With this project, we wanted to integrate ecological values, as the fundamental educational values of the institution, within which it is necessary to develop responsibility, identity, respect for diversity, solidarity and equality, into everyday work. We wanted to set care for ecology, sustainable development, environmental protection, recycling and health preservation as a goal and one of the strategic tasks. We wanted to use the potential of the existing resources in the school that were not adequately utilized by implementing new extracurricular activities with which students can deepen their personal interests and affinities, but at the same time acquire new knowledge, skills and physical abilities. We wanted to implement new ecological extracurricular activities in the school and the school curriculum, in which students will be able to participate in order to realize and deepen their personal interests and affinities, but at the same time, to acquire new knowledge, skills and physical abilities. We wanted to develop and improve school culture in the field of ecology at all levels, from the micro-class level to the macro-school level, in such a way that all teachers and students become key in raising awareness of upcoming changes. With the project, we wanted to enable student cooperation in eco-activities at school, to cooperate more actively with parents and the local community, developing a sense of environmental responsibility, initiative and volunteering. By implementing project activities, we wanted to more successfully realize the educational expectations of teaching cross-curricular topics Entrepreneurship, Health and Sustainable Development, learn and apply new learning and teaching methods, and improve the quality of the school and its European dimension. In the existing school volunteer club, which is the result of the previous Erasmus+ KA1 project "Let's VolunPeer!" we wanted to ensure transferability and sustainability and organize workshops for students, parents and teachers on the topic of ecology, sustainable development and cross-curricular topics of Entrepreneurship, Health and Sustainable Development.
We applied for this project with the desire to improve the quality of life and work in our school with innovative approaches and models of teaching and learning, thereby achieving the goals of the school's European Development Plan. Our aim was to improve the quality of life in the school by arranging the environment and interior of the school, common areas, and classrooms. We wanted and still want to offer our students a constructive way of spending their free time, aware that all extracurricular activities develop friendships, communication skills, mutual teamwork, but also cooperation with school teachers. By analyzing the School Curriculum from previous years and by analyzing the research carried out in our school, among students and teachers, about the current state of concern about the importance of environmental protection, recycling, and sustainable development, we determined that the school has a need to design a plan for the implementation of activities related to the mentioned topics on a school and local level and the change of the School Curriculum from the school year 2020/21 introducing new extracurricular activities, planning new school projects and starting new sections within the existing Volunteer Club. In the mentioned activities, we started with the European Green Plan, the strategic goals of the Erasmus+ program 2020, the proclamation of the UN General Assembly that 2020 is the international year of plant protection, the annual theme of eTwinning, as well as the educational reform that introduced cross-curricular topics in all elementary school classes. We knew that our students would feel the effects of climate change and that's why we thought, and still think, that it is important to raise and educate them to live in a sustainable way so that they can face the challenges that await them. As an eTwinning school, we can provide teachers with the necessary information and knowledge to understand the issue of climate change and quickly and effectively understand its consequences by implementing eTwinning projects on this topic. We wanted to weave the key idea of the project, care for ecology, sustainable development, environmental protection, recycling and health preservation into every segment of school life. Our idea and desire was to implement, develop and improve the school culture in the field of ecology at all levels, from the micro-class level to the macro-school level, and for all teachers and students to become key in raising awareness of upcoming changes. With the project, we wanted to enable the cooperation of students in environmental activities at school, to cooperate with parents and the local community, developing a sense of environmental responsibility, initiative and volunteering. We wanted the school's ecological culture and a responsible approach to teaching about ecological values to become our basic educational orientation in the long term. That's why we wanted to introduce new learning strategies to the school and incorporate environmental education into the school curriculum through cross-curricular topics, regular classes, extracurricular and project work. We wanted teachers, by participating in the project, to learn, develop and improve ecological competences, competences in teaching cross-curricular topics: Entrepreneurship, Health and Sustainable Development, new methods of learning and teaching, digital and language competences and improve the quality of the school and its European dimension.