This Project stems from the shared concern over accelerating climate change and its tangible effects on all of us. It is also driven by our wish to explore an encompassing view of sustainability that includes its economic, social and environmental dimensions that are interdependent, overlap and together create a holistic perspective. We believe that our students have a central role to play in taking action to stop a dramatic turn in our lives. We feel that the best way to achieve this is by cooperating with European peers and making a joint pledge in tackling it. Taking part in a strategic partnership the benefits are multiplied: working in transnational groups broadens horizons, cultivates European identity and keeps motivation levels high. The main objective revolves around altering existing lifestyles and mentality given the common threat imposed. Lifestyle choices that impose on the environment need to change and by exploring the right questions we can reach feasible solutions. Efforts are put in cultivating different values, attitudes and skills not only raising awareness on the issue. Cultivating and enhancing environmental sensitivity to students, teachers and the local community, adopting an ecological mindset, inspiring and involving students with learning disabilities and socially vulnerable ones are essential. We are four secondary education high schools, with students aged 15-18 from Sparta, in the South of Greece that is also the coordinating school; Frazão in the region of Porto, Portugal; Pascani in the Moldavia region, Romania and Belgrade, Serbia. The participating schools from Greece, Portugal, and Romania are comprehensive senior high schools whereas the Serbian partner is an Information Technology school. We aim to be travelling in groups of 8 students and 2 accompanying teachers per flow. Participants are selected according to interest in the Project topic, willingness to participate and cooperate throughout its stages, linguistic competency, social and communicative skills. They are ready to leave their comfort zones, travel abroad, gain new experiences, experiment with new methods and explore new cultures. Before the mobility exchange, we will be cooperating to organize transnational activities, between our disciplines on the eTwinning platform. During the exchange, subtopics of interest will be explored in further detail. In Romania, students will engage in researching the life cycle of clothes, the soil and composting, the flora and fauna of the region and the process of waste disposal. In Portugal, the main topic will be understanding fresh and sea acidification that is disastrous for ecosystems. In Greece, the focus will be on everyday consumption choices and food safety. Finally, in Serbia, urban growth occurring over the last decades and taking action to tackle the social and environmental challenges it entails will be studied. Videoconferencing, experiments and research guided and supervised by teachers will be carried out and visits to topic-specific, institutions are believed to bring added value to the effectiveness of activity implementation. Transnational group work, group and plenary discussion of findings and student suggestions are also key to tasks. Assessment of students’ performance will also be essential to determine the success of the interventions proposed. Green Open Days will inform the community on the Project. The methodology followed is mainly based on innovative learning and teaching methods as the tool to connect real-life needs to classroom practice. We aim to enable students to work collaboratively maintaining their motivation and interest through addressing real-world problems and attempting to answer complex questions. Project tasks chosen are inquiry-based and cultivate deep content knowledge, critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and communication skills. They will be able to demonstrate their knowledge and skills by creating public products for a real audience. They also include field research and hands-on experience, multiple resources and methods to meet students' learning styles. Integrating environmental education in a cross-curricular and interdisciplinary approach is also crucial in the realization of the Project. We expect these activities to have a real impact on the school and community level. Raising awareness about global environmental topics can reach afar through electronic media. Thereby, all student families and other stakeholders will be informed about our progress. It will highlight the imperative awareness from all of us about natural resources' protection. Interdisciplinary lesson plans will be used long after the Project is finalized. In collaboration with cultural, educational and social organizations, this project will present positive results that will arouse substantial identification with the European Green Deal and civic participation. International bonds and European identity will be strengthened.
