Environmentally friendly Europe - the future begins now!The idea and the application for this project came amid the Corona Crisis . Nature has proved its power, unraveling how feeble humanity really is, and the vast degree to which we are dependent on the environment we live in. Following the return to our usual routines, we cannot forget what we have learned, meaning we need to co-exist with Nature and act in accordance with it. Environmental protection is now as relevant as ever. Responsibility for the environment and fellow humans is vital for our existence, as environmental issues are limitless.The unjust treatment of the Mother Earth has been debated for decades, yet little has been done about it. But it is not too late: our students see the dangers but fail to come up with their own initiatives. As project coordinators, we want the students to evolve from passive observers and become active players in the fight for the environment. We all share one, single planet, Seas and Oceans are international as we all breathe the same air. Hence, we want to create an international project, underlining the environmental issued need to be combat collectively as a wider society – a project, where young people exchange experiences across borders and generate impulses. The main goal is to give the students increasing responsibility as they grow to become active environmental activists. They will be encouraged to take concrete contributions striving towards the reduction of the environmental burden.Our project aims for 150 students (age 12-16) from 6 countries to work together, in unison with teachers, school communities, families and participating institutions.The first focus of this project is nature. The students will learn the different landscapes of their countries. In Germany, they will follow wolf tracks, learn about the forest as an eco-system and appreciate biodiversity.Through the second focus of this project, students will debate about energy, the pros and cons of alternative energy sources and visit a biofuel plant in Denmark. In addition, they will build a windmill out of recyclable materials.As a third topic, students will research and discuss their countries’ water balance. In Portugal, a country with an extensive coastline, students will examine sand searching for Microplastics. To build up on their findings, students will visit a sewage-treatment facility.During the fourth focus, students will explore the topic of waste in Rhodos, Greece. A recycling center will be visited, where students will participate in the “Old becomes New” workshop. They will learn to develop little daily habits, which help avoiding generating waste and increase recycling. Every school will then organize exchange markets.The fifth focus of this project will be set on food consumption in Turkey. Students will learn ways to avoid food waste and will visit a “Bio-company” that turns organic waste into fertilizer. The School-STEM-Club will present an app developed to control the watering of plants.As a sixth and final focus, students will visit Poland to create guidelines for a sustainable school, basing on their experiences and knowledge gained throughout the project.The project should follow the subsequent methodical steps: discover, share knowledge, take proactive measures, and use STEM, all supported by various handcraft techniques. It is expected that as a direct result of the project, schools, as well as the mindset of the students, will transition towards further consideration of sustainability in the daily life, while students’ sense of responsibility will be strengthened and a proactive attitude developed. A tangible outcome will be the guidelines created by the students themselves, outlining concrete recommendations on running a sustainable school. These will be created in German, English, as well as each country’s official language. Following the completion of the project, all experiences will be shared and discussed between the participating schools as the relationships will be nurtured though the eTwinning platform alongside a reporting system being put in place.In the past few months, we have discovered the terrifying power of a minuscule virus to turn the daily lives of billions of people upside down. An empty plastic bottle, an unnecessarily lit lamp, a brown banana that lands in the trash can be just as minuscule. Nature has warned us. Now it is our turn and that of the students. The action must be taken.The future starts now!

