CONTEXTThe Renewable Energy Directive establishes an overall policy for the production and promotion of energy from renewable sources in the EU. It requires the EU to fulfill at least 20% of its total energy needs with renewables by 2020 – to be achieved through the attainment of individual national targets.Given this broader context, we have created this partnership with a view to raising the awareness of students about the necessity to increase the use of renewable sources of energy, which is expected to increase by 7% in the next 10 years all over Europe (according to the revised Renewable Energy Directive). We want them to gain an deeper knowledge of how these sources of energy are used. They will make them experiment with them through STEAM and PBL, draw their attention to the benefits and drawbacks of all energy sources and provide a context for critical and creative thinking, in which students assess, research and analyze, produce tangible outputs collaboratively. OBJECTIVESThe project aims to set the grounds for the 5 partner countries to cooperate and share practices in the area of renewable energy resources and sustainable production and consumption through activities designed for students which are meant to:1. develop their understanding about scientific concepts and processes in the production of sustainable energy;2. develop their overall awareness about alternative sources of energy and how their usage can be enhanced ;3. improve skills and competences through interdisciplinary projects in the STEM field;4. improve collaboration, team work and communication skills of students and teachers;5.develop soft skills – critical and analytical thinking, creativity – in order to foster students’ employability;6. enable teachers to share school models and practices in the areas of STEM, ICT, coding, robotics that can be transferred into their schools;7. improve self-awareness and intercultural awareness of young European citizens, as well as promoting European citizenship and EU policies in the field of renewable energy usage.ACTIVITIESC1 Traditional and alternative sources of energy – consumption and impact on the environmentC2 Water energy and STE(A)M C3 Wind Energy and STE(A)M C4 Solar Energy and STE(A)M C5 Sustainable energy in the future – designing smart, green city modelsPARTICIPANTS120 students aged 15-18 from general education high schools and 40 accompanying teachers of English, ICT, Physics, and Science etc.RESULTS- presentations about renewable energy sources and statistics and trends from the 5 partner countries;- Posters for campaigns encouraging European citizens to use solar energy more;- presentations about alternative building systems;- models of buildings using alternative types of insulating materials;- simulations of power plants;- STEM projects – anemometers, wind vanes, solar cookers etc.- research data and conclusions;- simulations/models of sustainable cities.Teachers will produce exchange reports in which we will include data measuring the quality of the activities, the impact of the activities on participants, pictures and videos taken during the exchanges. Other deliverables: Europass mobility documents, initial and final evaluation forms, feedback forms, self-assessment sheets, student observation sheets, participants’ testimonials, dissemination platforms, eTwinning communication platform, project final brochure “STEM ideas for high school”.IMPACTStudents and teachers develop personally and professionally.Through the project activities, the school’s image will promoted in the local community as an institution that prepares students for the future and aligns to the 21st century needs.The cooperation with the local community will improve through partnerships and agreements with local experts and businesses in the energy field. Local authorities will be invited to attend some of the project activities. These will create the basis for future cooperation among local institutions in other projects related to renewable energy or similar.The schools will acquire/develop an European dimension, which shows openness and flexibility to the ever-changing world of education. This will also increase our chances of developing new projects with current or future partners in the field of robotics, which is one of our next priorities.