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EcoPodcasts received the Erasmus Quality Award!

This month, the EcoPodcasts Project, concerning "Students Podcasts on Eco-Conscious and Sustainable Living", had its efforts and results recognized by Erasmus+, by being awarded with the Project Quality Award!

The award ceremony was organized by the Human Resources Development Center (HRDC), the Erasmus+ Bulgarian National Agency (https://hrdc.bg/en/). The event brought together leading experts, representatives of educational institutions and of the scientific community. It was dedicated to the opportunities that the Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programs provide for sustainable development and the integration of green technologies.

The AEG "Geo Milev" School in Burgas, Coordinator of the EcoPodcasts Project, under the Erasmus+ program, received the Award and Certificate of Quality Performance, in partnership with all the project partners, including: the University of Macedonia in Greece, the University of Salento in Italy, the Primary School of Alexandria in Greece, the AE Camilo Castelo Branco School association in Portugal, REACH Innovation in Austria and the IIF Institute in Malta. Check the full report via: https://lnkd.in/dfUHFfdc .

The award for excellent quality of project implementation is a recognition of the contribution of AEG "Geo Milev", and all partners of the EcoPodcasts project, towards education for sustainable development.
This recognition emphasizes the importance of the work done by all partners' intitutions in sustainable development and environmental values ​​in education, among young people.

The award motivates us all to continue developing projects that drive change and inspire the younger generation to think and act sustainably.The Ecopodcast project is an innovative initiative aimed at promoting a sustainable lifestyle through the creation of educational podcast episodes. They address key topics related to ecology and climate change. By combining digital technologies with environmental education, the project reaches a wide audience and inspires young people to take steps towards a more sustainable future. The podcasts not only inform, but also offer concrete ideas for implementing sustainable practices in everyday life.

The Students' Podcasts created with the EcoPodcasts project on 'Eco-Conscious and Sustainable Living' are just the beginning of the "environmental awareness wave" of the involved educational institutions. All schools that piloted the EcoPodcasts project continue to work towards taking on new initiatives to inspire an ecologically responsible way of life within their communities.

Check the students' podcasts produced in EcoPodcasts and join our Network!
https://go.ecopodcasts.eu/ &
http://www.ecopodcasts.eu/

Hi! Here is EcoPodcasts Project's Mascot and Logo ("Friendly Mike") talking to you, on behalf of the whole Team.

What an incredible journey! After three years of dedicated and rewarding work, with over 110 EcoPodcasts Originals produced in 6 different languages and six Multiplier Events across various countries, the #EcoPodcasts #ErasmusPlusProject has come to an end. Time truly flies!

We want to take this moment to thank everyone involved for their outstanding effort and team spirit! A special thank you to our Project Coordinator, the English Language Secondary School Geo Milev from Bulgaria, for providing a well-structured and organized environment that allowed the project to thrive.
We are also deeply grateful to Dimotiko Sxoleio Alexandrias from Greece and Agrupamento de Escolas Camilo Castelo Branco from Portugal, where students played an active role from day one.
We extend our thanks to the teams of the University of Macedonia in Greece, for their major role in thus project as concept developer; the University of Salento in Italy, for their networking and piloting activities; and the International Integrity Foundation in Malta, for  their excellent platform implementstion and deployment. All were invaluable contributions.
And a big thank you to REACH Innovation from Austria, our Communication and Dissemination Partner, for bringing visibility to this project—REACH may be the reason you're reading this today - and for the engaged school in Graz (Lichtenfels Gymnasium) for piloting the project in Austria in such a high standard!

A heartfelt thank you goes out to all the students who participated and created the fantastic podcasts available on the EcoPodcasts Platform: https://go.ecopodcasts.eu/.

Lastly, we want to thank you for following our journey, supporting us with your likes, shares, and encouragement. We hope we’ve inspired you to take action for the environment and become more mindful of climate change and sustainability.

