The educational entities nowadays face a real challenge being required to prepare their youngest students for the future where they will be growing up likely to be responsible for developing serious climate change solutions, and also mostly suffering its consequences. This demand will continue to rise as the effects of climate change continue and therefore a real effort is required to properly prepare them. Whereas it is going to take its time for climate change school education to become fully formalised (as it already happened in Europe only in Italy and only the very last year, 2019), there are many recurring ideas and needs frequently brought up about by many institutions as to how to take a step forward and start introducing effective measures at schools and students ́ communities. Moreover, given the high levels of climate change concern in the Portuguese society, the Gallup study showed that levels of knowledge on climate change were however still quite low in Portugal with one of the lowest rates of self-reported understanding of the issue and the society always saw the global context as more serious than the local one, according to the National Inquiry on Portuguese Representations and Practices). Also the European Commission in 2019 stated that climate change should be embedded in education as it affects not only the environment but also the social fabric and our everyday lives. Paradoxically, a global strike with children absent from classes only reminds us of a need to better tackle climate change back at schools, and communities.

This said, despite the growing concern of the likelihood of global environmental, emotional, demographic social and economic climate change consequences, teachers are faced with many doubts as there is no agreement about what methods prove to be most effective. The purpose of this Partnership is therefore to first exchange and then commonly debate, research and combine our 3 partners ́:

-Castro Verde Schools Group from Portugal,
-Belsky Les School from Czech Republic, and
-Nongovernmental organisation and training centre PASOS ( Platform of Sustainable and Solidarity Solutions) from Spain best practices in formal and non-formal methods in order to create and widely disseminate a guide on how to best implement climate change education at schools and students ́ communities.

It will also include the innovative social perspective encompassing such aspects as emotional management of a modern concept of eco-anxiety, intergenerational or intercultural approach towards climate change, just to name a few.

The project ́s most important activities will include 3 LTTAs: 2 3-days long study visits in Portugal and Czech Republic and a 7-days long course in Spain, a period of joint intellectual work to create the interactive book, testing of the book through workshops, 3 dissemination events, 1 in each partner country, Internal Workshops for other staff who did not participate in the training and project directly and a series of Action Groups community initiatives as teachers often express concern about parents’ and carers ́responses to climate change, By these actions we also wish to reinforce the individual students ́ responsibility in relation to the consequences of climate change seeing that with the recent Climate Movement it is a perfect time to further engage them.
As for some of the results and sustainable impacts, our Strategic Partnership will include the methods from the IO and best practices gained during the LTTAs in their everyday model of education and the book will be used by us to train our new employees and others interested, being a constant source of easily understandable and publicly available training materials.

In addition, our teams will maintain contact with each other as well as with people and representatives of schools, organizations and institutions who attend our multiplier events and workshops, and will continue to work on climate change in the context of raising awareness and actions among our entities ́ staffs and students, also in the view of possible further creation of new initiatives stemming from our START (STudents ́ Action and Role in the EnvironmenT) project. The book itself will be constructed on the basis of an autodidactic course, giving its readers the opportunity to implement either the whole package or just selected activities and topics, depending on their needs and contexts and this way will be easily adapted to other target groups due to the universality of the discussed topic and emphasis on working on everyday life ́s practices. As for our philosophy, similarly to what Italian Education Ministry said about climate change topic being a sort of “Trojan horse that will infiltrate all courses ̈, similar approach is therefore needed and intended by our project.

General objectives (GO)presented above were divided into specific objectives (SO) and actions (A)that take to their correspondent expected results (R).GO1. To exchange and generate transversal knowledge in the field of adaptation to climate change for schools.

SO1.1 To transfer best practices (zero waste approach, the 5 years of ECO-schools experiences, social inclusion of disadvantaged students or usage of the space around school as climate change teaching and action field, students ́micro-activism among others) from Castro Verde Schools and other local initiatives.

A1.1 Organising a 3 days long study visit in Portugal.

R1.1 Having formed and empowered teachers.

