To make sure that the needs of the target groups were addressed throughout the project, the partners set the following objectives: • Increase awareness on environmental and social issues in partners’ own regions • Increase awareness on environmental and social issues across Europe • Increase active citizenship among students between 12 - 16 years old • Develop/improve intercultural skills among students between 12 - 16 years old • Increase level of English speaking among students between 12 - 16 years old • Develop innovative learning approach towards challenge identification and problem solving in the field of the SDGs
The partnership applied for this project because they wanted to address the lack of the coverage of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the current educational system. A needs analysis by all partners showed that both knowledge on sustainability and understanding of social issues were low and teachers lack knowledge in this field. Furthermore, students from the age 12 to 16 have an age period in which it is important to learn about new subject to have a greater understanding later in life. Teaching this age group gives them a lifelong profit. Through first teaching local challenges and later European challenges, the students will be able to recognise and relate to the issues, increasing their lack of English and intercultural skills. The partners work with a majority of students with lesser opportunities (such as limited financial resources or because they are from rural areas) which do not travel often, nor get to meet unfamiliar cultural aspects. Due to the lack of travel opportunities, these students are less aware than others of issues outside their own region and develop less skills. Travel offers them the opportunity to see how other cultures are influenced and experience the effects of environmental change.