Educating ecologically conscious young European citizens through joint enterpreneural activities

Our main objectives for the project were the following: - to promote environmental consciousness and “green thinking” among our students throughout their learning experience - to develop students’...

Our main objectives for the project were the following: - to promote environmental consciousness and “green thinking” among our students throughout their learning experience - to develop students’ entrepreneurial and communication skills in terms of co-learning and co-creating learning outcomes. Taking into account the fact that Estonian students were younger than their Polish counterparts (age 13-15 vs 17-19), this project also aimed at co-teaching and evaluating the role of students in the learning process. - to enhance students’ communication and cooperation skills between students from different cultural, economic, and social backgrounds - thus emphasizing the values of acceptance, tolerance, inclusivity, and equal opportunities.

During the project, we have implemented several activities: 1. Local visits for Estonian and Polish groups, with training and masterclasses on sustainability, eco-friendly management, and general knowledge of green topics in our society (please see the attached activity report and overview of web pages). During all these activities Erasmus+ project groups were accompanied by other classes - therefore project group members had additional assignments and ensured better dissemination of the project. 2. Mobilities to Poland and Estonia, where the visitors alongside the hosts experienced local cultural, historical, and school traditions, had joint training and duties. 3. Online training sessions for the whole group, and also online meetings between teachers within the project. These included both online, hybrid, and on-site training sessions, and resulted in students’ entrepreneurial activities (producing and selling their creations). 4. Mobility to an EU institution - at the end of the project, several members from Estonian and Polish groups visited jointly EU institution in Brussels, and met with the EU MP from Estonia Marina Kaljurand. 5. Creating students’ sustainable upcycling business enterprises and selling their produce.

The outputs and results of the project were the following: 1. Experience in international cooperation, and as an output, bonds and friendly ties to a foreign school for future projects and cooperation. 2. Experience in all-English communication among team members, and as an outcome, improved language and communication skills. 3. Participation in design thinking and entrepreneurship training courses, resulting in new knowledge, experience, and courage for students’ independent enterprises. 4. International presentation experience, and as an outcome, the possibility to introduce the project and its outcomes on the European level. One feasible outcome here is the notice of the project by the EU MP. 5. As an outcome, experience, and encouragement to organize and conduct hybrid learning courses, and thus deconstructing the physical borders between learners from different countries. 6. Students' entrepreneurial enterprise - sustainable, upcycling (production of totes/ shopping bags from material leftovers and marketing them at school fairs). As a percentage of turnover was donated to the schools' development funds, this marks a special signal: not only sustainable business is possible, but it can serve the local community well.