"Our project is called ""Food for Thought"" and is supported by teachers and students from four countries - Greece, Turkey, Portugal, and Poland. The institutions involved constitute a mixture of experienced participants and newcomers. The project explores the connection that exists between food and a number of primary aspects of human activity and culture. We chose this subject because it offers a variety of perspectives and constitutes a concept that is easily comprehensible by the age group of our students (12-15 years old). We focus our approach on four areas - art/literature, folklore/tradition, health/well-being, and the environment. This journey reveals the importance of food as a cultural element uniting Europeans not only in the course of their history but in their common future as well. It also tries to sensitize our adolescent students to the benefits of a healthy diet and its contribution towards well-being and mental balance. Finally, it introduces the subject of producing and managing food in a world of overpopulation, pollution, and steadily decreasing natural sources - only by keeping the biodiversity of our areas blooming we have a chance to achieve the sustainability of the ecosystem and the food production.In particular, the project is divided into four sections:1. Art and literature - students become familiar with the timeless presence of food in major forms of art and literature, something that proves its importance as a cultural element that unites people of different socio-cultural backgrounds.2. Folklore and tradition - the primordial reference to food in folk tradition and popular culture reveal the astonishing amount of similarity that European nations share on the subject.3. Health and well-being - the dependence of people's diet to home-cooked meals, which are often based on traditional and straightforward recipes, and the avoidance of fast-food consumption help adolescents grow up properly and build a healthy body both physically and mentally.4. Biodiversity and sustainability - the acquaintance with these very important concepts enhances the environmental consciousness of our young students and gives them motives to devote all their energies to preserve the viability of the ecosystem. The activities of the project intend to help participants obtain and improve primary competencies related to values, skills, attitudes, and knowledge. The tangible outcome has the form of questionnaires, videos, posters, photographs, student diaries, booklets, handicrafts and more. Moreover, by taking part in these tasks students will develop their ICT, language and communication skills. The intangible results appear in the way students refine their critical thinking, open-mindedness, tolerance, participation in discussions, and expression of their opinion. The outcome of the project is continuously presented at schools, on the school and project websites and the eTwinning platform. All activities take place at local and international levels so that a big number of students are able to join, experience and benefit by them. The number of students and teachers being involved in the activities of the project is much larger than the actual participants in the LTAs since project work is accomplished in the course of normal lessons and also outside the classroom environment through workshops, excursions to institutions and enterprises and meetings with interesting people. The host parents and the members of the local communities are informed about the project through various dissemination activities.We adopt a holistic approach that involves a cognitive, practical and psychological dimension of learning. The practical application of what has been learned aims to positively influence the attitudes and behavior of the participants. We also follow an open-ended learning method, which allows for multiple solutions to problems, during which students learn to accept and respect the views of others. Additional ways of work include blended learning, group work in multinational teams, competitions, games, learning through experience and discovery, developing critical thinking skills, using communication and cooperation.Beyond specific benefits related to the topics of our project, there is also the long term advantage of working in a varied socio-cultural environment. An Erasmus+ project resembles a contemporary small-scale multicultural society and strengthens individuals'' positive perceptions of the world around them. This project brings to fruition the vision of the participating schools. It attempts to improve the quality of educational output and the sustainable development of cooperation with current social and international partners. It promotes the share of examples of good practice through visits to partner organizations, the development of competences of students and teachers, the use of eTwinning, and the validation of mobilities output, learning outcome and the results of nonformal learning."