Though the project has come to an end, the mission continues: producing podcasts to raise awareness about the climate crisis and environmental protection. The website (http://www.ecopodcasts.eu/cms/) and the platform (https://go.ecopodcasts.eu/) along with all materials and information, will remain online for you to explore, listen to podcasts, upload your own, and share your knowledge with the world.

Thank you for being part of this journey - hear you soon!

Yours, Friendly Mike

We are delighted to present to you the latest edition of our Erasmus+ project newsletter, dedicated to our journey into the field of education through the Power of Podcasts.

Over the past 3 years, we have explored the potential of podcasts in education, promoting creativity, collaboration and communication between students and educators. This project has been a remarkable experience and we're excited to share our achievements and expertise with you in this closing Newsletter.

We hope you enjoy this latest edition and continue to participate in the wonderful world of educational podcasts. Together, we have created a legacy that will inspire future educational projects and innovations.

The EcoPodcasts Team             

The EcoPodcasts Erasmus+ Project is currently being piloted by the partner schools and/or their selected collaborating educational institutions. 

Check out the podcasts produced by the students and teachers of Geo Milev in Bulgaria! You'll find interesting topics developed by the students, such as Air Pollution, Sustainability and Recycling and Waste Disposal.

This and other podcasts in english are now available at https://go.ecopodcasts.eu/podcast/  - have a listen and let us know what you think! 

Stay tuned as the students' podcasts are currently developed, and join the Network!

https://go.ecopodcasts.eu/  & 
http://www.ecopodcasts.eu/ 

On May 27th, 2024, the Bulgarian EcoPodcasts Erasmus+ Project Multiplier Event took place at the "Geo Milev" English Language Secondary School in Bulgaria.

The event was also successful, offering comprehensive information about the project and the available platform. Participants gained insight into the results of the project and explored ways of integrating EcoPodcasts into their teaching activities.

Watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZOcpK8D8Yo produced by the Bugarian partners to get an insight on how the Project was implemented in Geo Milev!

On the 21st of May 2024 the greek Multiplier Event of the EcoPodcasts Erasmus+ Project took place at the University of Macedonia in Thessaloniki!

Over forty people ranging from faculty members and teachers to students, parents and community members participated in the Multiplier Event. As special guests students from the 1st Primary School of Alexandria visited the university and took part in the event.

At the beginning, the Ecopodcasts Project was presented in a general context. All the Project Results were presented as well to show, what the Consortium was able to achieve in the three years the project lasted. The heart of the Event was the exploration of the website and Platform. All participants had the opportunity to learn from the skilled EcoPodcasts team from Greece. At the end, the students from the 1st Primary School of Alexandria presented their experiences gained from the project, as well as their own podcasts that you can find on the Platform: https://go.ecopodcasts.eu/.

All in all it was a great Event and we are confident that the guests could get a comprehensive insight of the full implementation of the EcoPodcasts project!

 

The morning started with a warm welcome from Prof. Ludovico Valli (Director of DiSTeBA _ University of Salento) and Prof. Valeria Specchia (National Biodiversity Future Centre and Delegate for Erasmus Programme and International Cooperation of University of Salento - DiSTeBA). After a presentation of the EcoPodcasts Erasmus+ Project from Prof. Maurizio Pinna, the creation and use of the thematic resources and implemantation of the platform go.ecopodcasts.eu was presented by Dr. Roberto Massaro from the EcoPodcasts Team. This was followed by a short description of the use of the platform ecopodcasts.eu by Dr. Armando Cazzetta and a presentation of Prof. Alberto Basset about the Podcasts of LifeWatch. To conclude the theoretical part of the Event, Prof. Elisabetta Marulli, Prof. Davide Grossi and Prof. Tommaso Mandrisi shared their experiences with schools.

Discover the podcasts produced by the students and teachers of the “Giovanni Calò” State Technical and Economic Institute of Franceville Fontana (BR) and the Liceo Scientifico e Linguistico Statale “A. Vallone” of Galatina (LE) in Italy in collaboration with the project partner University of Salento.