Climate change and its effects on our lives was the main concern for the implementation of "ClimActNow!" project. The European Green Deal is a shared commitment and responsibility for all European citizens to review modern lifestyle as threatening to the environment. We believe that our students can make a differerence and tackle the climate crisis by realizing the risks and making sustainable choices. Therefore, the main goal of the Project is related to raising students' awareness on issues of sustainability of the planet and shaping environmental consciousness through the cultivation of environmental values and attitudes and the development of corresponding skills. Participating in a European Strategic Partnership is the best way to achieve this goal since working with European partners who have common sensibilities and vision adds to the Project, multiplies the benefits, develops social, linguistic, digital skills, cultivates the European identity and contributes to the implementation of high-level activities, which require the mobilization institutions, within the the school community and beyond. The coordinating 3rd Senior High School of Sparta from Greece collaborated with: 1) the "Liceul Teoretic Miron Costin Pascani" (Pascani, Romania), 2) the "Agrupamento de Escolas de Frazão" (Paços de Ferreira, Portugal) and 3) the Informatics and Technology High School ("Srednja skola za informaciones tehnologija" Belgrade, Serbia). The students who took part in the activities of the Project were aged15-19 years old and their selection was based on linguistic, social, digital and cognitive skills. In order not to exclude those who belong to vulnerable social groups or have learning difficulties, the prospective participants had the opportunity to take part in painting and drawing competitions and participate in voluntary initiatives and social actions. Accordingly, the responsible teachers, who organized and implemented the work related to the Project, belong to different scientific fields and are distinguished for their hard work, responsibility and experience in high-level cross-border collaborations and exchange of good practices. The Project originally had a two-year duration but due to the pandemic it was extended by one year and ended on August 31, 2023. During this period and through educational activities, experiential workshops, literature review, case study, field research, experiments, competitions and preparatory activities, the participating organizations worked harmoniously with one another and largely achieved the goals they had set. The activities scheduled by each school related to environmental particularities of its region . Each mobility was preceded by specific preparatory work as well as the implementation of activities on the eTwinning platform. At the exchange level, the following mobilities took place: 1st mobility to Pascani, Romania, under the topic of "Living with Zero Footprint", between 17-23 October 2021. Students engaged in activities related to the sustainable clothing and fashion, soil pollution, the composting process and the investigation of endangered species. 2nd mobility to Frazao, Portugal, under the topic of "The Ocean Challenge", between 8-14 May 2022. The main topics were the liquid element in lakes, rivers, seas and oceans, their pollution levels and the effects of pollution on ecosystems. 3rd mobility to Sparta, Greece, entitled "Waste not, Want not", between October 16-22, 2022. The main topics were sustainable food and product consumption practices as well as waste management and recycling methods. 4th mobility to Belgrade, Serbia, entitled "Sustainable Cities", April 23-29, 2023. The main topic was urban sprawl that has occurred in recent decades and action taken to address the environmental challenges that urbanization entails. During all stages of Project implementation, new knowledge, skills and values acquired by the participants were evaluated through questionnaires, interviews and reports with the ultimate goal of investigating the rate of achievement of the program's goals related to the adoption of a more environmentally friendly lifestyle. The methodology followed was based on modern sociocognitive learning theories that aim to connect school with real life needs. At all stages of the implementation of the Project we applied interdisciplinary principles, self-discovery, creativity and teamwork and cultivated critical thinking, imagination, decision-making and student responsibility. Project products among others include: - Interdisciplinary Environmental Scenario - Project Management & Implementation Guide - Green Living Guide - Recycling guide - Recipe book using overripe foods or leftovers - Worksheets with experiments, field study and environmental micro-activities We expect that these activities will have a real impact not only at partner school level but also at the level of the local community. To increase the Project's impact, educational products were posted and uploaded on local, European and global platforms such as school websites, the Project's Social Media page, the Erasmus+ Project results dissemination platform and the eTwinning Twinspace platform. In addition, the Parents and Guardians Association, the Local Authorities and the local mass media were informed with press releases and articles were published in school and local newspapers. In addition, environmental awareness events were organized on the occasion of the celebration of World Days, Erasmus Days and participation in voluntary actions of recycling, tree planting and cleaning of parks and coasts. Finally, a Project Dissemination Event was organized on June 18, 2023 in the assembly hall of the 3rd Senior High School of Sparta.