A win-win situation is mutually beneficial for both sides. What about conflicts that interweave our school life? In conflict resolution, a win-win strategy is a collaborative strategy and conflict resolution process that aims to accommodate all participants. In this way, failure turns into success and conflict leads to motivation.It is a well-known fact that more and more teachers are faced to deal with delicate situations during class management and have to solve conflicts during school activities. The findings of the questionnaire carried out in all 5 partner institutions show that the range, forms and causes of conflict types are particularly wide (behavioural disorders, miscommunication, bullying, disrespectful behaviour, cultural differences,etc) What is more, the number of aggressive, passive, uninterested pupils, even drop-outs have increased.As can be seen from the descriptions of participating schools, nowadays teachers need to teach an increasing number of pupils with behavioural disorders and in many cases most of the educators had not received proper education so they lack the convenient knowledge and tools to deal with such situations efficiently. Furthermore, there are more and more burn-out teachers, who perform their job with no enthusiasm, feel chronic exhaustion and hopelessness. The main objective of our project is:Approximately 150-200 teachers from the five participating schools will be able to acquire new methods and techniques regarding conflict management throughout a period of 24 months. Our aim is to boost the teachers’ morale by making them self-confident using the newly acquired techniques and as a result being able to give guidance to their pupils they will become less biased and much more balanced and fair in their interpersonal relationships.The project aim is to exchange good practices in order to strenghten the profile of the teaching profession.Approximately 150-200 teachers from the five participating schools will be able to acquire new methods regarding conflict management throughout a period of 24 months.Our aim is to boost the teachers’ morale by making them self-confident using the newly acquired techniques and as a result being able to give guidance to their pupils they will become less biased and much more balanced and fair in their interpersonal relationships.The findings of our survey have shown that there are several reasons why there are discrepencies in conflict management. We have found out that students occasionally may behave in passive, uninterested and even aggressive way but it is also a fact that in many cases teachers lack the proper knowledge and tools in order to deal with such situations properly.Objective for teachers:Obj.1: to acquire the proper knowledge regarding the two main issues of the project : conflict management and dealing with pupils with behavioural disorders;Obj. 2: to increase creativity,teamwork,collaborative team work;Obj. 3: to increase cultural awereness to own and other cultures;Obj.4: to make the participants more responsible citizens of own country and Europe;Obj. 5: to boost their English language skills;Obj.6: to promote Leadership and collaboration;Obj. 7: to boost physical activity of participants.In order to accomplish our aim the following topics will be discussed by the teachers.1. The process of communication. Barriers in communication. Active listening.2. Conflicts. Conflict resolution strategies. 3. The Five Steps Model-how to resolve conflicts.4. Behavioural disorders and how to deal with them.5. Conflict management. Building trust and self-esteem.Each country will have a coordinating group of three people.The contact person of each country will coordinate the activity of their school and communicate with the project coordinator. Partnership will be based on trust and respect for each other. The communication will be done through email, eTwinning and Facebook.When the project is implemented, the expected results are:-approximately 150-200 teachers who acquired new techniques will be more enthusiastic and keen on their jobs;-furthermore, they will be able to teach more efficiently, have better relationships with their pupils, colleagues, administration, parents;-they will be able to prevent or minimize the outcomes of conflicts;-approximately 1000 pupils will become more competent in communicating and listening to their peers,teachers and parents;-pupils will be taught adequate techniques and methods -the participating schools will become more positive and friendlier teaching environments, improving positive relationships;-there will be a decrease in aggressive behaviour of about 10% ;-there will be an increase of interest in taking part in lessons (at least 10%);-parents will be more satisfied with the educational instutions and will be more involved in common activities;-the local communities will face less aggressive behaviour.

