The eTwinning initiative “All Together for a Global Celebration” is a collaborative educational project established between Greece and Romania and implemented on the European School Education Platform during the 2024-2025 school year. This partnership unites three schools: a Greek elementary school (17o Δημοτικό Σχολείο Κοζάνης), a Romanian high school (Liceul Teoretic “Radu Vlădescu”) and another Greek school, Δ.Σ.ΠΕΡΙΟΧΗΣ ΒΑΘΥΛΑΚΚΟΥ Σέρβια Κοζάνης, which previously hosted an Erasmus learning mobility for the Romanian school in October 2024.
The project’s main aim is to create meaningful experiences and learning opportunities for the Greek and Romanian pupils enrolled in primary and lower secondary levels in order to explore significant international observances through interactive and collaborative activities. We are confident that, through project-based learning and pedagogical innovation, the project participants will engage with themes such as tolerance, kindness, friendship, peace and environmental protection in ways which will cultivate and promote values essential to responsible global citizenship.
The eTwinning project “All Together for a Global Celebration” is centered on three global observances (International Day of Acceptance – 20 January 2025, Random Acts of Kindness Day – 17 February 2025, and International Day of Forests – 21 March 2025, which will facilitate the gaining of a deeper understanding of their cultural, social, environmental and civic significance among the three school communities and beyond.
The main activities will include multimedia presentations, interactive games, digital storytelling and group projects such as posters, plays, poetry workshops and dissemination videos. By actively participating in this project, the pupils will develop empathy and respect for the people and causes recognized by these observances, foster attitudes of solidarity, kindness, responsibility and fairness, build problem-solving and critical thinking skills through exploring diverse perspectives and points of view etc.
Upon the project completion, the participants are expected to acquire foundational knowledge of key global issues and values, strengthen their empathy, respect, and responsibility for others, including animals and the environment, enhance teamwork, communication, and collaboration skills and cultivate values such as friendship, solidarity, and respect through creative and interactive activities.
The project involves a number of 79 students, with 43% from Greece (34 students aged 9-12) and 57% from Romania (45 students aged 7-13). Preliminary data from the initial participant questionnaire revealed that, for 54 students, this marks their first eTwinning experience.
Key insights from the initial evaluation stage provided the coordinators with valuable information. In terms of key learning goals, 56 students prioritized learning about social, cultural, and environmental issues tied to World Days and developing positive attitudes such as empathy and solidarity. As far as the creative usage of ICT is concerned, 41 students expressed interest in using digital tools to foster collaboration and share impactful messages with their peers.
Other valuable findings revealed the participants’ interest in developing their problem-solving skills with 38 students highlighting the importance of developing critical thinking and exploring diverse perspectives. What is more, while most students demonstrated awareness of online safety (65 participants), 14 participants indicated uncertainty regarding their rights and responsibilities as digital citizens, which signals the need for awareness raising and additional guidance.
As far as the development of key-competences is concerned, here is the hierarchy established by the participants: Multilingual Competence in English: 61 participants, Personal, Social, and Learning to Learn Competence: 59 participants, Digital Competence: 56 participants, Cultural Awareness and Expression: 49 participants, Citizenship Competence: 39 participants and Literacy Competence in Greek or Romanian: 28 participants.
The project participants also hope to improve their 21st century skills as follows: Learning Skills (critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication): 62 participants, Life Skills (flexibility, leadership, social skills): 41 participants and Literacy Skills (information, media, technology): 38 participants.
The project participants expressed their interest in contributing to the following project outcomes: the collaborative Padlet (49 participants), the digital book of stories, poems, and articles (46 participants), multimedia presentations of World Days (38 participants), visual arts and drama workshops (36 participants), the virtual exhibition of posters created by transnational teams (29 participants) and the collaborative acrostic poem inspired by the project title (28 participants). These preferences emphasize the importance of integrating creative, collaborative activities into the project’s design and implementation.
To address the participants’ diverse individual and collective needs, the project will place additional emphasis on: online citizenship and safety education, enhancing problem-solving and critical thinking skills and incorporating activities that build life skills and foster civic and cultural awareness.
By prioritizing these areas, the educational partnership “All Together for a Global Celebration” will inspire and educate the active, empathetic and responsible citizens of tomorrow who will effectively engage with issues affecting their communities and the world. As coordinators, we are confident that our project’s strong foundation and clear focus on collaboration, creativity and engagement will ensure its success.