PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Our motivation for securing funding for this project and the reasons it should be funded are deeply ingrained
in our past successes and our aspirations for the future. The foundation for this enhanced project is laid in
our current initiative, now in its final phase. Previous accomplishments are the main driving force for us to
keep going and achieve more in the future. Our collaboration initially commenced as IB World Schools,
united by the mission to cultivate inquiring, knowledgeable, and compassionate individuals contributing to a
better world through intercultural understanding. Throughout our ongoing project, notable outcomes have
been achieved. Strong bonds among students and educators have
formed, expanding our perspectives. Dedicated educators have played a pivotal role, ensuring academic
responsibilities are met while offering international competencies, including sustainable development, virtual
web skills, personal well-being, and the well-being of students and teachers.
Behind the scenes, seven teachers have coordinated activities, aiming for a broad impact. The desire to
expand our project’s reach propels our application for the next Erasmus+ strategic partnership (from KA210
to KA220).
Our collaboration has proven invaluable; over 100 students from partner schools participated in four
mobilities spanning 20 days. Importantly, the project serves as a lasting reference for future activities.
Looking forward, our goal is to amplify the project's impact, involving more students in cooperative efforts,
enhancing competences in sustainable development, and instilling a responsible attitude. We have creative
ideas ready for collaborative implementation with our students. Additionally, we aim to raise awareness of
sustainable practices within schools and communities, upgrading project content and involving a larger
student base. Our motivation is fueled by the desire to expand collaboration, nurture relationships, involve
more students, and integrate a new partner school with expertise in green skills and rural environments. Our
collective aim is to extend service experiences beyond the IB core CAS, impacting a broader community.
Ultimately, our motivation centers on instilling social responsibility, urging students to think globally, act
locally, and foster a commitment to a sustainable future and green skills. What are the objectives you would
like to achieve and concrete results you would like to produce? How are these objectives linked to the
priorities you have selected ?
PROJECT RESULTS
Digital TGAL Project Platform:
A key outcome will be the development of a digital platform dedicated to the E+ TGAL project. This platform
will serve as a central hub for outlining pertinent activities and actions, designed to inspire motivation and
prompt initiative among students. It is envisioned as a dynamic resource that evolves alongside the project,
with ongoing additions of new activities and actionable steps. This approach aims to guide students in
taking meaningful actions towards developing social responsibility and green skills.
Creation of TGAL Clubs:
The project plans to establish TGAL clubs as a strategy to involve a broader student base, particularly
targeting those outside the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme. The clubs’ objective is to
encourage students to participate in service activities, contributing positively to their local communities.
Through these clubs, the project seeks to deepen student engagement in service actions, thereby
enhancing awareness of both global and local environmental issues.
International Visits:
Visits to participating countries are planned to showcase examples of best practices and to offer global
perspectives to students. These experiences are designed to enrich students' understanding, enabling them
to apply this global awareness to local action initiatives within their communities.
Personal Results for Students Personal Growth and Lifelong Learning:
Students are expected to experience personal growth through their participation in the project, gaining an
increased awareness of green skills. The project emphasizes the importance of lifelong learning, suggesting
that the skills and knowledge acquired will benefit students well beyond the duration of the project.
Teacher Recruitment:
Each participating school aims to recruit at least one teacher with no prior experience in Erasmus+ projects.
This strategy is intended to expand the Erasmus+ community within each institution, bringing fresh
perspectives and fostering a wider embrace of the program's values.
E+KA229: SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP 2022/2024
TITLE: THINK GLOBALLY – ACT LOCALLY
Gjøvik videregående skole – Ada Bråthen Øye, Aleš Črnko – Coordinating school
Poland (Cracow): Bartolomej Adler, Lukazs Zych
Slovakia (Bratislava): Paul Kindji
Slovenia (Maribor, II. gimnazija Maribor): Polona Vehovar, Matjaž Vehovar
The two-year Erasmus+ project in collaboration with four countries and respective schools is in its final phase. In considering another year of cooperation between the partner schools, searching for contacts, following the guidelines and writing the application, we can say that a long successful period is behind us, and we can slowly draw some conclusions. The conclusions are important mainly because of the findings and knowledge gained through such cooperation, on the basis of which we set goals and objectives for future projects.
Facts:
– 4 exchanges, 4 countries, 4 IB schools, over 100 students
– 1 year of coordination and Erasmus+ application
– 2 years of active work
– More than 20 meetings and more than 20 actions on the field
- Vision – Act locally
The project, as its name Act locally suggests, started as an actual field operation in the immediate local environment of the partner schools of the project. We are interested in continuous student performance in the field of sustainable development, and responsibility towards society and the environment. In some of the actions we planted the trees in an environment with polluted air around Cracow and got involved in helping the NGO symbolically solve the problem of wartime immigrants from Ukraine in Poland. Furthermore, we socialised and thus helped the homeless in the industrial areas of Maribor and provided tutorials to children who come from national minorities in Slovenia. In Norway (Gjovik), we learned about the environmental aspects of developing a healthy lifestyle and social sustainability (free equipment rental available to everyone), the optimal use of (leftover) food (via applications), and people’s attitudes towards nature and climate change. The last and final mobility that is ahead of us is the meeting in Bratislava (Slovakia), where we will focus on intergenerational relations and zero tolerance for violence. A number of micro-level actions were also carried out. The main aim of this last mobility will be to activate the students to be proactive EU citizens.
- Findings
Many friendships were made between students and professors, and we were introduced to different aspects of thinking. Teachers are always motivators who identify, activate and develop student potential. Although a lot of effort was put into this project, the teachers always made sure that the schoolwork at our schools did not suffer. Even more; the teachers offered all participants the opportunity to acquire international competences. Some schools only have these in their curriculum (sustainable development, virtual web, personal well-being and the well-being of students and teachers). Seven professors carried out much co-ordinating and programming and put a lot of effort into the implementation of the project. Great efforts have been made to ensure that the project does not remain just the work and awareness of a handful of people. With this aim, we want to continue and expand the project also in the form of an application for the next project within the Erasmus+ strategic partnership (from KA210 to KA220). The co-operation of all participants is extremely useful and almost necessary for the project to continue on the same or even on a higher level. More than 100 students from the four above-mentioned partner schools will have taken the part in four mobilities. We will complete the four mobilities in a total of 20 days. More importantly, this project is not only intended for participants of the four mobilities, but also makes for an exceptional reference and recognition of the project for our future activities.
- Future Recommendations
In the future, we would like to expand the experience of those involved to the wider population at individual schools. By doing so, we would like to involve more students in further cooperation. Thus, the project is an excellent initiation for increasing competences in the field of sustainable development and responsible attitude towards nature and society. We still have many creative ideas in this area, which we would implement together with the students. At the same time, we would have the opportunity to spread awareness in the field of sustainable development and responsible operation both within schools and their surroundings. In doing so, we want to upgrade its content and, of course, include a larger number of students. It is of utmost importance that school management supports this project in the future. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the partner schools, especially the coordinating school in Norway, who made this form of cooperation possible. Our Erasmus+ project was also recognized as successful by the Erasmus+ organization, as we exceeded the set plans even before the end of the project in June 2024.
- Acknowledgment
We would like to thank the management at all four partner schools for recognizing the knowledge and experience of proactive professors. “Working globally and thinking locally” is extremely important in the EU and in the tenders of European institutions because of student mobility. We hope that you will support our hard work and effort in future projects.