The main tasks of the project are to: influence on students’ behavior using an art therapy method and develop cooperation among the schools, enrich teaching innovative skills, get to know natural, cultural diversity of the project countries, get acquainted with bio- diversity of natural eco -systems, improve ITC and communicative skills, strengthen self-esteem, create an active European citizenship, develop a sense of empathy, respect , include students with special education needs. In the project an emphasis is put on getting to know natural eco-systems and undertaking actions to protect them. We ask a question ‘’What can I do?! ‘’Students at the age 10 -14 and the teachers from the partner schools will take part in the project. We are going to engage also pupils at the age 7-9, preschoolers and the local communities connected with the project schools.The project subject is a protection of natural ecosystems and applying parts of art therapy that will influence on mental, social and emotional pupils’ development. It will also allow, to influence on a change of unacceptable students’ behaviours. Taking part in the project enables the participants to develop their linguistic and communicative competences. Participating in the project is a chance for students with variety of intellectual and emotional disability. It will enable them to be successful, present their abilities among local and school community. The project “Let us save the paradise gardens of Europe” is aimed at the pupils, also the disabled ones, the teachers from European schools and the local communities connected with them. The subject of this enterprise is to get familiar and present primeval landscapes, their protection and nature’s influence on a human being’s emotional development. Nature with its richness of sounds, colours ,flora and fauna is a safe place soothing negative emotions and ideal to influence on the students’ behavior. We will show the beauty of nature and its impact on our emotions, in the same way we will try to affect our students in order to limit socially unacceptable behaviours, raise their ecological awareness and show that the changes should start from themselves. We want the project participants to show their creativity and creative interpretation in this field. The project participants will be acquainted with the beauty of nature in the partner countries and its positive influence. We will hand over a message:’’ Let us save the paradise gardens of Europe”. The beauty of the places crucial for us in terms of cultural, cognitive and emotional value will be presented. We will focus on discovering and getting familiar with those places as well as showing their role in a human being emotional development and nature’s impact on eliminating unacceptable behaviors,We will also propose ways of protecting these areas . We will carry out educational classes with applying parts of the art therapy with a participation of the teachers and students from the partner countries. The teachers will exchange their experiences, prepare innovative lesson summaries, also for disabled students ,which will be mutually carried out. The students will improve their English skills owing to individual contacts with the peers and ICT devices. Art- literary activities, vernissages, happenings, educational projects, workshops, educational trips, ecological and language activities, will be held in order to get information relating to nature ‘s impact on our emotions and get acquainted with the ways of the nature protection. We will aspire to develop abilities to recognize endemic and introduced species, express and recognize emotions by using nature’s colours and sounds. The participants will also get to know the most outstanding artistic and musical works referring to nature beauty. Art will be used to express ourselves emotionally. A mutual dependence of a human being and the nature will be shown as well. During the project task realization we will focus on improving the competences that are crucial for getting to know and understanding the surrounding reality. The project participants will be got acquainted with the art therapy method and using it as a therapeutic tool in order to limit students’ behaviors that are not acceptable in societies. Using the richness of nature, combining it with the methods of the art therapy will allow the project participants not only to recognise, control their emotions, raise their ecological awareness but also act better in the environment and among the society that will contribute to better knowledge acquisition. The project tasks realization will be simultaneously performed in the project schools. Each partner will enrich the project of their own ideas that will contribute to realising project assumptions in a better way.

