ENVIRONMENT AND GEOPARKS

<< Background >>The need that has driven us to participate in this project has been the awareness that, in general, adolescents and preteens, while being sufficiently informed and sensitive to environmental problems, are unwilling to commit themselves to solving them. In the field of environmental issues, many students are quite attentive to the topic of climate change, however, in the face of these concerns, there is not as much heartfelt personal commitment; not always the kids are willing to change their behaviours to achieve improvement in the quality of the environment, tending to blame adults for believing that it is up to them to deal with these problems, and those who were willing to make only the slightest sacrifices, underestimate their responsibility and believes that while doing something small, would not be enough to improve/change the world. By contributing to the sustainability of the Geoparks, we have focused primarily on raising students' awareness of environmental issues and enhancing the protection of the geological heritage, a common heritage of all humanity. Our students have become aware of how important it is for future generations to protect this heritage and provide the necessary cooperation to protect it. << Objectives >>The top 10 focus areas of UNESCO Global Geoparks; Raising awareness in Natural Resources, Geological Hazards, Climate Change, Education, Science, Culture, Women, Sustainable Development, Local and Local Knowledge, Geological Protection.With the project: It is aimed to recognize and protect geoparks, raise awareness in combating climate change, create new approaches with ICT and provide new digital skills to students, thereby strengthening the European dimension of participating partners.<< Implementation >>The activities implemented in the project concerned the adoption of healthy lifestyles; awareness of respect for human health and the environment to achieve physical, mental and social well-being; awareness of the importance of the geological heritage of the regions concerned, in history and society; knowledge of geoparks and the protection of nature parks. In particular, the activities were:with students (11-14 ages), teachers and other participants;-CZECH REPUBLIC: education (digital new skills) treasures of nature - innovative ideas with ict (New ideas with WEB2 tools-) -ITALY: geoturism - orienteering (UNESCO Global Geopark Area)climate change - rocks -natural resources - TURKEY: traditional crafts (painting, weaving, illumination, miniature-) -geofood (Regarding Geological Heritage Recognition and Protection)<< Results >>With regards to the results, it can be said that for teachers the knowledge and skills to create and implement e-learning platforms have been enhanced, thanks to training courses held by the ITC in Prague, in relation to an interdisciplinary approach.Through discussions and observations on the importance of preserving climate change and geological heritage, a wider understanding of the practices, policies and education systems of different countries has been gained; mutual respect and intercultural awareness have been enhanced; common educational and training values have been established.Specifically, the Italian and Turkish students involved in this project had access to the E-Twinning platform to socialize ; then they held a videoconference of simple illustrations in English, the vehicular language of the project, on the topics treated (such as the geoparks of the places of belonging) and collaborated in the various phases of the didactic activities preparatory to those that would take place in mobility (creation of the project logo, division of tasks, choice of geosites object of study, etc...).Some students even managed to have a conversation with journalists for an interview for a local TV station of the Salihli school.