"High school students are immediate – “tomorrow’s” democratic force of our society who should actively participate in all aspects of economical, environment and social life in local communities. Unfortunately, performed surveys show they have scarce knowledge and are not interested in getting involved in any aspect of local community existence. The project aimed to contribute in increasing the present and future generations of high schools students’ skills and competences to face different challenges in everyday social life from different perspectives and to become active members of their local communities. To achieve this, the project focused on increased skills and competences of the teachers, for teamwork and cooperation that leads to development and implementation of common education approach for their students. The project aimed to present advantages of using of ""learning by doing"" students-based approach in topics of high community interest. This project also supported teachers in adopting cooperative and innovative practices with their training to apply some of the existing web 2.0 tools (OER) and eTwinning platform to increase their skills in application of ICT-based techniques, which leads to development of more attractive learning approaches towards students. The project was implemented by 9 PP, 3 partners form each country (Bulgaria, Slovenia and North Macedonia) involved, those were: 3 high schools (HS of Economics and Management (BG), HS ""Ljupco Santov"" (MK) and School Centre Velenje (SLO)), 3 local public bodies (Pazardzhik Municipality (BG), Public utility “Vodovod” Kochani (MK) and Ljudska univerza Velenje (SLO)) and 3 NGOs (CSEG (BG), MAGA (MK) and KSSENA (SLO)). High schools participated with teachers (3x3) trained on implementation of OER in school subjects and learning-by-doing methods, and they became part of teachers’ network, and were guiding students during the project; also 45 students (15x3) increased competences and skills in creation of Virtual Cities through team work. CSEG, MAGA and KSSENA had responsibility to deal with coordination and organization of the project activities; preparation of education handbook; training for ICT-based tools, using of RES and implementation of EE measures; dissemination of project’s results; organization of national dissemination events. Local public bodies were engaged in teachers' training for community managements topics, for human rights and anti-discrimination, preparation of Document for strategic transnational partnership and increasing of public awareness. The activities carried out in the frame of the project were the following: project management, coordination and implementation; preparation of materials and necessary IT equipment for transnational meetings and short-term trainings; short-term trainings to increase teachers’ skills and competences; mentors and students’ teams work on development of “Virtual City”; development and printing of the intellectual outputs; development and maintenance of project web-site; preparation of brochures and leaflets; organization of media publications and press releases; preparation of presentations for final dissemination events. Foreseen methodology that was used within the short-term joint staff training events and long-term teaching assignment was a mix of theoretical and practical participatory approaches, accompanied by using of ICT based methodologies. The most suitable is so called “learning-by-doing” method. The results achieved with the project activities were: Handbook for teachers; Document for strategic transnational partnership; 9 HS teachers with increased skills for practical use of OER (web 2.0 tools); Established teachers’ network through eTwinning module; 9 teachers - mentors with increased competences and skills for team work to develop common theoretical and practical teaching approach on the topics related with community issues; 45 students with increased teamwork skills in developing own educational approach for facing the challenges of active citizenship in local community; 9 students with increased skills and competences in transnational cooperation; 190 stakeholders became familiar with new students based ""learning-by-doing"" educational approach and the 2 intellectual outputs; project Web site, which is presenting all project activities and will be active a minimum of 3 years beyond the project end. Joint team work led to establishment of good partnership among project partners, increase their overall competences and skills for the implementation of new joint projects in the future. Secondary schools benefited from students’ satisfaction with the quality of learning methods, new methodologies and opportunities for research and learning, networking opportunities with other educational institutions, enhanced capacity for transnational cooperation."

"<< Objectives >>Project main objective, is development, implementation and promotion of the Activity- based educational concept for secondary school students in tackling of environmental challenges that communities in regions of Pazardzhik - Bulgaria, Kochani – North Macedonia and Larissa - Greece are facing. The project offers an interdisciplinary educational approach suitable for any topics from community interest, with high transferability potential for implementation in any educational institution.<< Implementation >>The following activities will be implemented in the frame of the project lifetime:1. Project Management and Implementation activities 2. 3 Trainings events, 1 long-term Teaching/learning event and 1 blended mobility event3. 3 Executive/Operational meetings & working sessions4. Activities related with creation of 4 Project Intellectual Outputs/Results 5. Communication/Promotion activities<< Results >>Expected project's outcomes/results are:- Four IOs created- Successfully implemented ""Activity-based"" educational concept in three secondary schools- Established teachers network on eTwinning platform (with min 42 STEM teachers from 3 secondary schools)- Minimum 72 students with increased skills for team work, implementation of critical thinking as well as a competences in successful performance of researching and finding the best solutions on environmental challenges from community interest"

