Hosted by OSOS , contributed by Evangelia Georgaki on 21 July 2019
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Eco –friendly and safe school in constant interaction with its community
Adopting a whole-school approach, our project addresses 4 closely interlinked aspects of school life and life in general:
I. How to reduce the carbon footprint of our school
II. How to improve hygiene conditions in and around school
III. How to increase mobility and accessibility to/ from school and around our city
IV. How to raise awareness of safety – study earthquakes / measures of civilian protection at schools
This project can scale up to address similar issues in our local community aiming at changing our students and their families’ attitude towards the above mentioned issues.
Throughout different actions such as conducting research on alternative sources of energy, sustainability etc., carrying out surveys, visits to a local recycling centre, to local companies and laboratories, organizing events, our students can become the actors of the project and make things change not only at school but also at home and in the local community.
Learning Objectives
The project’s objectives are:
To raise students’ awareness of issues of sustainable development and safety and the realization that all can contribute to the improvement of the quality of life by taking action within our community and beyond
To understand the connection of subjects such as Mathematics, Physics, Geology, Ethics, Computing etc. with everyday life and reality
To empower and engage teenagers so that they interact with the civil and political environment of their city
To raise active citizens who get informed, become sensitized, do research, point out problems, suggest solutions, take active part in their implementation so that they consciously adopt the attitude of active citizenship that will characterize them in adulthood.
As for the school:
The acquisition of the characteristics of an open, innovative and democratic ecosystem with active participation in the educational and local community. 2nd Gerakas Senior High School aims at becoming an influential school in constant interaction with the local community, a school that takes on action and interacts with its community as an equal social partner.
The introduction of innovation of “Open School” focusing on sciences and STEM in 4 fields, closely related to modern social challenges:
The reduction of carbon footprint
Tackling issues of safety and Hygiene In public places and buildings and
Issues of sustainable urban mobility and accessibility within modern cities
The acquisition of the characteristics of an open, innovative and democratic ecosystem with active participation in the educational and local community. 2nd Gerakas Senior High School aims at becoming an influential school that takes on action and is in constant interaction with the local community as an equal social partner.
RRI principles:
One of the key aspects of OSOS is the inclusion of RRI — Responsible Research and Innovation — principles (more information at RRI-Tools.eu). This is how this Accelerator fits into the RRI model:
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Governance |
Students will be able to find solution to reduce carbon footprint in their shcool with the help of the school community at large and external stakeholders. I.e.: Students can learn about the importance of sustainable development, carbon footprint and its impact on our planet by discussing with scientists. They can reflect on what can be improved in their school with the help of scientist and local associations and share the responsibility of changing their school with all the different stakeholders in their school (students, teachers, headmaster, canteen chef, cleaning team …). |
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Public Engagement |
At each stage of the project, the students will test their ideas and get feedback from the school community at large and the external stakeholders working with them. The project is based on a transdisciplinary approach and the action offered by the students to reduce the carbon footprint cover a wide range of disciplines. I.e.: Students will imagine a series of actions to reduce the carbon footprint in their school. Each action will involve the school community at large (students, families, teachers …), these actions can include conferences, after the action they get feedback from everyone who participated in the action. |
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Gender Equality |
The solutions offered by the students to reduce the carbon footprint will be established with a gender-neutral approach, it will benefit both men and women. I.e. : Students will discuss different actions and solutions and will decide on the most appropriate on terms of gender equality. |
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Science Education |
Students will use a scientific approach to reduce the carbon footprint of their school. They will investigate their school environment, look for ways to reduce the carbon footprint, find out solutions and implement them in the school. I.e.: Students will follow a scientific approach by testing their actions to reduce the carbon footprint in the school. They will give conferences to other students and members of the school community at large. They will organize all the actions, conferences and event by themselves. |
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Ethics |
Students will share responsibility in the project, in compliance with the research integrity and the social values of Science. The project is about reflecting on their school but it will certainly trigger a reflection about their homes and everyday life to become responsible citizens. I.e.: The students will be responsible for reducing the carbon footprint of their school. All the member of the school will benefit from the actions lead by students and will be able to conduct the same reflection in their homes and everyday life. |
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Open Access |
Students will share their knowledge and summary of their action online, free of charge. I.e.: Students will create a blog to share their experience with the project with anyone who is interested. |
Available partnership opportunities
- Family: The pupils discuss with their families about the current situation of the planet and the need to act effectively for their own future in reducing the carbon footprint at their level. Hopefully, families will support the pupils for the actions : recycling, avoiding food waste, helping for the clothes swap, modifying their eating habits, sharing about their experiences and choices’.
- Cité de l’Espace, science center: Bring scientific data and give the opportunity to lead scientific experiments linked with the carbon footprint and climate change. Discussion with a meteorology scientist.
- Cler Verts, Local recycling centre: Enables the pupils to discover concretely how the food waste from the school canteen can be recycled and transformed into a fertilizer which then can be used by the locals for gardens or cultures. Pupils become aware of a concrete example of circular economy. Enables them to discover a large spectrum of jobs and professional experiences linked with the activity and to meet the people involved.
- Local charity center: Donation of the remaining clothes of the “Clothes Swap”
- Teachers: Share ideas. Help to develop students project. Guide students preparing the interview with school staff, meteoroly scientist, industry.
- Other student: Test and participle at the events. Discuss about the sustainable development.
- Local community: Share experience. Develop sustainable development projects like projects done in the high school. Organize larger events based on the successful events made in the school
- Others stakeholders:
- School taff: participate to the event / accept some change in their high school (biology garden…) / available for interview
- Local industry: give to the students some foods or material to realise their project (in that case : insects based products)
Recommended resources
Relies on the observation of their school environment and interviews with the school staff, scientists and professionals.
The pupils will essentially need a Classroom dedicated to Language, a Biology classroom, IT room, colour printer, Access to the Canteen, and a bus booked for the visits.
Others suggestions
This project can be enriched with a work on plants and vegetables that are grown on the biology terrace. The aim is to make the students aware of the interest to protect biodiversity. We intend to work with a local company designing and building wooden plant stands. This company employs disabled people. We are also figuring out how to plant fruit trees at school so that the canteen staff can serve them to the pupils.
More activities are also planned to make their own cosmetics with only natural or organic products (They have already tried the making of a deodorant with the help of one of the maths teachers who knows how to make it and the advises of the school nurse).
The activities rely on the observations made by the pupils at the beginning of their school year since it is their first year in the school. But the activities can be changed according to the priorities set by the pupils and their personal interests.
The pupils are aware that their school is a “positive power” school.
Organization in charge of this Accelerator
This Accelerator has been developed by Dubois Christel (English Teacher), Gratien Mylène (Biology Teacher).
Lycée Léon Blum
8 Chemin du Tracas - B.P.34 31290 Villefranche-de-Lauragais
Téléphone : 0561460123
Mail : 0312915a@ac-toulouse.fr