Erasmus+ program

FIRST LTT MEETING: Sv Kliment High School, Ohrid

“Meeting and starting strategic implementation”

ASSESSMENT OF ACTIVITIES AND RESULTS

The first LTTA was held in Ohrid in the Former Yougoslav Republic of Macedonia from 26th to 30 November 2018.

The aims of this LTTA were:

1. introducing UNESCO to the participants: its origins, its aim and procedures; explaining the different kinds of heritage: historical, natural, material, immaterial
2. helping participants recognize, appreciate and respect diversity in cultural expressions,
3. learning about dangers which threaten cultural heritage and design a protection campaign.
4. Develop basic skills, useful for the students’ personal growth and future careers.

These aims were fulfilled by the following activities:

1. The students introduced their area, their schools, their national heritage to the other groups by showing original presentations in English, thus offering a first insight of their regional UNESCO heritage
2. The guided exploration of Ohrid Old City and its churches and monument, the excursion to St Naum’s Monastery, which are UNESCO Cultural Heritage, helped participants appreciate and understand the historical roots of the area, its connections to other areas of European heritage in literature, language, art and religious rites.
3. Students, divided in groups, prepared posters presenting each country’s unique heritage. This activity helped integration among national groups, fostered creativity and widened the students’ cultural horizon. The aim of this posters was to raise the public’s awareness on the importance to safeguard UNESCO heritage sites
4. A series of field visits and activities were organized on the theme of the safeguard of natural heritage: a guided visit to the Hydrobiological Institute in Ohrid, a visit Nikola Nezlobinski  Zoological Museum in Struga and a boat expedition to the fragile ecosystem of Lake Ohrid Springs  showed the participants the complex world of biological diversity and triggered reflection on many important aspects: the close interconnections among vegetal and animal species, the fragility of ecosystems, the danger represented by human activities.
5. Participants had further opportunity to reflect on the threats  which ecosystems face if threatened by tourism and economic exploitation, by studying the precious UNESCO natural heritage of Ochrid lake during a ship trip and attending a lecture at the Hydrobiological institute and the presentation of a video about the cycle of the Ochrid trout.
6. Students’ presentations about lakes of different geological and geomorphical origins in the participants’ countries helped to highlight the importance of these water reservoires not only for the local communities but for the planet as a whole.
7. The participants had the opportunity to use different types of digital tools and to share their products with other groups from different nations, thus reinforcing their abilities to use ITC in a creative way and getting to know a viariety of digital tools.
8. The students produced a booklet entitled “The ABC of Unesco Heritage”. The work started with a brainstorming activity, followed by general discussion and the creation of shared definitions on single aspects and items of UNESCO Heritage.
9. Students compared different proposals of project logo created by their peers and voted for the project logo, which is now going to be displayed on every official communication.The choice of a common logo, helped creating a sense of community, of shared goals among the participants. It clearly illustrates the main idea of the project: united people working within European framework to protect the common UNESCO heritage.
10.  The participants attended a seminar on Virtual Reality techniques applied to the knowledge of cultural heritage, they had the opportunity to experience VR Goggles and explore some important heritage areas of the world through virtual reality.
11. The hosting of visiting students by local families created emotional bonds and shared memories which will help the creation of a sense of belonging to the larger European community.
12. All meetings, lectures, products were performed in English: thus all the participants had the opportunity to better their linguistic communication abilities in all the four basic skills.

The role of teachers was that of facilitators. They shared lectures, field trips and presentation of results with their studnets, thus encouraging an atmosphere of collaboration and mutual learning among different generations. They organized the tasks, arranged the international groups and guided activities and discussions.

Teachers attended meetings necessary to readjust the project’s layout after the drop off of the Spanish partner. Mobilities were redistributed, tasks were arranged and shared, all activities inserted in the application form were clearly programmed and distributed in the future LTTA meetings.

Next LTTA meeting to be held in Rome has been scheduled from 11th to 15th March 2019.