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RUN FROM ONE COUNTRY TO ANOTHER Erasmus project ka229 italy-Romania

Context

Main objective of the project - Exchange of Good Practices

Project Title - Run from one country to another Project Acronym

Project Start Date 01-09-2018

Project Total Duration 18 months

Project End Date 29-02-2020

National Agency of the Applicant Organisation IT02 (ITALIA)

Language used to fill in the form English

TRAINING COURSE 29/11 -01/12/2018

Report

FIRST DAY:

At 09:00 am: the Romanian team arrived to Lyceum Banfi in Vimercate, and was welcomed by the Coordinator of the Project, Fernanda Amodeo and by the Headmaster, Dot. Giancarlo Sala.

Then the Team moved to the dedicated room for the training course. Firstly, the Coordinator presented the objectives of the training course, as reported in the schedule. Then the Italian School System, showing a document created by the Italian Ministry of Education. There was an interesting exchange of similarities and differences between the System of the two countries, Italy and Romania, and they analysed the subjects studied in the types of Secondary High School. The Romanian team expressed an interest in CLIL methodology, and the coordinator showed example of CLIL lessons related to Physical Education, and the content useful for the Project.

After the coffee break, the Team had a tour of the school, with attention to the gym structures and the activities proposed.

At 11:00 am meeting with Marina Porta teacher, responsible of the e-twinning platform. She explained the function and the use of it, focus on the connection among students and teachers, keeping updated the platform, adding pictures and information in ongoing Project. Suggestions were given about administering the platform and the role of teachers, checking students’ activities.

Lunch time at 01:00 pm

At 02:00 pm: ‘Guidelines to prepare an orienteering pathway’

Pptx presentation and explanation of the content, and together they thought how to structure an orienteering path in each country, a sort of race, but based on the research of specific items, both natural, as plants or springs (in Romania), and historical, like farmhouse, stable, (in Italy, Monza Park). Analysis of the map, the use of the compass, organization of students in pairs, mixed nationality, learning of symbols. The preparation of students will be managed by the PE teachers and the Geography teachers.

At 04:00 pm: end of the activity

SECOND DAY:

At 09:00 am Team meeting and first overview of the future actions to do.

At 09:30 workshop in the lab, with the science teacher, Valeria Misani, (member of the Team) and the students involved in the Project. The students guided the team, on osmosis process of red radish, potato and onion, under the microscope. The analysis of plants is part of the Project in which students will analyze some of the Monza Park plants.

Coffee break

At 11:00 am meeting with the digital animator, Fabio Marca, (member of the Team) for the presentation of the technical supports that Lyceum Banfi uses and useful opportunity for the Project for implementation and dissemination, creating a site.

Lunch time at 01:00 pm

At 02:00 pm Presentation of the Geocaching App. Two students of Lyceum Banfi are expert in the game and they showed the team how it works, the Global Positioning System that the App uses, the opportunity to create a personal path, and the rules of the game.

It had been discussed how to search the containers, the caches, and how it could be hard to find them. The different levels of difficulties that distinguishes the ability of the gamers, and how to create an account. They explained that there are behaviour rules in the game

and all gamers must follow them, and respect the caches found. This gives a great value to the game that is playing in all over the world.

The Romanian team expressed interest in the APP, even though in their country it seems that no Geocaching path is available, but they will examine this problem.

At 03:00 pm the team moved to Monza Park to explore directly the several paths on the map. The responsible students planned a route for the activity during the mobility in March 2019, and the team had a first overview of the path.

At 04:30 pm end of the activity.

THIRD DAY:

At 09:00 Team meeting in the gym, workshop about physical activity, stretching, light aerobic and yoga. The Team practiced what PE teachers were doing with students in both countries, experienced directly how to feel in that situation and the benefit of the movement.

At 10:30 Team moved in the dedicated room, to plan the future steps of the Projects, the activities to do during the lessons, the mobility with all the expenses, and the virtual meeting among students and teachers, how is reported in the chart below.

MOBILITY IN ITALY

From 1st To 8th March

FIRST DAY

Welcome to the Hotel in Monza, briefing about the activities of the week and explanation of the orienteering activity in school and geocaching in the Park of Monza. Monza city tour by night, exploring culture.

Royal Villa of Monza

SECOND DAY

Meeting at school in the morning, welcome with all the students involved in the project. First activity in a gym: orienteering race in mixed teams. Searching for items, increasing English vocabulary and communication, cooperative learning methodology. Then all the students moved in the technical lab to participate in an English lesson focuses on the communication among students. At the end of the lesson, all together, teachers and students had lunch in a dedicated room, tasting typical local dishes prepared by Italian families. In the afternoon, leaving for Como lake by train, to visit the town and starting using the geocaching App.

THIRD DAY

Meeting in the morning in front of the Monza Royal Palace. Briefing presentation of the history of the Royal family and the Park, presented by Italian students. Organisation of the teams for the geocaching race in the Monza Park, led by two older students expert in the Game. It was an interesting and exciting experience; the Romanian students were able to find most of the caches. Students were interested in keeping on searching the caches in the future, on their own, with friends and cycling. In the afternoon, visit to Milan city. In the night, pizza party all together.

