- KA2 School Inn INNO-Kids
Inno Kids
Innovative Approaches for Development of Sustainable Communities by Kids
Inno Kids is a forward-looking project inspired by the global concern for environmental issues and climate change. Young voices are increasingly advocating for action from political leaders and adults. Inno Kids introduces children, teachers, and parents to ecological urbanism, a concept that places the environment at the forefront of city planning. The project envisions a paradigm shift where creative designs integrate housing, public spaces (e.g. parks), walkways (e.g. bridges), and streets, harmoniously with the natural environment. The project’s goal is to foster awareness of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), among children aged 6 to 10. It also empowers educators by creating a new curriculum and training manual, encompassing various SDGs.
Additionally, the project focuses on providing quality early education about sustainable development, and ecological city planning, preparing children to make informed decisions as responsible adults. Teachers and educational staff receive the tools to help young minds understand environmental systems, urban landscapes, and ecological planning principles. Inno Kids collaborates with partners like the LEGO Group, using secondhand LEGO bricks as engaging learning aids to teach ecological building and planning concepts to youngsters. This project promotes collaboration across various organizations and educational institutions enriching the project’s outcomes through a transnational experience.
Start: 01.09.2023 End: 30.09.2025
Project Reference: KA220-SCH-2B800C18
EU Grant: € 250.000
Programme: ERASMUS+
Key Actions: Cooperation partnerships in school education
Action Type: KA220-SCH – Cooperation partnerships in school education
PROJECT PARTNERS
- Strom zivota (Coordinator) [Slovakia]
- Eco Logic [The Republic of North Macedonia]
- ASOCIATIA CFPC CONSTANTA [Romania]
- Centro Apoio Social de Pais e Amigos da Escola nº 10 – CASPAE [Portugal]
- Mine Vaganti NGO [Italy]
PROJECT TOPICS:
- Creating new, innovative, or joint curricula or courses
- Green skills
- Creativity, arts and culture
TARGET GROUPS:
The target groups are primary school teachers, learning institutions, pupils, educators, and trainers working with children and schools.
PROJECT’S OBJECTIVES:
- Advocate for a more sustainable and ecologically friendly approach to urban design with a focus on social and ecological objectives;
- Awareness raising and capacity building regarding sustainable development, notably Sustainable Development Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), using innovative approaches;
- Equip teachers and other educators working with schools with the necessary skills, knowledge, and attitudes to promote sustainable community development and urban planning;
- Promote and enhance children’s understanding of ecosystems, urban landscapes, and ecological planning processes, enabling them to acquire social, civic, and environmental skills;
- Develop integrated learning and teaching materials.
APPROACH / METHODOLOGY:
Non-formal education (NFE) practices will be applied for the web design, testing, and implementation. Experience has demonstrated the effectiveness of these practices in contributing to social promotion and community strengthening. The methodology exemplifies the project’s paradigm shift through a comprehensive set of online interactive maps, which will encompass the history of city-building techniques. The trainer manual equips teachers and educational staff with the necessary tools for teaching both ecological urbanism and ecological building techniques. The developed learning material on sustainable and environmentally friendly urban planning and designing will demand the use of the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics or “STE(A)M” approach when the students are tasked to develop their own ecological city.
PROJECT ACTIVITIES:
- Collaborative Curriculum Development: Collaborative development of a comprehensive curriculum focused on ecological urbanism, involving partners to prepare narrative components for the five modules;
- Operational Plan Creation: Creation of an operational plan detailing tasks for students and teachers;
- Compilation and Consolidation: Compilation of teaching materials by partners, followed by thorough revisions and consolidation into a unified resource;
- Activity Preparation: Preparation of a total of 100 activities, with each partner contributing 20 activities;
- Curriculum Distribution: Distribution of the developed curriculum and teacher’s manual through partners’ social media profiles, websites, and the dedicated project platform;
- Lesson Plan Publication: Independent publication of 100 individual lesson plans on the project platform for easy access by educators;
- Testing and Implementation: Testing and implementation of the activities in three selected schools per country, overseen by the lead partner, Strom Zivota;
- Workshop Work: Conducting a minimum of 10 workshops in each partner country, each workshop featuring 2-3 activities;
- Web Platform Development: Creation of a user-friendly web platform to serve as a centralized hub for accessing all project learning modules, resources, and videos;
- OER Transformation: Transformation of materials into Open Educational Resources (OERs) to ensure open and free accessibility.
