Project CALL (Culture, Arts, Literature and Language) European Identities

Project proposal outline PÁG. 232

Call Erasmus+ KA220SCH Cooperation Partnership in the field of education training and youth,
deadline for submission ???

Duration 12 months – from 1st September 2024 to 31st August 2025

Budget lump

sum 250.000,00 EUR

Priority HORIZONTAL – Inclusion and diversity; PARTICIPAÇÃO E ENVOLVIMENTO CÍVICO

ADDITIONAL – Supporting teachers, school leaders and other teaching professions

Topics MULTILINGUISMO, New learning and teaching methods and approaches

General objective
Increasing competences of elementary school teachers and children in the
area of sustainable development to raise awareness about environmental
issues and help fight against climate change
Specific objectives
- promover o conhecimento sobre o património europeu comum e a diversidade;
- incentivar a conexão e o diálogo intercultural entre os jovens;
- fomentar nos jovens o sentimento de pertença à União Europeia;
▪identifying needs of teachers and children in the area of education for
sustainable development
(through conducting extensive research in partner schools)
Objectives
▪ supporting teachers in education of children about sustainable development
topics
(through development of education modules, creation of workshops toolkit and
by establishing Learning Gardens as places for sustainable development
education)
▪ creating supporting environment for teachers and children for making
sustainable lifestyle choices by raising awareness of local community about
environmental issues, climate change and sustainable development
(through organization of Garden Festivals with purpose of informing and
involving local community - parents, neighborhood residence, stakeholders)

Primary ▪ Elementary school teachers, educators and leaders

▪ Elementary school children
Target group
▪ Parents, family members, local community, policy makers,
 stakeholders, cultural and civil society organisations

➢ Italy

➢ France
Partner
➢ Germany
➢ Greece

organisations
/institututions
➢ Agrupamento de Escolas de AE Terras do Ave (elementary school, Portugal)

MOTIVATION FOR IMPLEMENTATION

Education for sustainable development is an important component in lifelong learning that should run
from the earliest years of life in formal, non-formal and informal education.
With that in mind in 2013 our organization OAZA started implementation of one of our most important
and recognized projects Oasis for Kids, that evolved from basic thought that sustainable skills are most
easily thought in natural surroundings, and therefore we started building school gardens and educating
elementary school children about environment, gardening and sustainability. The project was
wonderfully received within all 8 elementary schools we collaborated with in Zagreb and Petrinja over
last nine years, and we had many new schools interested in joining the project, but as our team is small
we were very limited in number of partnerships we can accept.

An independent commissioned evaluation of Oasis for Kids project was conducted in 2021 among
teachers and students about quality and relevance of the project for their school and it clearly indicated
that: • children are highly motivated to learn about nature and the environment at the way it is done on
the project;
• knowledge acquired in garden setting is better / more interesting than the knowledge acquired in usual
ways during classes;
• children who participated in the project understand significantly more about waste recycling issues •
children communicate more freely in the garden than in the classroom, and the ease of communication
is one of the reasons why children love to hang out and learn in the school garden. • the project
increased children's knowledge of healthy lifestyles, sustainable development and ecology • after the
project children better understand the importance of working with others • children accept the project
very well, express their intense desire to continue with the project next year and want to continue to
learn about sustainable development with peers
• children who participated in the project unequivocally would recommend it to other children

Based on these and other research findings the evaluators gave enthusiastic recommendation for future
continuation with the project and for multiplying its positive influence by spreading it to new schools.
The research confirmed what we already knew - that the project greatly contributes to the personal
satisfaction of children with learning experience, it positively influences the quality of sustainable
education children receive, it supports teachers in application of nonformal teaching methodologies,
and it serves as a great motivator for taking personal responsibility for sustainability.
Motivated by encouraging evaluation we decided to develop an upgraded new project LEARNING
GARDENS in collaboration with carefully chosen international partners expert in the fields of education,
nonformal methodology, environmental issues and sustainability. With the new project we plan to
develop tools that would enable teachers and schools across the Europe and broader to establish on
their own school gardens and start teaching children in an effective and inspiring way about
environmental issues and sustainability.
PLANNED ACTIVITIES
Work package 1 - PROJECT MANAGEMENT

A1.1 Administration - financial management, monitoring, evaluation and reporting activities

A1.2 Operative management - organization and implementation of plenary and virtual meetings

A1.3 Design of project graphic identity, defining communication channels and visibility guidelines

A1.4.1 Kick-off meeting 1 – Spain (October 2022)

A1.4.2 Partner Meeting 2 – Latvia (April 2023)

A1.4.3 Partner Meeting 3 – Portugal (November 2023)

A1.4.4 Partner Meeting 4 – Croatia (May 2024)

A1.4.4 Partner Meeting 5 – Finland (September 2024)