SO1.2 To transfer best practices (Interactive and game based learning activities, both ICT and non ICT regarding environmental topic, environmental activities in natural environment (forest), responsible water usage best practices and materials created, the ̈whole community approach ̈, school dissemination channel, a TV run by students, among others) from Belsky Les School and other local entities

A1.2 Organising a 3 days long study visit in Czech Republic.

R1.2 Having formed and empowered teachers.

SO1.3 To transfer best practices in environmental actions (intercultural and gender perspective in context of climate change, eco-anxiety and emotional management leading to action and 7-days-challenge in practise, among others) from PASOS and other local entities.

A.1.3 Organising a 7-days long course in Spain on the best practices.

R.1.3 Capabilities improvement for adaptation to climate change and teaching including social and emotional aspects.

GO2. To generate transversal materials in the field of adaptation to climate change for teachers.

SO2: To create an interactive guide (IO) regarding the adaptation to climate change for professionals from education sector.

A2.1.Undertaking a working period for the further research regarding the book.

A2.2 Undertaking a working period for the joint creation of the book.

A2.3 Undertaking a testing period of the book through workshops involving teachers and students before producing the final version of the book.

R2: Publishing interactive book ̈From eco-anxiety to eco-action: how to transform fear or doubts into eco-empowerment and inclusion ̈.

GO3. To reinforce the individual responsibility among students in order to promote responsible behaviour in relation to the consequences of climate change.

A3.1 Involving students in the testing period of the book (IO).

A3.2 Organising a series of workshops based on the methodology from the book for students and their families from our local communities.

A3.3 Involving people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

R.3 Students informed and empowered in relation to the consequences of climate change and actions needed to adapt to it and improved their social inclusion.

GO 4.To support awareness-raising and action on climate change through the development and distribution of IO and dissemination materials and events.

SO4.1: To reach a broad public.

A4.1: Translation of the IO into Portuguese, Spanish and Czech.

R4.1: The IO not only in English, a working language of the project but also in 3 different European languages.

SO4.2 Sharing the project ́s advances and results.

A4.2: Designing and follow a dissemination strategy.

R4.2: Implementation of a dissemination strategy and organised 3 multiplier events and internal workshops.

GO5: To build other entities ́ capacity and strengthen the cooperation among them.

A5.1: Distributing the IO among other entities, both associated with the project and those from the outside of it.

R5.1.: Providing other entities with innovative materials.

A5.2.: Inviting other entities to the Discussion Panels during the 3 Study Visits, to the

IO ́s testing period, 3 multiplier events and Pilot workshops.

R5.2: Empowering other entities, creating networks and giving practical examples of the implementation of the proposed education strategies.

Our project is also likely to produce other outcomes related to different areas from those presented above. Teachers will improve their skills in the integration of students with fewer opportunities through the best practices exchange, study visits and workshops. They will increase their capacity to produce educational materials. They will get more experience in eco-related emotional management and implementing social initiatives, working at an international level, working in a foreign language and in a remote way managing different IT resources. The international character of the project will promote interculturality, diversity and tolerance and reinforce the capacity to implement other Erasmus+ projects. Through the combination of the new knowledge and methods both teachers and students will be able to become promoters of the social, emotional and environmental change in their communities, gaining motivation, self-confidence, research, leadership and organisational skills.

During the project meetings that will be implemented in the partners ́ countries and LTTAs, coordinators will be responsible for the contribution of their organisation to the achievement of the project’s goals and will coordinate its main activities. All organisations will also appoint another person who will monitor the progress of the project on an ongoing basis and actively participate in it to provide appropriate support to coordinators.

During the mobilities, including the kick off meeting, each participating organisation will therefore act as the host organisation by becoming responsible for the following previous preparation tasks:

– Support for participants: the host organisation will be responsible for providing support to participants to facilitate their arrival in the country where the mobility takes place. They will prepare an informative document including the easiest form of transport based on the cost-benefit ratio or information about the meeting place and the culture of the country. It will also contain information about planned activities and their schedule.

– Accommodation management: the host organisation will be responsible for managing participants’ accommodation and finding a venue with appropriate facilities to address the needs of people with any special needs.

