a sustainable way and thus maintain active environmental protection behaviours. By learning by head, heart and hand they participating students will experience an intensive examination of the forest and the connected ecosystems and a resulting long-term change in behavior.
The project entitled "H.E.L.P.. - "Help the Environment Love the Planet" has encouraged students aged between 14 and 17 to work together on an issue that dominates the 21st century: Climate change and environmental protection. In the end, only four countries completed the planned project. Lithuania unfortunately dropped out of the project before the mobilities started. The partners came from four European countries: Spain (Tenerife), Portugal, Germany and Slovenia. Focal points such as the biosphere of the forest, forest damage due to fires/drought/pests and loss of insect diversity, as well as the use for humans, connected all participants. The forest ecosystem typical of the country was examined at different levels. Damage that has occurred was demonstrated and put into relation. Strategies to reduce them were discussed and worked out together - also in cooperation with experts and nature conservation associations. The pupils were made aware of the ecological problems of other European countries and their influence on their own lives. Together, they discussed and implemented goal-oriented approaches to solving the problems. The pupils exchanged their experiences and discovered similarities, differences and possibilities for improvement. In Spain, for example, the pupils noticed that there are hardly any solar panels on the roofs of this sunny island. The pupils learned about different ways of handling plastic waste and different forms of waste separation (raising awareness of the need for recycling and waste avoidance). The H.E.L.P. project was realised in constantly active working groups at the schools, by producing information material such as brochures or flyers, videos, TV documentary, newspaper article booklets, portfolios, making nesting boxes for insects of different kinds, Asian wasp traps, making a small composter and active work in the forest (e.g. reforestation). This was partly done in cooperation with specialists (fire brigade, foresters, environmental protection associations, etc). In Germany, the planned forest sponsorship could unfortunately not be realised for reasons of distance / pupil transport possibilities. The creation of the natural meadow in the school grounds was undertaken by the city of Neustadt as part of the Speyerbach renaturation project. Inter-European exchange was ensured through the use of different media and platforms (eTwinning, video conferences, WhatsApp groups, homepage, online competitions/ e.g. Kahoot) and further used at the meetings in the individual countries. The results and learning gains of the participants were regularly evaluated and documented, e.g. in the diaries, portfolios and bloggs. The project led to the participating pupils getting to know and appreciate other cultures and landscapes, overcoming prejudices and xenophobia, improving their foreign language skills and communication skills, increasing their self-esteem, developing their use of digital media and ultimately gaining better school/job opportunities. In the course of the project, there was a clear increase in confidence in presenting results - even in front of large groups. Each school strives to make sustainable use of the changes made to the school building and grounds and thus to maintain active environmental protection. By learning with head, heart and hand, it has been possible to achieve an intensive examination of the topic of forests and the associated ecosystems. Species protection and environmental protection could thus be made conscious and tangible, in the hope of a resulting long-term change in behaviour. In the last mobility in Germany, the Erasmus group visited the nearby European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. The students and teachers were given an informative tour of how the Parliament works. Especially interesting was a session in which young adults presented their proposals on climate and environmental protection. The past time will not only be remembered fondly by all those involved, it has also left a lasting impression on many of the participants - in their being, their everyday behavior and their thinking. The gratitude for this opportunity was omnipresent. Thus, the project has deeply rooted the European idea.