CONTEXT Irresponsible consumption of water can lead to a crisis that will affect billions of people in the future. With this reality in mind, we have taken on the mission to change the way in which people relate to water and we want to start inoculating this into the young minds of today that will become the adults of tomorrow. We want our pupils to turn the topic upside down and inside out, to learn about water as it used to be regarded by our ancestors, water and the way in which we consume it today and the effects of irresponsible consumption for the future of mankind. We want them to become active defenders and promoters of responsible water usage, to initiate local campaigns “Save the water for your children”, to analyse people’s behaviour towards water in their local communites and share them with our partners. Also, throughout the project, we want to investigate and come up with a plan to turn our schools into water-friendly schools and make local authorities implement this plan on several institutions in our areas, so that we can really make a difference in the end. Small drops like this will become an ocean. OBJECTIVES 1. to increase knowledge about water from different perspectives – scientific, cultural, literary, artistic – at least 60% of students 2. to raise students’ awareness of the importance of water for the humankind – min. 70% of students 3. to help students identify general problems about water shortage and personalize them to their local context 4. to foster students’ civic engagement in community problems related to ecology and strengthen the role of the school in the local community 5. to develop students’ soft skills, creativity and cultural awareness 6. to improve language skills 7. to create a network of Water-friendly schools and expand it with the aid of local authorities MAIN ACTIVITIES C1 – Water in the past – literature, art, folktales C2 – Water and health – Biology, PE perspectives. C3 – The Science of water – Geography, Maths, Science C4 – Water and the future – excessive consumption, pollution. Eco-campaigns C5 – Making our schools sustainable water consumers (joint-staff training event) Between the transnational events, students work on the topic of the exchanges, applying surveys and analyzing the, creating poems, paintings, posters, initiating local campaigns to raise awareness about water depletion to improve their school premises and turn it into a water-friendly school. They present all their work in online conferences on eTwinning. PARTICIPANTS Pupils will be the main actors in local and transnational activities. The age range of the participants in exchanges is 11-12. 80 students will be selected to participate in C1-C4, 5 students from each sending school/exchange. These pupils will be accompanied by 2 teachers. The profile of the accompanying teachers is related to the topic of each exchange. For C5, participants are 3 teachers from each school (a total of 12 teachers). These are the school principals, the coordinators and one project member who coordinates the Water Friendly School (WFS) plan and its sustainability. RESULTS They create posters of the project, films about local water supplies, create maps of water sports facilities in their area, apply surveys and questionnaires on members of the local community to measure the consumption of water and observe the purpose of water consumption in households before and after the project, to measure its impact. They are involved in organization of local campaigns to raise people’s awareness about the effects of irresponsible water use, make flyers, parades etc. Together with teachers, they identify inefficient water use in their schools, so that they can come up with solutions to make the school water-friendly. During exchanges, they attend lessons about water, are involved in physical activities (e.g. water sports), create artwork, songs and posters in multicultural groups, will go on field trips to take water samples and measure its drinkability. Toward the end of the project, teachers and students create a plan to turn the school into water-friendly environments. These plans are presented by the teachers during C5 and adapted into a final version which will be handed in to local authorities that will expand the use of the plan to several schools in the regions. IMPACT Schools will gain a good reputation by involving the pupils and teachers in community problems and trying to raise awareness about local issues that can affect the quality of life. Schools will also set an example of eco-friendliness that we expect other schools to follow. The water problems are only one part of the environmental issues we are confronted with, so we can continue developing projects on these issues. Our institutions will become more welcoming to students, as we will be in the spotlight on the duration of the project. The fact that we have implemented an Erasmus+ project is like a quality label that we will take pride in.
After have being worked on this project for three years and verifying the results and achievements, all the partners have reached several conclusions: • That our students and families have a greater awareness of responsible water consumption and usage, • That they have become advocates for water and environmental care. • That there has been an increased interest in English, among other things, to improve communication with families and peers from other institutions. • That all the students who requested mobility have travelled, and we have studied the needs of each one. • And above all, the greatest achievement has been a plan for water-friendly schools plans and the commitment of local authorities to implement it in the community, along with the interest of other regional schools to adopt these sustainability measures. The previous European experience of the partners before starting this project was not extensive, but all of us were involved in European programs (some carrying out other Erasmus projects) or in both European and national activities and programs. What united us all, was the need to raise awareness in society about the importance of water for life's future and environmental care. Now, all partner countries are involved in other Erasmus+ projects, which has helped us gain more experience. Our school, CEIP AUSIÀS MARCH, has been awarded the Erasmus Accreditation, which has filled us with pride and encourages us to continue working to improve our learning and that of our students. Other schools have applied for this accreditation or are still on European programs this year, demonstrating the Europeanization achieved in these types of projects. OBJECTIVES The seven proposed objectives described in the project have been fulfilled and have exceeded expectations. MAIN ACTIVITIES The already described mobilities The mobility schedule was not carried out as specified in the project. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to request a 12-month extension, which was granted. In Spain, attendance at school returned to normal in September 2020, but this was not the case in the other partner countries. The partners did not regularly attend classes until February 2021, and from there, they started conducting both mandatory and non-mandatory activities, such as creating the project's logo. We also agreed that at least one faculty mobility was necessary since the project involved numerous substantial activities, requiring a new program chronology with agreements from all partners. Although the faculty mobility to Turkey was not funded in the project, we calculated that we could manage it by adjusting management and mobility expenses. We agreed to hold the meeting in Turkey from March 14th to 18th, 2022. We needed guidance from Turkey, given their extensive experience in Erasmus projects, and without students, we would have more time for meetings and decision-making. Therefore, presentations and courses tailored to our needs were conducted. We have done/linked over 130 activities in the Platform of results and nearly 100 references on “other project events ” Why didn't we follow the dates set in the mobility calendar? Initially, post-pandemic, we encountered difficulties as families were hesitant to engage in exchanges or mobility for their children. They needed solid evidence that the risk of contagion was lower, so we waited for the vaccination of both teachers and students in all partner countries, which happened around April 2022. IMPACT AND RESULTS The impact on students, families, the local community, and other institutions has been significant. We have gained a good reputation in the region and have fostered awareness of water care and respect within our educational community. The results have been very positive. Student and family learning and participation reached 100%. Initial and final evaluations, surveys, civic demonstrations, posters, studies on water quality, visits to water management centres, sports facilities, breathtaking natural landscapes, and water sports to improve health and well-being were carried out. Additionally, the water-friendly schools plans has received commitment from local authorities for implementation in the community and others regional schools has asked to join. Presentations were given by the school director at the University of Gandia, organized by CEFIRE, where we presented our project and its results. Another presentation was made at the good practices sessions organized by the Educational Inspection in neighbouring schools. We have been a very united group, each expressing their ideas and reaching agreements swiftly and beneficially for everyone."