"According to the Common European Framework of reference for Languages, ""the learning, teaching, assessment"" guide states that needs analysis and comprehension and expression skills are vital when we are communicating in a foreign language, in this case, in English. The needs analysis was carried out by the ESL partners and it was concluded, that the speaking and listening abilities of students and also teachers are below the expected level. The WAP project addresses the needs to develop and take on new approaches to teaching and learning and to use new technologies to support and facilitate this. Linguistic awareness, linguistic responsive teaching, combining language with content teaching and supporting learners in multilingual settings is an essential element of teacher education. According to research, many English as a Second Language (ESL) students and teachers seem to have some difficulty in pronouncing some certain sounds. The partners have discussed the needs of schools and teachers and all activities and outputs were developed accordingly. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES: SO1: Enable teachers to further develop awareness and use of the conventions of English language, speaking skills and transferable skills.SO2: Transfer of innovative English teaching methods to numerous teachers, to enable them to explore and share innovative tools and techniques SO3: Boost a Europe-wide collaboration among English teachers as well as education researchers and education professionals, exchanging innovative, effective and engaging approaches to English education. SO4: Enable students to improve both their ability to communicate and their linguistic competence in English. To develop a balance of receptive (reading, listening) and productive (speaking, writing) skills through communicative workshops and the Intellectual outputs. SO5: Explore the use of ICT in English education, to enhance its introduction in traditional teaching methods and create technology-rich learning environments for both teachers and students.Additionally, the project will give an insight into the participating countries' culture and society in a European context. TARGET GROUPS: • Teachers: as some aspects of the teaching role become more automated, teachers must have a stronger emphasis on building capabilities across the key competencies such as collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and the ability to problem solve and make quick decisions. To achieve our objectives, we believe that a positive transformation is best achieved when networking, visibility and recognition are triggered and encouraged. We will provide this by empowering teachers, students and schools with this project and the partnership across Europe, to find a common & valid training method across all the EU countries involved.• Students: Due to the fact, that students are targets of all education efforts, the WAP project will greatly improve students' knowledge of English, receptive and productive skills.The partners consist of 4 high schools and a STEM Academy. The learning activities serve a crucial role both as the source of empirical data that is used in the evaluations associated with the intellectual outputs IO1 (app) and IO2 (website) and in dissemination. With 5 short term joint staff training activities, the participants will enhance their knowledge about ESL methods, use of digital tools in and outside of the classroom and how to support their students. Additionally they will stimulate exchange of new and innovative ideas, will help with the development of content for both the app and website, which can be used in the classrooms and also individually by students and teachers. 2 short-term exchange of groups of pupils: the ultimate goal of this mobility is to engage all participants in English conversations in order to improve their listening and speaking skills and their pronunciation. 8 students (aged 14-18) from each partner school will participate in these mobilities (apart from the UK Academy). Some of the impacts include: • Improved pronunciation and knowledge of English• Improved understanding of ESL Education in a European context • Improved understanding of the education systems in the partner countries • Improved competences and skills developing ESL activities and materials• Increased awareness of building common European network of organisations • Increased awareness of encouraging staff to use innovative approaches and web 2.0 tools • Increased awareness of building team spirit, entrepreneurship and leadership in organisations • Introduction of new teaching systems and new content• Strengthening the European dimension and its development• Improved quality of English teachingOne of the long-term impacts would be the increase of the 42% of tested pupils, who reached the level of ‘independent user’ in the first foreign language to at least 65%."

"The reasoning behind this project is: School violence is just one of the manifestations of daily violence. Debates on the relationship between the concept of ""right to safety"" and the school environment have gained a steady and constant development in Europe, with country-to-country differences, becoming officially a political issue following an expert meeting organized by the European Commission in Utrecht , in 1997. Because violence is a global problem in schools, the project includes various activities, methods, tools and tips for the education departments. The target group is primary school, gymnasium and high school teachers and students as a first step. This is because we want to analyze and see the broad picture of aggression in the school of different ages and different needs. At the next step we aim to attract families into the project. Our goal is to keep family awareness on this subject. The proposed objectives are:- Teacher training through the exchange of experience in the 4 LTTs within the project (96 teachers will participate)- to develop an innovative methodology to reduce the violence phenomenon in educational establishments by 5%- increasing the use of active-participatory methods of school teachers;- to teach students to recognize aggression;- minimize aggression and early school leaving.- teach students how to deal with different social situations.-A total of 46 students (with 22 teachers) will participate directly in the two LTT activities within the project. The project is aimed at a number of 2000 pupils, of which 200 pupils with ""CES"" and a number of 170 teachers from the 6 countries. In order to achieve our goals, we will use the methods below:- workshops - for teachers- Short-term professional development training;- Seminar Round Table:- constructive learning - good practice for pupils - research - experiment – observation- questions - interview - chestnuts- Collaboration - Teamwork Some of our teaching-learning-training activities will be;- seminars, workshops;- flyer, calendar, magazines, e-book, book;- Drawings, poems, theater.Expected results and potential long-term and short-term benefits,- Long-term opportunities to develop new contacts with partner schools in order to establish future partnerships - Obtaining skills to manage international projects- The ability to grow new, more tolerant and understanding generations - Raising awareness of violence and its consequences.- Teachers will be able to implement new learned methods and techniques;- raising the level of intercultural knowledge of participation- a better knowledge of EU values- dissemination of good practice- learning between different types of schools involved in education- Using ""TIC"" and enriching the knowledge of English lb."