"The Erasmus+ Project „ Learning about our countries – we are united in Europe“ with pupils and teachers of schools in 5 countries- ""Nikolay Katranov"" secondary school in Svishtov, Bulgaria; 7th gymnasium of Rhodes, Greece; Kulupenai M.Valancius Basic School, Lithuania; Pobiedziska Kazimierza Odnowiciela Basic school, Poland; and Ahmet Cuhadaroglu middle school in Istanbul, Turkey - opened new opportunities for the schools' communities to travel, to improve their geographical knowledge and the world perception which were insufficient before the beginning of the project. The students of the schools were given new and unconventional possibilities to learn about European Union and the five countries of the project. The project program was created with the purpose to broaden students' views about the contemporary world, to present new unconventional methods and learning and communicating, to improve the competences necessary to be successful in nowadays world. The project fulfilled these objectives: - created more attractive educational conditions based non- traditional ways/methods of teaching/ learning about the EU and the countries of the project;- created possibilities of self - education for students with low motivation when involving them in task preparation and fulfillment process;- improved the communicative competences and social skills of pupils while their participating in various activities with peers of the 5 different countries;- created non-traditional learning possibilities (to learn with peers of the 5 countries) opportunities for pupils;- raised pupils‘s motivation in learning English and some basic vocabulary of Lithuanian, Bulgarian, Greek, Polish, and Turkish; - opened traveling possibilities for pupils with lower opportunities when participating in transnational students- teachers meetings;- improved pupils‘ active participation in a society life when presenting the project to their school communities and communities of other participants; - increased pupils‘ digital competences when constantly communicating by using IT during the project implementation and collecting and selecting the materials to be used for learning- teaching activities ; - improved the knowledge about Europe and about the 5 countries' geography, history, and culture;- the teachers of the 5 countries shared their pedagogical competences regarding non-traditional ways of education;- encouraged international communication among pupils and teachers of the 5 countries during the project lifetime and after the completion of the project. These objectives affected directly the communities of the 5 schools -participants of the project. The students aged 11-18 were the participants in different planned activities of the project.The project program consisted of the 5 parts/ topics chosen by each partner country to develop and prepare learning - teaching activities for all the participants : 1.Our Local History (Greece), 2. Natural beauty of our countries (Poland), 3. Our folklore and customs (Lithuania) 4. Our traditional cuisines (Turkey), 5. Sports and games (Bulgaria). Each topic was led by the country responsible for the activities and outcomes of the topic. Developing learning/teaching process for each topic would took about 4 months time. At the beginning of their time, the country responsible for the topic presented the non- traditional learning/ teaching tasks and activities prepared for all the project members and presented them on the main project dissemination platform, eTwinning, for all the partners to study. At the end of the task completion, the leading topic country organized an international mobility meeting where learning/teaching activities were performed and the intellectual output was created and presented (if created earlier) to the all the participants of the project. The five day learning /teaching activities were organized in 4 partner countries - Bulgaria, Greece, Poland, and Lithuania. The program of the Turkish school was covered be the 7th gymnasium of Rhodes because of political instability and the state of emergency status in Turkey at the time of the project implementation. Five CD/DVDs ( intellectual outputs) were created during the project time to use them as pedagogical means in school education curriculum.The project was innovative in methods chosen : non-traditional learning-teaching methods leading to new teaching and assessment approach during the project program implementation. The results of the project have long lasting impact on the participants and the whole communities of the five project partner countries:- the relationship and friendship of the partner schools the did not end after the completion of the project;- participating in Erasmus + project brought a new comprehension of European values and experience for the future projects."

PROJECT TITLE: Theatre around and inside us WHYIn the 21st century there are new challenges as financial crisis, globalization, immigration etc. For this reason, the students are changing. It is noted that new technologies (mobile phones, computers, tablets) influence students’ day life. On the other hand, empathy, emotional skills and self-knowledge have ceased to exist. The main aim of this Erasmus + project is to use theatrical techniques as a method to change children’s behaviour in issues related with the four topics: diversity, school bullying, interpersonal relationships, human rights.OBJECTIVESThe individual objectives that emerged from a needs’ analysis of the involved schools at the beginning of the project are to:a) develop their creativity and imaginationb) cultivate critical thinking.c) encourage initiative, problem confrontation, decision making, communication and constructive management of emotions.d) develop empathy, emotional intelligence. e) strengthen their self-awareness and self-confidence.f) engage and participate in the learning process to become more responsible for learning and improve their overall performance.g) increase the sense of initiative, emancipation and self-esteem.h) be facilitated to express views, trends and feelings on social and cultural issues of the partners.i) be able to create and share theatrical events to acquire the relevant skillsFurthermore, through international meetings, we hope to: a) develop a relationship between the four European schools for creating innovative educational processes and exchanging good educational practices.b) develop a relationship between schools to encourage future partnerships.c) create and develop cooperation between teachers and pupils in the theatre. d) promote teamwork of pupils and teachers.PARTICIPANTS1) 7o GYMNASIO RODOU from Greece (Coordinator)2) GOTTFRIED-WILHELM-LEIBNIZ-GESAMTSCHULE from Germany3) ISTITUTI VINCI - ATENEO GROUP SAS from Italy 4) INSTITUTO DE ENSEÑANZA SECUNDARIA BEATRIZ DE SUABIA from SpainMETHODOLOGY & TOOLSWe will use a student-centered methodology mPPACT (Methodology for a Pupil and Performing Arts- Center Teaching). The mPPACT process focuses on the identity of the self and the identity of the other. Our activities will be based on theatrical pedagogue programmes and Forum Theatre techniques inspired from Augusto Boal.Initially there will be an international meeting where the teachers involved in the project will be educated with theatrical techniques. Methods on drama in education will be