Liceul Tehnologic Economic de Turism from Iasi is involved in developing the European dimension by implementing educational projects. The activities of the project “Be Clean, Be Green! Promoting the Sustainable Development of Our Community” will be carried out for a period of 24 months in partnership with schools from Portugal, Belgium, Italy. The purpose of the project responds to the common needs of all participants and it aims to involve young people in the sustainable development of the local community by promoting the respect for the environment. The horizontal priority of the project is related to the protection of the environment.The additional priorities are aimed at improving pupils’ access to training and qualification in the field of tourism and food industry and they also focus on developing key competences. According to environmental reports,it has been observed that the communities of the partner schools face environmental problems,which is why we intend to develop the pupils’ skills on ecological education and sustainable development. The objectives of the project are: 1.Development of competences regarding ecological education of at least 500 pupils from the participating schools until the end of the project; 2.Increasing by 25% the level of information of the local community on environmental issues,until the end of the project; 3.The active involvement in the community of at least 50% of the pupils from the participating schools and the development of the sense of belonging to the European values; 4.Development of English communication skills of 150 direct participants during the implementation of the project; 5.Improvement of the ICT competences of 150 direct participants during the project implementation to carry out the activities and to promote the obtained results; The direct participants will be 150 pupils and teachers.The pupils,the direct beneficiaries,are of school age,15-18 years old,and have a permanent desire for personal and professional development.The direct participating teachers teach different school subjects and are interested in the current problems of the environment,they are involved in volunteering activities, promoting critical thinking among pupils to find viable solutions. The target group of the project consists of pupils,teachers,pupils’ parents,representatives of specialised institutions on environmental and tourism issues,members of local communities. The proposed activities within the project respond to the need to improve the quality of the skills that young people will acquire in order to develop innovation and cooperation at national and European level.The programme of the activities is the following:February 2021 with the topic Biodiversity in Portugal,May 2021 with the topic Air Pollution in Belgium,February 2022 with the topic Water Pollution in Italy,May 2022 with the topic of Protected Areas in Romania. During the implementation stage,the following working methods will be used:workshops,getting-to-know games,discussions,brainstorming,a competition to establish the logo,activities of individual and/or team research,the interpretation of the results obtained in questionnaires,using IT and English skills,writing reports,writing articles for the dissemination of the project results, research visits etc. Among the expected results at the end of the project we mention: the project site,a Facebook page, an online research journal,a “Time Capsule” video with the reports made during the project implementation, promoting among pupils the European values and attitudes as well as a tolerant attitude towards the opinions of others. The expected impact on the pupils is of personal development as active European citizens by increasing self-esteem, efficiency of teamwork and the improvement of civic education. The expected impact at the local level is the increase of the degree of involvement by 25% of the members of the communities in activities of environmental protection for the sustainable development.At European level it is aimed to stimulate the interest for collaboration in order to find solutions to solve common environmental problems and to understand the importance of the environmental factors in the improvement of the quality of life. The sustainability of the present project will be highlighted by the following aspects: the subsequent use of the research journal and of the “Time Capsule” video in teaching/training/learning activities,carrying out volunteering activities about the environment within the Impact-Eco3 Club,inclusion in the local development Curriculum,in the field of study “Tourism and Food Industry”, of some contents on thematic tourism products-Protected areas from Iasi county,establishment of a Training Firm,writing an eTwinning project,as an extension of the results obtained in this project. We believe that our project will be educational and will support our current and future pupils, eager to live in healthy environmental conditions.
Starting from the needs identified at the level of the partner schools, we determined that through the implementation of the project,we will develop the skills regarding ecological education,we will increase the level of information of the local communities regarding environmental issues,we will actively involve at least 50% of the pupils of the partner schools in the community,will develop the sense of belonging to European values and will develop the participants’English communication skills as well as ICT skills. We aimed to stimulate an open and flexible learning with practical applicability that would contribute to the professional and personal training of the pupils prepared to integrate into a modern society. The pupils worked in heterogeneous teams communicating effectively in English,exchanging best practices,respecting and promoting tolerance towards each other’s opinions. A priority of the project was to improve the transversal skills of the pupils as well as VET skills: ICT skills, civic skills and entrepreneurship. Transversal competences are integrated into the school curriculum and aim at the personal and professional development of young people throughout their lives, thus optimising the teaching-learning process.
Through the project we implemented,we aimed to involve young people in the sustainable development of the local community by cultivating a sense of respect for the environment.Based on the needs faced by our pupils and the communities where the 4 partner schools in the project are located,we decided that the horizontal priority should be related to environmental protection and sustainable development.According to environmental reports,it has been found that there is an increasing pressure on water,air and floristic resources,which represents a major danger and challenge to the resilience and sustainability of communities.Taking into account these aspects,we considered it appropriate to develop the pupils’ skills regarding education for the sustainable development.Within the project,we correlated the activities carried out with some of the goals of 2030 Agenda,namely sustainable cities and communities(SDG11),climate action(SDG13)and terrestrial life(SDG15).The project also addressed the priority that pupils need to improve their achievements regarding key skills in a lifelong learning perspective.Referring to this priority,we aimed to improve communication skills in the mother tongue and in English,digital,social and civic skills.