Education is like white-water rafting. Students, teachers, parents and community members are all in the boat and navigate it together. It’s a team work and everybody makes a huge difference. If the balance is ruined, the chance to go overboard is getting high, especially for the students.The mission of everyone else in the boat is to protect, guide, encourage and support their children in every possible way. JOYFUL is a two-year project with schools from Bulgaria, Turkey, Romania, Greece, Poland and Slovakia who will join efforts not only to ensure students’ safety, but more importantly to boost their social acceptance, self-esteem, self-confidence and help them jump on board their unprejudiced and unique lives.Very often the lack of tolerance, fear and ignorance lead to miscommunication and imbalance in school life. Our ambition is to find a solution to different problems of cultural, ethnic, economic, social and educational level, which our 6 schools face on a daily basis. In BG there is a need of integration of ethnic minorities, in TR and SK students from economically weak families and lack of parental support need to be socially included, in GR and PL migrants and students from low-educated families need to break various barriers and feel accepted, in RO the SEN students and children without parents have to be taken out of their isolation. Coping with those common and yet very specific problems is crucial for turning these students into harmonious and successful individuals.The main objective of the project is to bring together 13-18 years old students from around EU and give them the chance to work successfully by using the 21st Century Skills and sharing common democratic values. Our aim is to ensure equal rights,integrate all vulnerable groups of students,increase their motivation for learning, avoid early school leaving, stimulate positive relationships and help them develop tolerance through communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity. The target groups will be students, teachers, parents and community members. Around 200 students will take direct part in the activities but almost 1200 will be affected indirectly.The teachers to benefit from the project will be 125 directly and around 100 indirectly.Through applying the following innovative strategies: project-based learning, team learning, cooperative learning, peer-to-peer-teaching, interactive teaching and drama, we will promote better understanding and responsiveness to social, linguistic and cultural diversity.This will lead to reducing the tension between students from different backgrounds not only locally, but also across borders. Using non-formal methods, CLIL lessons, drama, dual coding and research (analysis and synthesis), students will acquire the key competences: initiative, active citizenship, tolerance, cultural awareness, ability to work with information, computer skills and use of English.Teachers will provide a dynamic professional environment by integrating good practices and sharing experiences.All partners are united around the idea of building bridges among our nations, promoting understanding of different cultures and being unique in the diversity we represent.These priorities will be the leading ideas in all our activities: workshops, seminars, discussions, lessons, sketches and cultural programmes.All our products (calendar, travel guide, e-book, magazine, “My future job profile” application, sketches, postcards, exhibitions, video presentations) will be available on: TwinSpace platform, the website and blogs of the project and the YouTube channel.The project will have the following impact on the students:- use of the 21st century skills- improved digital and language key competences- improved social skills and behavior, self-esteem, self-confidence, multiculturalism, openness to new experiences- cultural awareness and intercultural competencesSince our project deals with promotion of the democratic ideas of justice, equality and freedom, the transmission of values such as fairness and equal opportunities to all is the long-term effect to be achieved, as well as noticeable changes in the mentality and attitude of the students who will be open to the ideas of integration, inclusion and long-lasting friendships.By the end of this 2-year project we will have teachers with motivation and strategies to include all students in and outside of the classroom and practical solutions to the cooperation. All the participants in the project will have the awareness of belonging to the big European family which ensures a positive attitude and a firm belief that they are not alone in their endeavors.To sum up, as Benjamin Franklin said, “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”, with this project we will involve our students and help them stay involved not only at school but in all spheres of European life where we are all different but united indiversity.