You will find interesting topics developed by students I.T.E. Calo', such as "Pollution of the marine and coastal environment caused by the excessive use of plastic" dedicated to how to commit to using less plastic, a pollutant that dominates our beaches and seas, causing damage to the fish that live there and to us who feed on them.

The EcoPodcasts Originals form the A. Vallone include topics such as "Visit the Natura 2000 Acquatina Frigole Network Site" dedicated to the issues of conservation, sustainability and value of the natural environments they are visiting and "touching first-hand" at the Acquatina di Frigole Basin (Lecce).

This and other podcasts in Italian are now available at https://go.ecopodcasts.eu/podcast/- listen and let us know what you think!

Stay tuned as student podcasts are currently being developed and join the Network!
 https://go.ecopodcasts.eu/ & http://www.ecopodcasts.eu

The Ecopodcasts Multiplier Event in Portugal, on May 3rd, 2024, was focused on promoting environmental awareness and sustainability through podcasting. The event was an important platform for sharing knowledge, strategies and experiences related to environmental education and defence with the school's teachers.

The project was presented by the teachers involved in piloting the EcoPodcasts Project within the school. The exploration of the EcoPodcasts platform generated a lot of interest among the audience of teachers.

Participants had the opportunity to see the work carried out by 1st cycle students in the area of the environment, by teacher Luisa Granjo, and 3rd cycle students in the area of citizenship, by teacher Sonia Barreiras.  The results of the work with secondary school students were presented by teachers Fatima Cerqueira and Sergio Martins.

The event succeeded in raising awareness of the importance of environmental education through digital media by presenting the EcoPodcasts project.

It was a great Event and we are confident that the guests could get a comprehensive insight of the full implementation of the EcoPodcasts project!

In collaboration with the pilot school in Austria, BG/BRG Lichtenfels Graz, REACH Innovation organised the EcoPodcast Multiplier Event in Austria on the 25th of April 2024.

It was a great afternoon. The school headmaster, Niko Holzafpfel, led the event. REACH presented the results of the EcoPodcasts project and the public was able to experience the interaction with the school through the explanation of the implementation by teacher Daniel Truppe. Students Emy and Rosa presented their podcast live and told the audience about their experience of making a podcast. Teacher Sandra Pisú told us about the school's current sustainability.

The importance of community involvement was demonstrated through presentations by Ronald Kloss (ÖKOPROFIT), Zeynep Agram-Ramoner (City of Graz) and Christoph Steffen (Green Theater Graz). Christoph Heher Educational Podaster presented different podcasts produced by his students and emphasised, through the examples given, the importance of naturalness and technical aspects in podcast production.

We are very proud of the Austrian EcoPodcasts Multiplier Event and are confident that the guests could get a comprehensive insight of the full implementation of the EcoPodcasts project.

The EcoPodcasts consortium is pleased to announce the next multiplier event in Portugal. This meeting is scheduled for May 3rd at the Agrupamento de Ecolas Camilo Castelo Branco. At this event, our partner AECCB will provide details about the EcoPodcasts project specifically for educators in the Agrupamento de Escolas. Participants will be introduced to the EcoPodcasts platform and will be able to familiarize themselves with the resources it contains. They will also gain insights from teachers who have implemented and used the platform with their students. Don't forget to check out the agenda for this exciting event!

Check the agenda!

Our partner school in Portugal, AECCB, takes us on a botanical journey in their latest series of Ecopodcasts: "Green Talks".  Here you'll hear dialogues between unlikely but fascinating characters - the spontaneous and endemic plants of Parque Devesa, an urban park in Vila nova de Famalicãoin northern Portugal. The students explore the rich biodiversity of this urban oasis through creativity and environmental inspiration.

They are already available at https://go.ecopodcasts.eu/podcast/  - have a listen and let us know what you think! 

Stay tuned for the upcoming podcasts and join the Network!

https://go.ecopodcasts.eu/  & 
http://www.ecopodcasts.eu/