Geocaching treasure

FOURTH DAY

Meeting at school and lesson in the science lab, with the science teacher involved in the project. The topic is Spinach and chlorophyll. Then the group moved to the gym to practice sport games together: hockey, that was a new experience for the Romanian students, table tennis and volleyball. At lunch time all the team members of the project tasted again dishes prepared by Italian families. Later, students went home and to the Hotel.

FIFTH DAY

In the morning, leaving to the mountain Val Formazza, for the planned experience in natural environment. One stop during the journey for lunch time. At 2:00 pm arrival and accommodation in the rooms. Afternoon dedicated to discovering the Riale Village, and in the evening briefing about the following days and activities.

Mountain view

SIXTH DAY

Val Formazza: after breakfast, briefing about snow issues:

The expertise guides presented the avalanche and its risks - sports to practice in winter and how to deal with weather, its changing, and natural environment.

Briefing

Kit tools to rescue people. Artva is an electronic system to find other people, anyone goes to the mountain should have it. The Probe is uses at the end of the search, when it has been identified the zone where the body is. The shovel is the tool to dig the ground.

Another tool is a special backpack with inside a sort of airbag to make you float in case of avalanche. Police Dog for rescue. How to call the rescue team, international 112 number. Use GPS coordination to inform the team. Main causes of avalanche: wind, increasing temperature. Great important is information like prevention, nature and its environment don’t admit ignorance.

Practical activities in the field with tools. Simulation of rescue after avalanche, students in group had to find the dummy, well hidden under the snow, using the tools and cooperating each other. The police dog in action. Reportage with video and pictures. In the afternoon games with cooperative learning methodology.

Evening activity: pop and folkloristic dance with Romanian and Italian music.

SEVENTH DAY

Trekking with the snow shoes, respecting the security knowledge acquired the day before, and with the perfect condition, it was snowing very heavy. In the afternoon, games with cooperative learning methodology. Students divided in mixed groups had to create a big public transport with the snow.

Evening activity: Romanian students gave presents to Italian students, very nice farewell party, dancing and chatting, exchanging of traditions.

EIGHT DAY

Breakfast, leaving from Val Formazza to go directly to Bergamo airport.

End of the mobility.

MOBILITY IN ROMANIA

From 7 October to 13 October 2019

The 7th October 2019 we started our trip, leaving early in the morning from Milan airport.

The arrival and the welcome in Bacau were very impressive, Romanian students and teachers had prepared a typical ceremony just in front of the school.

Two girls were waiting for us, wearing traditional dresses, holding a tray with a special bread, handmade, flavoured and soft, decorated on the top with floral drawings. Its name is Colac, it is shaped like a crown, and it is offered for welcoming friends like symbol of hospitality.

All of us tasted it breaking a small piece, matching with salt, and sharing it among people like close friendship. This moment was caught by a picture.

It has been lovely meet Romanian people again, embracing and smiling each other, brightening up a cloudy and cold day here in Bacau.

At lunchtime we ate traditional dishes, with chicken, potatoes and cabbage, all cooked in collaboration among students and parents. Then, students participated in a treasure hunt in the town, in which they looked for some monuments and landmarks, an opportunity to discover the places.

Students were organised in mixed groups of 5/6 of them, they were given instructions and explanation. They presented Bacau with an interesting video created by students, where they showed the main point of reference about culture and history. Then the game started.

At dinner time, we ate again in a comfortable room dedicated to events. Thanks to the parents and teacher’s contribution, the well-equipped location, it was another engaging experience, that confirms the value of the Project.

The second day, 8th October, was another fantastic experience, started in the school with physical activities and games. Students divided in groups, did ability and agility games, with cooperative learning method.

Group picture in Bacau school

At lunchtime we stayed all together, sharing thoughts and stories. Then, we moved by bus towards the forest, and the planning was to plant young trees, guided by foresters. We were picked up by jeeps to a plain and the journey was funny. While we were waiting for all the partners arrival, we did physical exercises standing on big trunks laying on the ground. Trying to hear only the sound of the wind, and keeping the balance, we breathed in and out, stretching our body in a relax way, and using our mind to control our body. Students did it with participation and was an involving moment.

When all the students reached the location, we took the kit for the new job: shovel, trees and a basin with mud. After a practical example showed by a forester, each student, supported by friends and in turn, started digging. At the beginning some of them found it difficult, but then they enjoyed it and they felt satisfied of the result. More than twenty trees covered the land.

To conclude the day, a special dinner was offered in a house in a village nearby, where people from a farm cooked delicious and local food, cheese, meat, mamaliga, vegetables, and cakes.

At the end of the day students were invited by teachers to express how they felt about the experience reporting it on etwinning.

The third day, 9th October, we went to the Astronomical Observatory “Victor Anestin” in Bacau. There was an expert teacher who presented and showed us in the planetarium a representation about universe. It is always impressive refresh knowledge about our world, space and what it forecasts to reach in the future. Then we went up to the terrace to see the view of Bacau city, from a telescope.