Work package 2 - RESEARCH

A2.1 Conducting surveys in partner schools about current conditions and mapping needs of
teachers/educators connected to their professional education/training in the field of
sustainable development and its' 17 goals

A2.2 Conducting surveys in partner schools about current conditions and mapping needs and
interests of children in the field of sustainable development and its' 17 goals

A2.3 Research analysis, presentation of results, creating an index of identified relevant themes in
the area of sustainable development and its' 17 goals that will be developed into modules and
workshops

Work package 3 - PRODUCING EDUCATION MODULES

A3.1. Designing 12 interactive Sustainable Development Education Modules for teachers using
informal methodology (each of 4 partner schools will be in charge for creating 3 modules, covering 3
fields of sustainable development - environmental, economic and social) followed by short
explanatory videos

A3.2 Designing a toolkit with a minimum of 36 workshops for elementary school children
exploring sustainable development and it’s 17 goals (each of 4 partner schools will be in charge
for creating minimum of 9 workshops, 3 per each of 3 fields of sustainable development)

A3.3 Translation of all created materials (modules and workshops) to national languages of partners

A3.4 Testing of modules/workshops in partner schools

A3.5 Testing of modules/workshops in other schools

 Work package 4 - CREATING LEARNING GARDENS ??

A4.1. Establishing school gardens in partner schools in collaboration with teachers/children/volunteers

A4.2 Creating a collection of materials on establishing a school garden (photos, videos,

tutorials, sketches, descriptions, etc.)

A4.4 Organization of two Garden Festivals and student-teacher mobilities with purpose of exchanging
knowledge and experiences between partner schools, teachers and students and motivation for future
collaboration, first in Croatia (May 2024 attended by a group of children/ teachers from all other
partner schools) and second in Finland (September 2024, attended by a group of Croatian
children/teachers)

Work package 5 - DISSEMINATION

A5.1 Making SD education modules and workshops available on eTwinning and School
Education Gateway portals and other chosen platforms (such as Coursera)

A5.2 Organizing multiplier events - presentation/workshops for future teachers and stakeholders

A5.3 Producing a short promotional video about project activities and accomplishments

A5.4 Organizing a Final Project Event in each partner country

About OAZA, the coordinating organization

O.A.ZA. - Održiva Alternativa ZAjednici (in English: Sustainable Alternative to Community), is a nonprofit
organisation established in January 2013 in Zagreb, Croatia. We promote sustainable development and
our activities focus on CHILDREN and YOUNG PEOPLE (up to the age of 35) as bearers of the sustainable
future. Our target groups also include YOUTH WORKERS from all over Europe. OAZA's main programmes
focus on environmental education, leadership and entrepreneurship.

Our VALUES are togetherness (being mindful of the feelings and needs of other people and living
beings), balance (acting in harmony between the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of life),
responsibility (proactive, disciplined and adequate action in different circumstances), and spirituality
(searching for the meaning of life, getting to know oneself and looking for imperishable values). Our
VISION is to create role models of a sustainable society and our MISSION is to encourage the holistic
development of youth as architects of the future.

Our AIMS include:

- to help young people and children take responsibility for the sustainable development of society by
facilitating activities that focus on personal development and environmental protection; - to help young
people and children develop into wholesome persons and find their life vocation by involving them in
the sustainable development of society according to their life vocation; - to educate and inspire young
people and children to develop a positive value system and competencies so they can become the
change they want to see in the world;
- to contribute to the development of the youth sector by promoting the importance of leadership
culture in youth organisations;
- to promote the cooperation between non-profit organisations and public schools by introducing
international volunteers to schools.
In order to achieve that, we facilitate various activities within three main programmes of OAZA: Bridge
to Success (non-formal education workshops about entrepreneurial skills and social entrepreneurship
for youth, training courses for youth workers about social entrepreneurship), Oasis for Kids
(environmental education through gardening for elementary school pupils, educating teachers about
starting school gardens, international volunteering), and Joyful Leadership (leadership education for
young leaders and youth workers, training courses, online courses, mentoring, volunteering).
Empowered with new competences, our target groups are inspired to take the initiative and improve
the quality of their personal and professional lives, as well to address different issues in society.

As mentioned above, we put great emphasis on LEADERSHIP SKILLS and empowering new leaders. The
type of leadership we want to inspire in people is Joyful Leadership which requires leaders to cultivate
humility and respect for others as caretakers of people.

In 2019, OAZA has started a vegan restaurant OAZA Joyful Kitchen which is a social enterprise offering
healthy, environmentally friendly food and providing educational opportunities for people in Zagreb.
During the pandemic, after 2020 earthquakes in Zagreb and Banija, it prepared and distributed daily
meals for people in need.

Our team has 7 paid staff members (5 full time, 1 part time, 1 external expert) and a fluctuating number
of unpaid staff (up to 15 volunteers, depending on the project implementation dynamics). Our social
enterprise OAZA Joyful Kitchen employs 10 full time staff and 3 external experts.