Amor est vitae essentia. Love is the essence of life.
The sixth STE meeting will include practical activities related to the topic 6: Sustainable Green Cities
A) Specific activities and products:
- Snapword competition- brainstorm about solutions for the environment problems
- YES green alley (plant your tree)
- T-shirt painting about the topic and local exhibition
B) At least one of the following project global and transversal activities:
- A local Day - every school will present their special day.
- An interactive Google calendar as a record of all the activities done in each topic of the project.
- YES film: Multimedia presentations as a part of pupils’ and teachers’ reports on every project meeting (presentation from every country after every meeting):
Spanish blog
- Photo coverage and written description of major project events and activities.
Spanish blog
- Newsletter
- Twinspace Dissemination
- Dedicated Facebook and website publication
Facebook site
- A booklet with student´s paintings or illustrations
- Workshops about the topic and/or for learning ICT skills.
In addition to this, there will be published articles in local newspapers and local journalists will be invited to see the activities throughout the project and will also attend local conferences/ lectures about the topic. All members of the school´s communities will be invited to participate in the planned activities.
Yes Portugal (April 2022)
From the 1st to the 6th of April, Turkey, Spain, Croatia, Italy, and Estonia, with the organization of Portugal, participated in the ERASMUS+, YES (Yellow European Stars) project activity. The topic addressed in this mobility was “Green Cities”.
For the remaining days, Escola Secundária Francisco de Holanda prepared several activities on the theme of the project. In particular, on the 2nd and 3rd, the participants were hosted at Pena Aventura, where recreational activities were carried out that provided a healthy contact with nature. The feedback from the students was very positive, “I was very grateful to have this incredible opportunity to do radical activities in nature while making new friends from different countries and cultures” (Fábio Silva).
The activities carried out on the remaining days included a tour of the school, an introductory Portuguese class, a snap word competition on solutions to environmental problems, for example, planting a tree, and a workshop where they used the Ecoprint technique to decorate organic bags. “The project was quite enriching in cultural and ecological terms, as we learned a sustainable way of coloring materials” (Ana Lopes).
On the 5th, the students presented the works previously carried out within the scope of the “Is your city green and sustainable?” project. In this way, they got to know the different cultures of various countries and how they are all implementing measures to improve the environment. “Welcoming different cultures in our school makes us understand the diversity of traditions that exist in Europe” (Beatriz Freitas).
The activities with the most impact were visits to the city of Guimarães. The first visit took place on the 4th and the participating students were able to get to know the green places present in the city. To complement, the following day, together with the history teacher João Araújo, they visited the historical points of the city, with the right to musical performances by Carolina Silva and students of the articulated teaching. “It was amazing to meet new people from all over the world while learning from the YES project” (Carolina Silva).
Finally, there was a dinner at the Hotel de Guimarães, where the diplomas were handed out and the participants were able to say goodbye, thus ending a sublime and green week.
Presentation of the works
Portugal
Is your city green and sustainable?
Presentation script
The cities of the future are committed to eco-urbanism, smart growth, new ways of organizing their administrative structure, efficient use of resources, minimizing energy consumption, with a transition to cleaner and renewable energy sources. The cities of the future are concerned about the quality of their development. It's not about growth anymore, but about how to develop! More could be less! This deep ecological awareness results in calm citizens with an enhanced quality of life. This new form of sustained progress will result in a new appropriate path to the future.
It was based on this premise, which is reflected in a growing number of voices around the world, that Guimarães embraced the challenge of applying for the title of European Green Capital. As a result, our city has stimulated a number of significant changes in the area, all converging on several common objectives: life in harmony with nature, biodiversity, water resources, air quality, and acoustic environmental quality, the growing and widespread use of renewable energies, of green areas and the sustainable use of land, organic farming, the circular economy or smooth and integrated mobility.
Our city, the first one to calculate its carbon footprint, is the most Sustainable District in Portugal. As Mohan Munasinghe, the Nobel prize winner in 2007, mentioned in one of his international speeches, Guimarães has proved itself to be a model and inspiration for other cities, by adopting ecological policies, mobilizing and raising the awareness of the community, and teaching young people to protect and promote the natural heritage, a unique example of co-evolution between Humans and Nature.
According to Domingos de Bragança, our city´s council president, we will continue to chart this route and we will continue to look to all to change the development paradigm of our area, hoping to "contaminate" all our neighboring districts with our actions and measures.
Impressions
Beatriz Freitas 11CT8
Experiencing a week like this is a very enriching opportunity. Being able to meet new people and their cultures and create strong bonds with them are truly unique experiences that I will always keep in my memory.
Fábio Silva 12CSE1
This was an unforgettable experience where I learned so much and where I made so many different and amazing friends. This project proved how enriching Erasmus is and how people can live in harmony and get to know each other, despite cultural differences. Everything worked out perfectly!
Maria Rodrigues 10CT1
The week that we hosted the YES project in our school was absolutely amazing, full of new friendships and learning. My favorite day was the visit to Guimarães, where we showed them an important part of Portuguese history, Guimarães is the city where Portugal was born. For me, contact with other cultures was very important, especially with the Turkish students because we had the opportunity to talk about Ramadan, which was quite new for me. This is the best part of Erasmus, the contact with other cultures, to enrich our knowledge and our capacity to be tolerant.
Margarida Monteiro 11CT1
It was a great pleasure to welcome such a warm group of people into our country and to spend time with them. It was a week full of fun activities and growth, which I would love to repeat. With every project, Erasmus keeps on proving how it is one of the best ways to get to know different cultures!
Ana Lopes 12CT2
This week was, in every way, a week full of unforgettable and memorable experiences. It helped in learn about our city and its green spots. It was a week enriched in learnings experiences for both Portuguese and foreigners visiting our country.
Filipa Pinto 11CT1
The week was amazing. We did a lot of activities and my favorite one was that we "hammered" plants in tote bags and their chlorophyll (green color) was marked on the bag. It was an incredible week and an amazing experience everyone was really nice and great to know!
Eduardo Carneiro 10LH4
This week of the YES project at our school was amazing, I met new cultures and new people. As always, the Erasmus+ Project is an asset to our lives, ideas, and values. I met incredible students, I met our partners I had already met in Estonia again, and above all, I learned a lot in 4 days of the project.
Laura Ribeiro 11CT1
Although I wasn't there for most activities I really enjoyed this experience. I had the chance to meet some wonderful people and get to know so many things about other cultures, it was really fun.
Eya Ben 10CT1
The week hosted by the YES project at our school was absolutely amazing, it was full of joy and wonderful experiences. It gave me the opportunity to build new and extraordinary friendships. Also, it became a way to develop and improve my knowledge by learning about other cultures and values.
Inês Costa 12LH2
The YES project week was inspiring and unforgettable. We learned new things and we met amazing people. It was a week that filled us with knowledge and joy. We left this project with memories and lessons that we will take with us for the rest of our lives.
Francisco Coelho 12CT1
The YES project week in Portugal was an amazing experience. We met people from all over Europe and understood a little bit more about their cultures. We created a good relationship with everyone and had a good time together. I'm grateful for this experience.
Croatia
Estonia
Italy
Spain
Turkey