"In January 2017, the world famous symbol of the moment when irrevocable harm to humanity will be made - the Doomsday clock - was set on two and a half minute to midnight (hypothetical global catastrophe). There are two main issues with influence on increasing level of continuous danger which mankind is facing: the threat of global nuclear war and (since 2007) one of the most pressing issues of our time - the Climate change.Young generations are crucial target group that need to understand gravity of the present situation with challenges they will have to face (in the very near future) and education process (regardless formal or informal) is the most convenient way to develop real and effective approach towards mitigation of climate change effects. The main project objective is to develop a new more attractive education approach to implement climate change issue in STEM related school subjects, which will be mix of theoretical (by use of ICT based free on-line available OER) and practical education tools (school experiments) suitable for students in primary schools in Bulgaria, Macedonia and Croatia. The second objective is to establish long-term strategic transnational partnership among representatives of local bodies, civil sector and educational institutions from regions of Peshtera (BG), Kochani (MK) and Ludbreg (Cro).The project envisages cooperation between 9 partners from 3 countries: Croatia, Bulgaria and Macedonia. Each country is represented by local public bodies (Peshtera Municipality /BG/, KJP Vodovod Kocani /MK/ and Grad Ludberg /CRO/ ), NGOs (REAP /BG/, MAGA /MK/ and REAN /CRO/), and primary schools (Sv.Patriarh Evtimii /BG/, Krste P. Misirkov /MK/ and Ludberg /CRO/). Local public bodies will be responsible for preparation of document for long-term strategic transnational partnership and organization of the final dissemination events. NGOs are responsible for development of intellectual outputs; teacher’s training on ICT-based education tools and eTwinning networking; as well as dissemination activities. Primary schools will participate with teachers (who will attend the short-term joint staff training events and will be active members of established teachers’ network by the use of eTwinning module); and students (participants in the main long-term teaching assignment). In the frame of the project are anticipated: 4 transnational PP meetings for project management and coordination; 3 short-term joint staff training events for increasing of teachers’ competences and skills to develop own education approach by using of ICT – based educational tools ; Long-term teaching assignments consisted of testing period of new ICT – based education approaches and main learning period with included transnational student’s teams competition on the topic “How we can reduce our own footprint”; and 3 national multiplier events.Foreseen methodology to be used in the short term joint staff training events and long-term teaching assignments will be a mix of theoretical and practical participatory approaches so called “learning by doing” method with use of ICT - based tools.Expected project results are: Handbook for primary school teachers ""How to address climate change issues in STEM related primary school subjects with using of ICT-based educational tools and practical experiments""; Document for Strategic transnational partnership among local public bodies, education institutions and civil sector in development of education process in regions of municipalities of Peshtera, Kochani and Ludbreg; Established teachers network (of minimum 39 teachers members) by use of eTwinning module for transnational cooperation in exchanging of good practices; 9 teachers with increased computer literacy and theoretical and practical skills and competences gained on short term joint staff training events to implement climate change issues in their STEM school subjects; 120 students in the main long-term teaching assignment event with increased skills and competences to face climate change issues; 27 students participants in the transnational competition event (members of 9 transnational students’ teams) who will got increased teamwork skills and competences for developing of own theoretical and practical approach for reducing of own carbon footprint; Web site with IOs and best practices from project activities created. The envisaged impact and long term benefits are: increased teachers’ skills and competences as well as increased competences and skills of present and future students generations in PPs primary schools to face the main challenge of humanity - climate change; promotion of new “learning by doing” education approaches, using of ICT based tools and teacher's networking, established transnational cooperation to increase potential for implementation of innovative and best practices in school education; increased overall awareness for necessity of urgent measures for mitigation of climate change effects."

Significant percentage of the daily created amount of solid waste can be reused with very low efforts, but unfortunately it continues to damage our environment. This is why necessity of urgent actions in the sphere of waste selection and recycling are key precondition to ensure long life of our planet.The children in kindergartens were ideal target group to be presented a way how we can reduce our carbon footprint on the Earth and help our fragile environment. The project teached young children about the ecological challenges facing the world today and showed them how, through a recycling and waste management project, they can help address these challenges by composting food waste that was used to grow fruit, vegetables and flowers in their schools’ gardens. Implementation of the project activities led to establishing of the strategic partnership between different type of organizations (local public bodies, kindergartens and civil sector) gathered together to give their contribution for enhancing the quality of early childhood education.Following the new trends of pre-school education and good practices, and also the available technologies, it appeared that the best approach was LEARNING BY DOING when they can DO IT by themselves. The main aim of this project was to develop age appropriate framework to teach pre-school children about reusing and recycling much of the waste they daily produce and improving the quality of work. This was realized by increasing of the kindergarten’s teachers competences and skills for development of own approach to importance of waste selection and recycling, as essential concept for assisting them to encourage the pre-school children to undertake their own pilot projects especially in using and promoting of composting and production of eco-products.Partnership of the project included different types of organizations: local government of Ludbreg (CRO), public utility Vodovod (MK), three kindergartens - Radost (CRO), Pavlina Veljanova (MK) and Radost (BG), one SME Lucera (CRO) and two NGO - LAG (MK) and CSEG(BG). Local public bodies, SME Lucera and NGOs prepared document for development of strategic transnational partnership among local public bodies, SME, kindergartens and NGOs from three municipalities (Ludbreg, Kochani and Pazardzik) for increasing of quality of pre-school education.Pre-school teachers were trained for implementation of waste selection and recycling and learning by doing methods for composting procedure and establishing of eco-gardens and they were working with pre-school children on practical tasks. Trainers had responsibility to deal with preparation of education materials (Handbook) for theoretical and practical education on using of OER, waste selection and recycling with composting; NGOs carried out dissemination of the project results, organization and realization of the events, realization of trainings and establishment of project’s web page.The main activities foreseen in the frame of the project were following: management and coordination of the project; transnational meetings (3); theoretical and practical short term joint staff training events (3); development and printing of the intellectual outputs (Strategic document and Handbook) development and maintenance of the project web-site; preparation of brochure, leaflet and fact sheets for the project activities; organization of media publications and press releases for the project activities and results; preparation of presentations for final dissemination events.Foreseen methodology which was used on the teacher’s trainings was a mix of theoretical and practical approach. Participants were given the theoretical information required to effectively create and implement their own teaching solution in their classes, with aim to increase knowledge of pre-school children. Also teachers were trained to get familiar with composting technology, its advantages, real “on site” implementation in Eco-gardens and analysis of results.The main impact, aim of the project, was to promote new learning approaches and networking as a great opportunity for more efficient pre-school education. Cooperation among teachers and among other authorities and responsible persons for education, with potential implementation of good practices in pre-school education, by realization of planned activities in developed document for strategic partnership, was desired long-term impact from the project.