Astronomical observatory view

After lunch we moved to the mountains, stopping along the journey in Slanic region to visit the Tirgu Ocna salt mine. It is 240 metres deep, and it is reachable by bus across a tunnel. The first stop inside was in an impressive church, not only through its original architecture but also through its positioning. The church is considered the spiritual patron and protector of miners, Saint Varvara. The furniture in it is carved in the salt of the mountain and the church has remained one of the few churches in Romania built in Saline and the only one in Europe which is entirely made of salt.

Salt mine

The journey went on and we arrived to our hotel Teleconstructia; beautiful location, with a lovely view of woods, parks well kept, and all these aspects inspired us with determination for spending relaxing and enjoying days. The accommodation was comfortable, cleaned and the hotel was well equipped with gym and swimming pool, ideal for the aim of our project, doing physical activities.

At dinner time we tasted delicious food, and they explained us that it was a little bit different from the type we ate the previous days, because of the Hungarian influence in this region.

The fourth day, 10th October, after breakfast, we divided students into two groups, one for the geocaching activity and one for the pool activity.

In the area of Bacau, the geocaching game is not so popular, and there aren’t any caches on the map. The Romanian team has been great because created some caches in the Slanic Moldova for our needs, following the guidelines of the geocaching community, and relying on them in succeeding. Unfortunately, they validated only one of them, but, despite this, we realised the game using the map, mixing in the game geocaching and orienteering. The result was satisfying, and everything went well.

The pool activity was fun and compelling, students were busy in relay races and water polo game.

Then students switched the group and changed the game.

After lunch and rest time, we dealt with the trekking path, 300 steps, that was demanding for the steep route, both to go and back. The quiet woods and the high trees distracted us from the effort we made. Our guide explained the types of trees in the wood and we had time to do some stretching at the end of the trekking.

In the evening students spent time together in the hotel, dancing and chatting.

The fifth day, 11th October, after breakfast, we prepared for the climbing activity and the First Aid lesson. We moved in an area at the bottom of the snow slopes, divided students into the same groups of the day before, one started the theoretical lesson about First Aid during hiking or another activity in natural environment, the other with climbing. The guide of First Aid involved students in simulating a rescue situation. She used the F. A. kit for different types of injuries, how to warm up in case of hypothermia, how to recognise a cardiac arrest and how to practise the CPR, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and most important point, call the rescue team.

Switching the group activity, students went climbing a wall, in the same area, with expert guides. They were equipped with harnesses, helmet, fixed with a stick clip, an assisted braking belay device for extra safe, and guides explained the right position of feet and hands for a safe grip. All the students climbed, some with more confident than others, but all enjoyed the experience.

Went back to the hotel, students had time to swim and play in a pool.

After lunch, another enjoyable game was organised from the Romanian team. We prepared six groups, and they were given seven envelopes corresponded to seven landmarks, where they had to do tasks for each point within a time given. They run and supported each other in dealing with the tasks.

At the end of the game we left free time for students that, always under our control, went to the gym and swimming pool.

After dinner time students spent time together with social games and chatting.

The sixth day, 12th October, we had a dissemination of our project, and we wanted it to include in the Erasmus Day.

Mrs Caterina Runfola, the trainer in our project, the evaluator and the supporter in dissemination, introduced herself.

After a self-presentation and her roles in the European Union, she explained the value of Europe in our countries. There are lots of opportunities for youth people to learn and share, to communicate with other cultures, beliefs, uses and costumes that are great sources of enrichment. She presented the Youth portal to our students, all the chances they have and the role of the National Agency in different countries.

She dealt with Volunteering in Europe, where students can apply to make this experience, and in the platform, there are all the information about it, and examples of experiences.

Another opportunity is working abroad, to open the mind and the perspective on other reality. New jobs like start a business or work and learn. About the Learning area, it is possible to make training for some specific fields in other Universities. Participating in Europe in EU Youth dialogue and EU Youth making policy. In the fields of Arts & Entertainment, Sport and fitness, Social inclusions Right, Services, Community, Travelling, Transport, Accommodation, youths could find new experiences.

Eventually, the Italian students presented their work about the wellness path. Each group exposed the research and the final production.

Early in the afternoon, we moved to Nemira mountains where there was the sheep tradition fest, and it was a lovely experience, students appreciated greatly. There were several stalls with traditional food, tools, clothes, and other stuff, and people that wore ancient clothes, symbolising different characters. The day was sunny and perfect warm for an open-air activity. In the evening we left for Bacau hotel where we spent the last night before leaving for Italy early in the morning the 13th October.

Here you can find a video summary of our experience

We have also made some video tutorials:

Morning exercise:

Yoga:

Training course materials

Other materials students have made

Here is the video of the dissemination conference in Italy

Materials used at the dissemination event

Here you can visit the Romanian website

We truly hope you enjoyed our project as we did!

Created By
Scaroni Alicia
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