– Meals management: the host organisation will send participants a questionnaire to meet their nutritional needs prior to their arrival and will be responsible for organising breakfasts, lunch, dinners and snacks and drinks during the short ̈coffee breaks ̈ taking into account any diets, intolerances, allergies, preferences, etc.

– Health and safety measures: the receiving organization will establish safety measures to avoid accidents such as first aid kit, personnel with experience in providing first aid, evacuation plan, identification of potentially dangerous areas, showing the emergency exits, gathering information on possible health problems of participants before their arrival and creation of a list of telephone numbers of their contact person.

–Transport management: Before arriving in the country, the hosting organisation will provide the other organisations with an information regarding recommendations on the most appropriate ways to reach the meeting point and planned activities and any other practical tips. It will also include such information as the requirement of the European Health Card, the validity of the entry documents, currency, etc., everything in order to fully assist the participants.
–Cultural and linguistic preparation: guidance on any significant differences and language requirements will be provided. Additionally, it should also be emphasised that while one entity becomes the hosting organisation, the others have the role of sending organisations previously responsible for the following tasks:
– Managing tickets ́ booking and making sure the participants have European Health Insurance Cards.
– Language preparation: Each organisation will be responsible for providing a Europass language passport for participants to assess their English level. If necessary, additional classes and specialist vocabulary support will also be offered, including cultural guidance.
– Pedagogical preparation: as mentioned above, dissemination coordinators will provide the necessary information on the proper dissemination of the project. Participants will also undergo previous preparation for the project: familiarisation with tasks to be carried out, goals or the process of self-education, etc.
– Preparatory meetings: Project coordinators will organise relevant meetings with participants to prepare the tasks planned for the project

3 international project meetings will be held:

1. International project meeting in Spain (kick off)
2. International project meeting in Czech Republic (intermediate assessment)
3. International project meeting in Portugal (final assessment)

Each of them will last 2 days and will be attended by 2 people: project leaders and dissemination managers of our 3 teams. We consider the participation of coordinating team to be important because they are responsible for the proper performance of the tasks assigned, the deadlines, quality, budget and the general correct implementation.
In addition, due to the need for a wide dissemination of the project, the participation of dissemination managers will also be important to achieve the intended impact.

The list of participants:
Castro Verde:
Maria do Rosário Inácio
Ausenda Serra
Belsky Les School:
Iva Palatova
Milos Kosik

PASOS:
Magdalena Amanowicz
Inmaculada Vidal

– In November 2020 the kick off meeting will take place in Spain.

The goal of this meeting will be to:
-review and introduce possible adaptation of the work plan, division of tasks assigned to each partner and deadlines for their implementation.

-have an opportunity for the official inauguration of the project and a personal meeting with the representatives of the teams from other countries
-evaluate the preparatory stage of the project,

-set tasks to be carried out at the next stage of the project (mainly to prepare best practices exchange),

-have a questions and answers session and overview the whole plan for the next 2 years of joint work,

-Maria do Rosário Inácio will also give a presentation on the proper management of the budget and the proper justification of the expenses incurred, etc.

– In the middle of the project (October 2021) there will be a second project meeting in Czech Republic.

The goal of this meeting will be to:

-conduct an assessment of the first part of the project (the first part of dissemination, preparation and assistance for selected participants, organization and implementation of training activities and exchange of good practices),

-do a summary of work on the IO realised so far,

-evaluate the communication and any problems that may have occurred so far,

-review the plan of the second part of the project, with particular regard to issues related to the work on the IO,

-use the SWOT technique to detail the current strengths and weaknesses of the project and its main opportunities and threats. The SWOT analysis will also be used to re-discuss dissemination strategies if needed.

– At the end of the project (August 2022) we will meet in Portugal.

The goal of this meeting will be to:

-run the evaluation process, including such aspects as work within each stage of the project, the level of achievement of objectives and results, and the observed level of satisfaction and assimilation of knowledge and skills among both project participants and by other teachers/educators and entities that could not benefit directly from it but have a free access to the IO.

