European Programme Erasmus+ KA2 (2020-2022) R4MAD: R4 (Raise, Recycle, Reduce, Reuse) - Making a difference

Partner Schools

1. Gimnazija Jurija Vege, Idrija, Slovenia (Bozena Rudolf, German,EFL) COORDINATING SCHOOL
2. Ralleio Geniko Lykeio Thileon Peiraia, Peiraias, Greece (Katerina Christodoulou, EFL)
3. Nemska Ezikova Gimnaziya "Goethe", Burgas, Bulgaria (Petya Petrova, EFL)
4. IES TORRELLANO, Torrelano-Elche, Spain (José Ángel Molina Carmona, Economics )
5. Hersby Gymnasium, Stockholm, Sweden (Patrik Roddar, Civics/ Economics)

The horizontal priority of the project is Environmental and Climate goals and it addresses the topics of Environment and Climate Change, international cooperation, international relations, development cooperation and social/environmental responsibility of educational institutions.

It builds on a previous Erasmus+KA2 project (“Routes to Outdoor Oriented Teaching and Sustainability”/ROOTS) and aims to further raise environmental awareness and to promote behavioral changes towards a more sustainable way of living mainly in lines of UN Sustainable Development Goals 12 (Ensure sustainable consumption and production) and 13 (Climate Change).

Apart from raising awareness of teachers and students about the environment in general and climate change in particular by applying critical thinking, entrepreneurship and creativity when exploring possibilities of sustainable lifestyles in harmony with nature, the project will focus on enabling the participants’ behavioral changes in environmentally-significant every day activities by creating, testing and carrying out innovative practices to prepare students and teachers to become true factors of change (by reducing energy use and waste, contributing to recycling, reusing things, opting for sustainable food and mobility choices) thus, also, acting as a catalyst for change in their family and the wider community.

The project will involve a large number of teachers and students (aged 15-19), at least sixteen of whom will participate in the Learning Activities in the partner schools during the project. These Learning Activities will address a variety of sustainability linked topics starting with Raising awareness about the environmental and climate change challenge (Sweden), proceeding with Reusing things and cultural capital (Slovenia), Reducing/refusing food waste (Bulgaria), optimal Recycling methods (Spain) and ending with Consolidation on what was learnt and what was changed (Greece).

Various project activities will take place in partner schools as well, such as classroom work on various subjects linked to the topic, interdisciplinary lessons and projects and project-related fieldtrips. Some of the partner schools will also apply an integrated “environment/sustainability” curriculum.

With different final products (made in workshops or carried out during mobilities and classroom work) such as infographics/posters/leaflets/videos/games/adds/golden rules/hints for peers that will circulate/be displayed, awareness will be raised in schools and the local communities. Working in international groups and providing high-quality education, training and lifelong learning, both students and teachers will improve many of their personal, social and learning key competences.

Through classroom (curriculum-linked) work, projects, workshops, field trips, mobilities to partner countries, students are expected to develop green skills and consequently make better-informed consumption choices, be more mindful concerning waste generation and the 4R’s, and, finally, adopt a more sustainable lifestyle. We believe that this will shape values which are proven to be the best tool for climate change awareness and action.

We expect that improved eco behavior and habits, not only of the teachers and students involved in the project but also of other stakeholders (such as families, local institutions), will become an established practice in partner schools and the local communities. After the project’s end, there will be a pool of the project materials and activities that proved to be successful and efficient for future use at partner schools, also providing motivation for new larger or smaller scale projects on sustainability in the future thus contributing to the longer term benefits of this project.

Ralleio Pedagogical team: Dr Sarantos Oikonomidis (Physics, Director), Dimitrios Angelidakis (ICT), Stavroula Alevromageirou (Legal Studies, Civics), Kalliope Bechraki (Greek Language and Literature), Dimitrios Chalikias (Economics), Dimitrios Christopoulos (Greek Language and Literature), Stavros Drosakis (Mathematics), Aimilia Giourga Greek Language and Literature), Anastasia Keskesiadou (Greek Language and Literature), Panagiotis Markopoulos (Biology, Chemistry), Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos (Social Studies, Civics), Dr Maria Panagiotopoulou (Greek Language, Drama), Georgios Panopoulos (Mathematics, Assistant Coordinator).

Ralleio Coordinator: Katerina Christodoulou (English Language).