In connection with Cindy Lauper's song, TRUE COLORS highlights the full range of colors which different people embody as part of different nationalities, races, sexes or religions: that’s why everyone is special and unique in his diversity.The 6 EU partners (Italy - 2, Romania, Turkey, North Macedonia and Croatia) face specific geographical, social, economic and cultural backgrounds, but have common goals: to promote a multicultural approach by abating the walls of discrimination and to fight negative stereotypes.TRUE COLORS is innovative, supporting all the agents, operating in schools and in broader communities, to enhance inclusion and more responsible citizenship at a local, national and international level.At a local level, it seeks to promote an innovative and inclusive approach in education, fostering active learning, valuing physical and virtual resources and ICT tools starting with the 1st project year to strengthen a positive learning environment (O1).It also aims at training the involved students as promoters of civic engagement and multiculturalism by participating in thematic activities in the 2 project years (O2), developing a sense of shared democratic leadership in all partner schools by designing and implementing volunteering campaigns in the 2nd project year (O3).At a national level, it fosters an ongoing collaboration between local schools, administration and national institutions by promoting and strengthening a democratic culture in each partner school and setting up a cooperative network of schools and relevant stakeholders on joint activities, aiming at encouraging prosocial behaviour for minimum 3 years after the end of the project (O4).Internationally, TRUE COLORS focuses on the knowledge of EU institutions, all the efforts that EU is making for the integration process and on the European Agenda 2030 goals, mainly addressed to fight poverty, foster inclusion and implement democracy among the people, regardless of their nationality, race, religion or sex.At least 70 participants per partner school (50 students, 10 teachers, 10 representatives of the local community or specialists in the field of democracy and civic education) will be involved (100 students in bigger schools).6 LTTs are scheduled, with teams of 4 students aged 15/18 and 2 accompanying teachers. No staff mobility is required: the partners will discuss and share all the details through ongoing contacts, both formal (emails) and informal (WhatsApp group). Materials for the project sustainability and replicability will be shared, stored and disseminated on the TRUE COLORS Etwinning project (ID: 212348).Mobility themes:- Education: ‘All Together Now!’ – IT- EU law policy: ‘All the Colors of Europe’ – MK- Empathy: ‘All Colors and Shapes of Empathy’ – HR- Communication: ‘Communication Colours Our Life’ – RO- European awareness: ‘Let's Paint the World Grey’ – TR- The Path to Democracy: ‘True Colors’ – IT.Project outputs: an educational App (C1); a booklet (C2); 3D watches (C3); volunteering campaigns (C4); short films on social discrimination (C5); recreated 'agora' (C6).Methodology - student-centred: teachers encourage students to use problem-solving and designer thinking strategies to develop critical skills (leadership, teamwork, peer to peer learning, tutoring and inclusive education) and to better appreciate different perspectives and voices.Estimated tangible results: 1. An innovative and inclusive educational approach, favouring the personal and academic success of students;2. Min. 120 students trained to become Democratic Agents;3. Min. 25 students and 10 teachers acting as cohesion factors in their communities;4. Activities in/outside the classroom targetting the democratic culture.Envisaged intangible results:- preventing discrimination;- increase in interpersonal communication and self-awareness;- improving schools’ profile;- forging links with families and larger communities.Ongoing evaluation will assess the quality and the impact of the activities, thus ensuring the optimum premises to model young people according to the scope of the project.On the short-term, students will consolidate competencies regarding social responsibility, communication, dialogue, mutual understanding and openness. On the long term, they will learn how to act as balancing factors in their classes, to combat exclusion, to approach an unfair situation positively, building bridges across communities and contributing to more peaceful and multicultural societies.Continuation is ensured firstly through the outputs, e.g. learning materials, maintaining open and free access to content published on the TRUE COLORS online project, school websites and Facebook page. After the project's end, the work will continue at the local level (e.g. implementing methods and practices), at the national level (e.g. trying to influence policymaking, legislation) and at the EU level (e.g. replicating the project in other countries).

ContextThe project has been drawn with the intention of bringing students from different European countries closer, creating space for learning from each other and gathering so as work on common goals. Sophisticated as it may seem, entrepreneurship should be a key skill of modern citizens, thus it is not astonishing that they should learn it as early as at a primary level. Students' sense of initiative creates a space for personal growth and will enable them to find an area where they may become leaders at later on. Needless to say, benefits of the strive to inculcate some entrepreneurial skills into students will pay off in the future. Modern and entrepreneurially-aware students will find it easy to push their ideas even in the times of economic changes and uncertainty and in the areas of low-income, where almost all these schools are based.Such a skill confronts to the Recommendation 2006/962/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 on key competences for lifelong learning. The idea behind the project, which is sense of initiative and entrepreneurship, constitutes one of the eight competences laid out in the framework.Objectives1.To endow students with tools to develop their sense of initiative2.To discover and explore opportunities that the UE gives3.To spread tolerance and popularize diversity juxtaposing European cultures4.To give space for international collaboration with the richness of cultures5.To improve communicative and language skills of students6.To gain some knowledge connected with entrepreneurship7.To spread the idea and knowledge of start-ups8.To focus on the development of creativity and critical thinking9.To form ground for cooperation between schools and local entrepreneursParticipantsThe target group consists of approximately 200 students who are 12-14 years-old Students facing social, economic, integration challenges will be fully supported to engage in the activities, so as to encourage their participation. The actual participants will be 80 students, out of whom 20 are facing various challenges (C2-C5) and 48 teachers – 16 