developed and exchanged between the partners. Before each mobility and for the chosen topic the participants have to prepare two activities:a.Group dynamics and pre­-evaluationb. Personal Engagement-Exploration/ResearchThe students will use drama in education for their survey and reflection on the chosen topic and ultimately create their short play, which they are going to perform during the mobilities. These short plays could be based on a trigger question, image, video, document etc. or/and on their personal experience. They will make a short play/ performance relevant to the specific topic of the meeting. In order to pre-evaluate students’ views experimental games would be useful at the beginning of the preparation. During each meeting it will be two more activities:a.From Personal to Communalb.Evaluation and DevelopmentStudents will critically reflect on their views of the environment they live in, they will compare and exchange their thoughts with students from a different culture in Europe. They will notice stereotypes, differences and similarities and appreciate the diversity of cultures. At the end a questionnaire must be answered to evaluate the meeting’s results. Also, teachers will also participate in meetings with the teachers from the other countries, in order to discuss and evaluate the progress of the project. When the students come back home they will present the mobility’s result to their peers.RESULTSBy using drama techniques, we shall try to increase students' awareness and change their attitudes on the four topics. The results will be presented on the project's blog and on the Twinspace.IMPACT-The participating teachers will be educated in using drama techniques to cope with different kind of issues in the school community.-These teachers with the new acquired experience and knowledge will instruct in turn their colleagues at school.-There will be aimed activities by the teachers for the management of students' problems. -We aim to develop and train students' teams within every school which -in the long term- will identify and confront relevant issues. -The students will participate in drama activities at school, in order to disseminate the values of the project (respect of the other, tolerance in diversity etc.)-The teachers will share best practices at European level and develop drama techniques on students' management.

The need for the project rose from the students' lack of motivation to study. The participants also noticed a need to support the students in leading a healthy life in terms of nutrition, physical activity, hobbies and appreciating their culture and themselves. The teachers in participating schools have observed the students have motivational challenges due to the time spent on their phones in stead of studying. School isn't an appealing place for the students which leads to early drop out and school dissatisfaction. The participants wish to support the students' well-being on several levels including physical, social and emotional. Increasing the students' self-awareness and providing them with tools to lead a healthier life will improve their self-esteem and skills. There are six participating organisations and countries in the project including Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Greece, Portugal and the coordinating country, Finland. All participants except for Finland and Germany have previous experience of Strategic Partnerships. The coordinating country, Finland, created the project and chose the topic after which they searched for partners with similar needs. One of the participating organisations was spotted via EnglishMatters website's partner search and the others via eTwinning. The participants with previous experience support the less-experienced organisations. All participants take part in planning, executing and evaluating the project activities.The coordinating country is responsible for the deadline and final decisions of the project. Each organization will host a meeting and is responsible for obtaining accommodation, materials and transportation possibilities for participants. Communication between partners is operated via email, Whatsapp and Google Document that is updated regularly.The project includes both short-term exchanges of groups of pupils and other project events which are carried out between and before the exchanges. There will be six exchanges to the six participating countries with different wellbeing-related topics: food and nutrition, sports and physical activities, nature and climate, arts and culture, hobbies and pastime, and European co-operation: me, you, us. Activities support the aim of the project by enhancing the overall wellbeing of students and providing them with tools to lead a healthier life. All organizations execute activities in their school before the meetings and the products of the activities will be shared on eTwinning and other online platforms. The products made before and during the meetings include a questionnaire, cook book, personal diary, class competition, group and trust building exercises, videos, stories and art, leaflet about hobbies, a comic strip and an interview.Participating students and teachers will be selected according to both their English and communicative skills, and readiness to represent their school abroad. Before the meetings, the participants will be supported with travel plans. Two teachers will accompany the participating students to each meeting. Host schools will be responsible for making practical arrangements.Evaluation of the project will be both qualitative and quantitative. The qualitative will be based on questionnaires and self-assessment executed throughout the project. Continuous discussion will also be conducted by the teachers. The quantitative evaluation will include the number of products, materials, students and staff attended in the project. Each organization will be responsible for the evaluation of their organization's results but the final evaluation will be executed together. The main target group of the project are the students. Other target groups include parents, school staff, local community and authorities.The desired results of the project consist of acquiring skills, such as ICT, language skills and social competence and new methodologies, for example, positive pedagogy and motivational tools. The students will have acquired ways to improve their wellbeing and gained more respect towards themselves and others. They will have had a chance to bond with European peers and appreciate different cultures. Additionally, they may have a better self-esteem at the end of the project. Long-term benefits of the project will extend to not only the school community but also the homes and surrounding community of participants. The results of the project will be disseminated, for example, via eTwinning, social network forums, shared blog, educational fairs and meetings with parents, on newspapers and other publications. The activities are planned around the thought 'Involve me and I'll learn'. Involving students in wellbeing-related activities will increase their motivation towards a healthier lifestyle. They will understand the effect of their daily choices on their health and academic results. By supporting the students we create a healthier future and enable European co-operation also in the future.