-discuss the possibilities of further cooperation in the field of linking climate change with social inclusion and teaching innovation,

-discuss the internal workshops inside of our entities and work plan within Action Groups,

-summarise the multiplier events held and draw conclusions from them analysing the degree of interest and commitment,

-review responsibilities of each partner regarding the participation and documents necessary to prepare the final assessment and final report of the project.

Intelectual Output1: Book ”TOMORROW: EXPLAINING CLIMATE CHANGE AND EMOTIONAL WELLBEING TO CHILDREN”

The IO will be produced with the use of the collaborative research and writing methodology which is a method of creative work where diverse groups interact resulting in completing tasks and reaching a common goal.In our case, most of the work can be further described either as Parallel writing, where each team does one part of the whole book and then the people in charge comply it, or Stratified Division writing where each team plays a role in the final composition process of a project due to their characteristic and talents. This methodology is based on 3 necessary elements to make the distributed work process function:

1.Interaction between participants (whether debating, creating a draft or reviewing).
2. Shared power (everyone involved has the power to propose solutions and participate in brainstorming and decision making).
3. The collaborative production of one single text (which will be our interactive book in this case), which will be achieved by the following tasks and its distribution:

Tasks in preparation for the creation of IO

1.LTTAs will be a key element in the project as all the knowledge and tools exchanged will be the basis for the creation of our interactive book, according to their expertise.

2.Also, each one will be in charge of hosting 1 LTTA and preparing and sending their participants for the other ones, monitoring their achievements and learning process and progress

.
Tasks during the creation of the IO

1.Transferring best practices, working methods and useful guidelines that already proved to be effective in our organizations in terms of working on inclusion of young people and promoting environmental action. This stage is thought for all 3 entities and will be performed after the study visits and the course in Spain. Castro Verde will be in charge of storing all generated materials on Google Drive.

2.Research.

The further researches will be conducted to identify sources of data, statistics or materials outside of our Partnership and be able to produce a high quality book ́s content.

The 3 partners ́ staff will communicate between each other through a Whatsapp or Skype and Gmail group created in order to share information and progress. The project leaders will be also present and coordinating.

3.Creation of the IO.

Based on the further 2 stages, we will proceed to the formulation of the contents of the book, starting with the text. Although the work will be interlinked and the team members will be supporting each other, the division of the main responsibilities will be as follows (based on the partners ́ main experiences):

Chapter 1-2: Castro Verde
Chapter 3-4: Belsky Les
Chapter 5-6: All with the supervision of Castro Verde
Chapter 7-8-9: PASOS
Chapter 10: Castro Verde and Belsky Les
Chapter 11: PASOS
Chapter 12-13: Castro Verde and Belsky Les
Chapter 14-15: All with the supervision of Castro Verde

4.Documenting of the process.

Partners will be writing and sharing all the information created and gathered in an understandable way, working in English in order to provide a coherence and continuity when it comes to the style, etc.

5. Scanning and correcting:

The chapters ́ proposals will be shared and corrections will be done by the leaders and other team members. After the final validation of the leaders of the 3 teams, and Maria do Rosário Inácio as the main leader, each chapter will be incorporated into a draft of an interactive book.

6.Interactive layout ́s design.

PASOS Graphic Team will be mostly in charge of giving the book a best form to make it attractive to our target groups by ensuring that the aesthetics, typography, hierarchy of the information or the composition is chosen in a coherent way and accordingly to the target group. They will also elaborate charts and iconography based on the information provided in order to enrich the design and make easy to use.

7.Testing

Pilot workshops will be done by the participants of the LTTAs for other teachers to be familiarised with the book ́s proposal and we will run for students a practical workshop based on the content and guidelines from the IO.

8.Corrections

We will proceed to introduce any necessary changes to the IO ́s proposal based on the results of the pilot workshops. Each of the 3 leaders will be in charge of revising the final versions not only of their own team, but also checking the final version as a whole.

9.Translations and final edition and revision

The final English version will be translated into Czech, Portuguese and Spanish. Similarly, graphic designers will adapt each one to the layout.

10.Publication, dissemination and sustainability

Further tasks to be completed after the IO ́s publication are listed in the Dissemination section and community managers will be in charge of it.