teachers attend C1, while 32 mobilities for accompanying teachers are planned for C2-C5.Transnational eventsTurkey - C1 - Nov 2018; Start-ups. Financial and Management Basics - short term joint staff training eventMacedonia – C2 - April 2019; Entrepreneurial skills and competences - student exchangeRomania - C3 - Oct 2019; Start-up ideas from around Europe - student exchange -Bulgaria - C4 - Feb 2020; Start-ups and advertising - student exchangeSpain - C5 - May 2020. Start-ups – Going online - Student exchangeResults Some results we plan to produce are: workshop materials (theoretical aspects as well as worksheets, students’ collaborative products, recorded performances of students, exercises to develop creativity, negotiation, communication, planning skills), meetings with local entrepreneurs, interviews designed by students, business ideas developed at a basic level which will be included in the project final brochure, and finally an EE Kit for lower-secondary students.We also want to reach a set of outcomes, among which improved personal skills, improved cooperation of teachers and students at European level, more prepared and more motivated students, improved knowledge of European similarities and differences.ImpactStudents will get acquainted with entrepreneurship and will become more knowledgeable about what a start-up is, what resources are necessary to initiate it and how they can promote and advertise it. This will improve, in the short run, their performance in other school projects.The project will improve the expertise of each school in terms of international cooperation. It will enable teachers and students in the same school to cooperate, thus improving their working relationships. Therefore, better cohesion will be attained in each school. The teachers and students will become better organisers, will improve their planning and problem-solving skills, thus achieving long-term benefits.The success of the project and the positive impact it will have on the participants will prompt the teaching staffs in schools to continue their European initiatives and apply for future Erasmus+ projects.

"‘Various methods towards one goal - Successful Inclusive Education!’ is a two years Strategic Partnership project under Erasmus Plus Programme. Six partners from Poland, Finland, Macedonia, Spain, Greece and Italy decided to start a cooperation on the topic of inclusive education. The need for such a project raises from following reasons: one in ten young Europeans leave education or training without having the skills and qualifications which are now considered necessary for a successful transition to the labor market and for active participation in today’s society, meaning they risk unemployment, social exclusion and poverty. The 21st century brings new challenges and those challenges need new ways of thinking in education - inclusive education. Making the learning process more flexible could help to prevent early school leaving problem in Europe. It could help to reduce dropping out of basic education, to promote working with action-based and work-oriented methods and provide instruction also in other learning environments. It is very important to strengthen the resilience of our pupils to be ready to face the future. They should be flexible and able to cope with society changing constantly. Besides knowledge, they all need to develop a broad set of competences and ability to cope with change, regardless of their background or their specific educational needs. The main objectives of the project are: spreading idea of inclusive education among the teachers and the community, learning the methods to use them as tools of the creative, innovative and equal learning process to prevent early school leavers and support disadvantaged pupils, supporting teachers in adopting collaborative and innovative practices and gaining knowledge and skills on methods supporting inclusive education.The implementation of the project assumes six part training course on different methods of inclusive education. Each partner country will organise a 5-days training on one method which is effective in the learning process of disadvantaged children: - Poland: Using visual arts in inclusive education- Spain: Art and creativity as a way to revolutionize the classroom- Macedonia: Formative assessment as a vehicle of inclusive education- Finland: Green empowerment as a tool of inclusive education- Italy: Technology for the inclusive classroom- Greece: Choreotherapy: a gift to the body and mind! Participation in those trainings will lead to have a group of well equipped specialist (change agents) in each school. Their task will be to change the attitude towards the importance of inclusive education among community by sharing the knowledge and tools through the workshops for other teachers and stakeholders, meetings with parents and using the methods in daily work with children. After each training an ‘open lesson’ presenting the elements of the learned method will be organized in each school. It will be available for the headmaster, co-workers (teachers) and parents of the pupils. The aim of 'open lesson' is to present the methods and its use in daily work of teachers but also to start changing the attitudes towards inclusive education.As a result of this project, a publication will be made. It will promote the idea of inclusive education and help to understand the need of diversity in education. The practical parts of the publication will support teachers and other stakeholders in adopting collaborative and innovative practices.Direct participants of the activities of the project are the teachers (special needs teachers, supporting teachers, subject teachers, headmasters) from the schools of the partners. They will directly take part in the six trainings provided in the implementation of the project. There will be 4 participants from each partner country taking part in each training.The second group of participants are the pupils of partners' schools. The teachers are going to work with them by using the methods known during the trainings. The main focus will be on pupils at risk of early school leaving and disadvantaged (which includes children with special needs, refugees, migrants, children with different social background). Their participation will be indirect but they are the most important participants of the project. The third group will be other teachers who gain knowledge and skills during the implementation and dissemination of the project. There will be possibility for them to take part in open lessons and in the workshop presenting the selected methods of inclusive education at the end of the project. Parents of the children and other stakeholders will also have a chance to watch presented ""open lessons"" to understand the idea of inclusive education and its importance in the process of learning.All the activities planned during the implementation of the project will promote the Erasmus Plus Programme and the importance of quality of teaching process."