"The project focused on transformation and modernisation of education by implementing the use of tablets (iPads, Android or Windows 8) and smartphones in training, teaching and learning process. The project aims were:- study the potential that tablets and smartphones offer in their daily practice in the classroom especially in their preparation of the activities that facilitate collaborative learning, research, creativity and evaluation;- explore new ways in which tablets, smartphones can help participants to develop communication, research and self-expression; - integrate good practices and new methods into daily activities by close cooperation of 7 EU schools where students and teachers will be able to learn and exchange;- to stimulate the entrepreneurial mindsets of young people to support everyone in day-to-day life at home and in society;- improve English language skills as a modern foreign language;- develop diversity of European cultures by raising awareness of values.The project had been designed to ultimately provide excitement, enjoyment and challenge for participants, to develop positive attitudes to learning throughout ICT apps. The partnership included six different European schools from Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal, Croatia, Turkey and Greece. Students of primary and secondary schools aged 7 till 16 were actively involved into project activities to improve their lives, influenced their thinking, impact on the communities within they act. Such general education subjects were in the centre of the project: music, art, geography, natural science, IT, English as a foreign language, history, social studies. To achieve greater effectiveness of the project aims we used the following free modern techno-friendly free programmes: HP Reveal (formerly Aurasma)- hereinafter referred to as HP Reveal; QR Code maker; Haiku Deck and Prezi; LogoDesign Enginer; Polldaddy, SurveyMonkey, Poll Maker; Book Creator Free; Magisto and Thinklink; RedLaser, QRcode Scanner, Quick Response Code Reader; Freemind, Piktochart; Mandala Painter Lite; iBrainstorm; Photo Grid - Collage Maker.Within the framework of the project 18 activities were implemented:A1 Erasmus + panoramic project digital; A2 Project's website on Twinspace platform; A3 HP Reveal and QR codes applications usage and guides; A4 Sharing knowledge on HP Reveal and QR codes; A5 Preparation of presentation of school and country; A6 Logo contest; A7 Three digital gift cards with elements of local decorations; A8 Preparation of artistic performance; A9 Evaluation and dissemination of project results; A10 ebook ‘’How to be safe in the classroom; A11 HP Reveal three Christmas and New Year animated drawings’ gift cards; A12 Reality map ""Famous musicians and musical instruments""; A13 Reality map ""Power of number 7""; A14 “My school’s rules” collage creation; A15 Reality map ""The Power of 7 EU partner countries; A16 HP Reveal or QR codes three national gift cards; A17 Mandalas painting; A18 HP Reveal “Thank you” letters.Participants learnt about advantages of usage of tablets and smartphones in educational process; studied a range of free Apps covering different content and activities to support learning, communication and best practice approaches and practical examples for using tablets and smartphones in education in general in different EU countries. Participants became responsible and safe. Digital technologies and entrepreneurship were effectively implemented into a curriculum. Mutual understanding, warm relationship, effective communication among partners were improved. Professional, modern and dynamic environment in the classroom were produced. Results with the usage of new, innovative techniques were evaluated and disseminated.Three transnational meetings for teachers in Latvia, Croatia, Portugal/a short-term joint staff event for teachers in Turkey; two short-term exchanges of groups of pupils in Lithuania and Greece were implemented.With this project the participants increased cooperation, internationalization, networking, efficiency of management and leadership of participating organizations. The project brought us a positive long-term impact on the participants implementing innovative practices. Learning and teaching became more attractive that meets the aims of the project. Supported actions increased the initiative, improved foreign language knowledge, digital skills, professional skills, motivation and participation in society. The project raised awareness between different learning forms, about European projects and developed positive attitudes towards the EU values. Artistic performances connected cultures, broke the barriers and created friendships during six meetings. Thanks to the cooperation participants from different cultural backgrounds will often see challenges and think of solutions in different ways.Tablets are Good, Content is Better, Teachers and Students are the Best."