The healthier I eat, the better I learn!

<< Background >>We educate and support students from diverse ethnic, social, and cultural backgrounds, many of whom come from disadvantaged families with limited access to learning opportunities, travel, or self-improvement resources. These students often struggle with poor general knowledge, minimal proficiency in foreign languages and ICT skills, and, most critically, a lack of motivation to learn. They tend to give up easily when faced with challenges and often feel uncertain about their place in the world. Many have difficulty defining their values or envisioning their future, and they may lack positive role models to guide and inspire them.In addition, local statistics reveal that many of these learners suffer from issues related to both overnutrition and undernutrition. Their diets are frequently dominated by foods and beverages high in sugar, unhealthy fats, and oils, which may provide quick energy but lack essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, protein, fiber, and essential fatty acids. These unhealthy eating habits not only leave them feeling fatigued as early as their arrival at school but also contribute to mood swings, poor concentration, memory loss, and learning difficulties.<< Objectives >>Our goal was to inspire learners to explore the world, adopt healthy habits, and develop essential skills. We aimed to foster perseverance, pride in achievements, and social inclusion through meaningful partnerships.We wanted students to become active, creative, and responsible, enhancing their social and collaborative abilities while exceeding their perceived limits. By boosting confidence in their creativity and problem-solving, we sought to empower them. Through interactions with European peers, they could build intercultural and communication skills, foster tolerance, and form friendships. This experience would highlight the value of shared efforts across cultures, boosting self-esteem, preparing them for professional life, and nurturing a sense of European citizenship.Additionally, we sought to help teachers innovate by incorporating new technologies into their lessons.<< Implementation >>This project is primarily learner-focused, with students actively involved in every phase. To address their needs and expectations, we aim to inspire creativity, foster learning through hands-on experiences, and promote skills like organization, autonomy, and teamwork. Small groups and collaborative work will form the backbone of these efforts. Engaging lessons enhanced by innovative educational technologies will boost their motivation, spark interest, and encourage active participation and responsibility. Learners will create advertisements, design posters, write articles, and organize photo exhibitions to promote project activities.For example, to promote the partnership within participating schools, students will design an Erasmus poster in November 2021 to inform their school and local communities about the project. They will also establish an Erasmus+ corner in each school to showcase project activities and outputs. This display area, featuring an Erasmus+ plaque or banner, will be updated throughout the project’s three-year duration. Learners will further create an e-presentation in English highlighting their country’s culture, traditions, and cuisine, and share it with European peers via the project’s eTwinning Twinspace.Monthly bilateral videoconferences will connect learners with peers from partner countries, with pre-agreed topics prepared by teachers. These sessions will enhance foreign language skills and oral communication. To ensure consistency, the project coordinator will provide a schedule if videoconferences occur irregularly or too infrequently. Additionally, every three months, students will join multilateral videoconferences with participants from all partner countries. These meetings will allow them to share updates on project activities and present their progress, fostering greater involvement in the project.A logo competition will further engage learners. First, students in each school will design logos aligned with the project’s theme. After a local vote to select the top two designs, the chosen logos will be sent to the Greek partner managing the project’s Twinspace. A European-level contest will then determine the official project logo through voting by all participating students. The winning logo will feature on all partnership documents and be uploaded to Twinspace. During the first International Learning Conference (ILC) in Poland in June 2023, the winner will be celebrated and awarded an Erasmus+ prize crafted from recycled materials. Latvian and German students will design and create three prizes for the top entries.In the first year, learners will create an organic vegetable garden and an herb garden (hanging or above-ground) for culinary use within their school, using rainwater whenever possible. In the second and third years, they will use the harvested produce to develop health-conscious recipes by reimagining traditional national or foreign dishes. For instance, they might adapt a classic dish to make it less fatty and more nutritious, incorporating their homegrown ingredients or those sourced from local organic producers. This activity will take place biweekly, dedicating one afternoon to recipe creation.During the same period, the school nurse and a nutritionist will organize workshops to educate learners on the risks of undernutrition and overnutrition, emphasizing the benefits of balanced and health-conscious diets. Additionally, students will visit local green companies, organic farms, and eco-friendly cooperatives to learn how sustainable practices produce healthier goods while conserving the environment. These visits aim to instill environmental awareness and promote sustainable development practices.Learners will contribute ideas during the project’s implementation and play an active role in its evaluation. Their feedback will inform any necessary adjustments, ensuring the project remains responsive to their needs and experiences.<< Results >>First, by using collaborative methods, active participation, and ICT in teaching and developing pedagogical methods in a comparative context, all the partners learned from each other’s experiences and put together new methods to be used by each other. Developing pedagogical digital methods to meet didactical needs of learners was a top priority. As everyone in Europe and all over the world had become more accustomed to using computers in daily work, it was important to become familiar with methods of learning and teaching through e-learning, as it had become an imperative and not a choice anymore due to COVID-19.Then, taking on a collaborative challenge helped learners acquire a method of work, become autonomous, and go beyond their capacities. Being part of a team and cooperating over three years helped learners develop team spirit and a sense of responsibility. The meetings of the European learners of the same age to mix and cooperate in a different country helped raise their self-esteem and self-confidence. The sharing of know-how and experience (with teachers giving informal classes during cultural language camps) and exchanges between adults and learners allowed everyone to become familiar with European cultures and the local way of life.Learners became more active, engaged, and self-confident. They raised their social and cooperative skills. They gained belief in their inventiveness and ability to take on challenges. They realized that people working together could collaborate and produce quality work, even if they were from different origins and cultures. They understood that Europeans' similarities were just as important as their differences. Learners were better prepared for their adult lives, showing initiative, taking on challenges, and using creativity. They gained extensive and practical knowledge and became aware of how important learning was, but not only that.Besides, an ICT workshop had been scheduled in Germany as early as December 2021 so that the teachers involved could acquire new skills and integrate them into their daily pedagogical practices. Teachers involved in each partner school were to produce 10 lessons by the end of the project (2 lessons in the first year, then 4 lessons each subsequent year). They used Blendspace, Kahoot, Thinglink, and Canva to create professional interactive lessons and shared them with other partners on the Twinspace. These innovative and engaging lessons stimulated not only the target groups but all the other learners in their classes.Finally, all the healthy and diet recipes that target groups produced within the partnership were included in the project magazine. The practical advice from the school nurse and our local partners, such as the dietitian nutritionist from the Centre Santé Jeunes of the French Red Cross, was also published in it so that learners could refer to them and integrate them into their daily lives