The crisis of climate change is scientifically proven. Therefore we urgently need to adress environmental issues and pursue the goals of sustainability, particularly with regard to the Paris Agreement: All participants in our society need to make a great effort to face the biggest challenge in the history of humankind. As a result, together with our partnerschools and extracurricular partners in Europe we will contribute to environmental protection and effect our environment as multipliers. Offering a holistic approach, we increase the competence of all participants in different fields that are relevant for sustaniability. We are setting the focus on professional information (facts about climate change), product creation, strategies of non-violent communication (according to Marshall Rosenberg) and school development. With our work we encourage the design of a future-oriented curriculum, that adapts to individual, social needs and change. In three modules (1. climate; 2. circular economy; 3. biodiversity) basic concepts will be transmitted, trained and consolidated and material to dissaminate knowledge and information (such as leaflets, teaching units in the national languages etc.) will be produced. Each module concludes in a Learning, Teaching, Training Activity (LTTA) where students work together in one of the partner schools. Thus the LTTAs serve as milestones to conclude and review the previous projekt work. Non-violent communication (NVC) functions as a common theme throughout the full projekt term. It supports common and intercultural understanding, empowerment and social change. Looking at our world today we can observe that issues such as climate change, sustainability and environmentalists provoke an exacerbated polarization, black and white thinking and conflicts between different interest groups. The problem of climate change however can only be mastered together. Non-violent communication helps to cope with conflicting standpoints and opinions and assists the process of reflection of the personal stance concerning the challenges due to climate change. In addition NVC supports social change and empowerment by focusing on a resource-oriented perception and perspective. Applying innovative practises we enhance the further training of students and school staff to agents for change. The project starts and ends with a LTTA for the teachers involved to guarantee a long-term benefit for the school communities. With our specific actions and products we will have an impact on the maintenance of ressources, the compensation of CO2 emissions and promote energy savings, sustainable food and transport. Structural change will take place within the schools concerned. Goals are: minimizing the use of plastic, valueing paper as an important ressource (significant reduction of its use; conversion to recycled paper), waiste avoidance, accelerating recycling in our schools, reduction of energy consumption, protecting biodiversity (we will construct insect hotels and create wildflower areas) and cooperation with NGOs. The planned project to protect insects will motivate the students to deal with the problem of the increasing extinction of insects and to engage in activities to protect them. Parts of the green areas sourrounding the school will be changed into protection areas by planting wildflower meadows and bushes that give refuge to endangered insects. The most important objective stresses individual and thus social change, in particular a change of communication habits, a change of preferences and consumption behavior towards a more conscious and sustainable lifesyle. With these goals we as a school community can consolidate commonly shared values for a healthy future. The participants realize that their active citizenship and commitment plays an important part in a sustainable development. With the participation of socially disadvantaged students in the project all individuals taking part are called to increase their sense of responsibility for each other and environmental issues. Three vocational schools from Germany, Spain and Portugal are involved in the project. In the German school students of the international classes (refugees coming from different countries) will be involved. About 80 students with their teachers will travel to the partner countries. At least 100 students will be participating directly in the project. The school communities that are directly participating will benefit from the project in developing and implementing a concept of a sustainable school. Also other schools will be able to use the units and guidelines as they will be provided on the homepage of the project, eTwinning and the project´s result platform.
The climate crisis is scientifically proven. Therefore, we have addressed the urgent key environmental issues and complied with the sustainability goals, in particular the Paris Agreement. It requires the efforts of all stakeholders in our society to address the greatest challenge in human history. Therefore, in cooperation with school and extracurricular partners in Europe, we have made our contribution and acted as multipliers to those around us. With our holistic concept, we have expanded the competences of the people involved in various areas relevant to sustainability. The focus was on the levels of specialised information (facts about climate change) and product creation, the communication strategies of non-violent communication and school development. Through our work, we have promoted the design of a future-orientated curriculum that is better adapted to individual needs. In three modules (1. Climate, 2. Circular Economy, 3. Biodiversity), content foundations were laid and consolidated, and products (e.g. teaching units on the modules in the national languages, information brochures, etc.) were created for dissemination. Each module ended with an activity carried out by pupils in a partner school. The activities therefore also served as milestones for reviewing the progress of the project to date. Nonviolent communication was a common thread throughout the project and supported processes of understanding, empowerment and social change. It can be observed worldwide that issues such as "climate change", "environmental protection" and "environmental activism" have led to increased polarisation, black-and-white thinking and conflicts between different stakeholders. However, the problem of climate change can only be tackled together. The Non Violent Communication facilitates understanding between different opinions and views. It supports the process of addressing personal attitudes towards the challenges of climate change and focussing on a resource-oriented perspective, thus promoting social change and empowerment. We have trialled innovative practices to promote the upskilling of our students and school staff as agents of change. The project began and ended with a teacher activity to ensure long-term benefits for the school communities. We have worked to conserve resources, save energy, offset carbon emissions and promote sustainable food and transport with targeted measures and products. Structural changes were made within the participating schools. The aims were to significantly reduce plastic consumption, to value paper as a valuable resource (significantly reducing consumption and switching to recycled paper), to avoid waste and promote recycling in the schools, to reduce energy consumption, to support biodiversity (planting flower strips and building insect hotels) and to collaborate with NGOs. The planned insect conservation project encouraged pupils to address the issue of insect mortality and gave them the opportunity to actively support insect conservation. Where possible, parts of the schools' green spaces were remodelled together with the pupils, e.g. by converting unused lawns into wildflower meadows and planting insect-friendly flowering shrubs and bushes with stone elements for insects to hide. Our primary goals are still to promote changes in individual behaviour, especially communication behaviour, preferences, consumer behaviour and lifestyle. With these goals, we can continue to reinforce shared values for a healthy future. The participants realised that their civic commitment to sustainable development was also important. The involvement of socially disadvantaged pupils in this project promoted a sense of responsibility for each other and the environmental responsibility of all those involved in the project. A total of three vocational colleges from Germany, Spain and Portugal were involved in the project. The German school involved pupils from the international support classes (refugee classes), among others, in the project work. Around 80 mobilities of pupils and teachers were realized to travel to the partner countries. Around 100 pupils were involved in the project in total. The school communities directly involved benefited from the project through school development towards a more sustainable school. Other schools can also use the teaching units and guidelines, as they have been made available on the project website and the project results platform.