Message sent to European officials:
Dear Sir or Madam,
we have the pleasure of teaching a group of students from four European schools,
The schools are situated in Norway, Slovakia, France and Greece, and have been taking part in a European eTwinning project called, Europe in a box.
Throughout the project students have learned about each other's country, culture and language and discussed what they see as important topics related to tomorrow’s Europe. The process ended with each international team collaborating to make a presentation of their ideas.
In order to reward and motivate our students in their work we want to give them the opportunity to have their ideas considered by European officials and receive some feedback on their ideas and suggestions. With this intention we are sending you the link to their presentations : https://twinspace.etwinning.net/70224/pages/page/517771
We hope that it will be possible to give some constructive feedback to the citizens of tomorrow’s Europe.
Best regards,
the teachers of the eTwinning project “Europe in a box”
Sally-Ann G. Petersen, Norway
Gabriela Kövesiová, Slovakia
Lucie Manfroy, France
John Kokkinidis, Greece
____________________________________________________________________
Answer from European officials:
Dear teachers of the eTwinning project “Europe in a box”,
Thank you very much for your email and for sharing the work of your students with us.
Unfortunately the whole eTwinning team has been very very busy in the last couple of months and we could not send you an answer earlier.
We gathered all together during a lunch time break and we had a look at the presentations. We had some issue with being able to read some of them but we got a general grasp of your project. Sometimes we were also surprised about some of the thoughts presented in some of the presentations. In any case, we would like to congratulate team 7 because their presentation was very rich, focussed and professional looking. Well done!
Also, it was clear that all the groups were concerned about the environment, so we have good news for them: the EU institutions do not like plastics either! This is why Europe is tackling the 10 most found plastic waste items on Europe’s beaches promoting sustainable alternatives. For example there is a ban on single use cutlery, plates, straws and stirrers made with plastics, to be replaced with more sustainable alternatives. Check out the factsheet: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/pdf/single-use_plastics_factsheet.pdf
Moreover, we think that the students, and also you or their parents, might be interested in the "What Europe does for me?" campaign. https://what-europe-does-for-me.eu/en/portal/2/0 In particular, we have selected several concrete examples related to the topics which seemed to interest your students most:
School children https://what-europe-does-for-me.eu/en/portal/2/M03
Are you a school pupil? Or do you have school-aged children? In this increasingly digitalised world, there is a learning revolution going on, and school children are learning in new ways all the time. Schools need to adapt to ensure they offer an education that leads to excellent problem-solving, collaborative and entrepreneurial skills for a future in a world characterised by diversity. By 2020, all 15 year olds should acquire basic skills in reading, mathematics and science, and less than 10 % of 18-24 year olds in Europe should leave school before the end of compulsory schooling. These education targets have been agreed by all EU governments to guide school system reforms in all EU countries.
Renewable energy https://what-europe-does-for-me.eu/en/portal/2/X03_02901
The new legislation sets a binding headline target of a minimum 32 % share of renewables in EU energy consumption by 2030.
Migrant children https://what-europe-does-for-me.eu/en/portal/2/H42
The number of children arriving in the EU from third countries has increased in recent years, particularly since the migratory crisis in 2015. About one in four people currently seeking asylum in the EU are children. In April 2017, the European Commission set out a series of measures to reinforce the protection of all migrant children at all stages of the migration process, thus complementing individual countries' efforts in this area.
Patients getting treatment abroad https://what-europe-does-for-me.eu/en/portal/2/C15
Do you suffer from a medical condition that cannot be treated in your home country, or you have to wait too long for treatment? You might be interested to know whether you can access other EU countries' health systems and if your home insurance will cover at least a part of the costs of getting treatment abroad.
Promoting European culture https://what-europe-does-for-me.eu/en/portal/3/focus17
There is a strong commitment at the EU level to ensure that culture is mainstreamed in all policy areas, with a special focus on the protection of cultural heritage and cultural diversity, which are key elements in cultural identity and expression.
The fight against terrorism https://what-europe-does-for-me.eu/en/portal/3/focus01
Faced with a growing international terrorist threat, the European Union (EU) is playing an ever more ambitious role in counter-terrorism
Language learners https://what-europe-does-for-me.eu/en/portal/2/M13
Do you speak more than one language? With over 200 languages in Europe and 24 official EU languages, learning to speak another language gives you a definite advantage in Europe. Ability to speak another language can help you find a job, grow your business, or simply connect with other people and meet friends.
Thanks again for sharing this with us!
Kind regards,
The eTwinning team (Anders, Anja, Hélène and Sonia)
European Commission
Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA)
Managing programmes and activities on behalf of the European Commission
Unit A5 – Erasmus+: Schools, Vocational Training, Adult Education, Platforms
Rue Joseph II, 59, 08/046
B-1049 Brussels/Belgium
http://eacea.ec.europa.eu