<< Background >>A study on “Education and information activities on animal welfare which was published by IRTA in 2016” identified whether animal welfare or any related issues were included the educational programmes for secondary education in the countries of Poland, Lithuania, Greece, North Macedonia and Spain as a compulsory or optional subject. The review of the school programmes showed that animal welfare (or related issues such as animal production, pets or wild animals) is not included in any national educational programme, nor in the national curricula, neither as a compulsory or optional subject. In most countries, the concept of animal welfare is integrated in pre-school education by means of games and pictures. In Poland, studies include cross-curricular themes and educational pathways covering topics such as ecological education or education for society, in which animal welfare could also be included.PAW project has been built upon the European Convention for the Protection of Animals kept for Farming Purposes and on the Action Plan on Welfare 2006-2010 with the aim of developing and guaranteeing animal welfare and protection within the European Union (EU) and in other parts of the world. In addition, with the European Union Strategy for the Protection and Welfare of Animals, it has guided states that 'Animal welfare is a societal concern that appeals to a wide public. Treatment of animals relates to ethics and is part of the Union's set of values. It is therefore relevant to communicate to children, young adults or the public at large to raise awareness of respect for animals and to promote responsible ownership.' Animals play a significant role in children's lives. How humans care for and consider the lives of animals is central to reducing levels of suffering - both deliberate and through lack of knowledge (RSPCA,2021). Unfortunately, not all children have families and friends who set good examples about respecting the lives of animals and being kind to animals doesn't always come naturally (ibid). Education experts believe that teaching children to care for and respect animals from an early age can bring about positive change for children and animals and surveys have highlighted that the majority of teachers would teach lessons about care for animals (RSPCA,2021). Encouraging empathy and compassion for living beings is important for young people's personal development and would result in a step-change improvement in some of the welfare issues that impact the lives of animals today such as neglect, litter and farming practices. These are important life skills that will also benefit society as a whole.The PAW project aims to develop transnational cooperation between organizations and to enhance their capacity building by bringing organizations from Poland, Greece, Spain, North Macedonia and Lithuania with diverse experience and expertise covering different needs and challenges. Moreover, the project aims to build activities, which aim to inclusion. In addition, the project brings an innovative aspect as a combination of EU policies about animal protection and welfare, awareness and education in schools. Overall, the PAW project aims to allow diverse organisations learn from each other, increase their capacity and operate jointly to improve the animal protection and welfare conditions in the partner countries. Moreover, the implementation of innovative practices and joint experiences and peer learning will up-scale the project results at local, regional and national level.<< Objectives >>Animals play a significant role in children's lives. How humans care for and consider the lives of animals is central to reducing levels of suffering - both deliberate and through lack of knowledge (RSPCA,2021). Unfortunately, not all children have families and friends who set good examples about respecting the lives of animals and being kind to animals doesn't always come naturally (ibid). Education experts believe that teaching children to care for and respect animals from an early age can bring about positive change for children and animals and surveys have highlighted that the majority of teachers would teach lessons about care for animals (RSPCA,2021). Encouraging empathy and compassion for living beings is important for young people's personal development and would result in a step-change improvement in some of the welfare issues that impact the lives of animals today such as neglect, litter and farming practices. When children learn about animal welfare, they're more likely to enjoy healthy relationships with animals and people throughout their lives. By developing young people's knowledge about animals, we can inspire the next generation and create a future that's kinder to animals.Although there are laws in place regarding companion animals Poland has a large population of stray and sheltered dogs, demonstrating the need for awareness-raising. It appears that current attitudes towards animals may present a barrier to progress. Additionally, there appear to be structural and resource issues acting as barriers, for example, local authorities are reported to struggle with funding shelters.In addition, the use of animals for therapeutic purposes – zootherapy or animal therapy involves various forms. The most commonly used method of rehabilitation and therapeutic treatments are the use of the direct assistance of the animals (Gardiánová & Hejrová, 2015). In both the broader world, there are very widely used methods including the most well-known horses and dogs, hipotherapy and canistherapy. It is also possible to use other animal species and categories such as farm animals (cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and llamas) and other more exotic animals including the use of dolphins. These are used in addition to species that we could classify as small animals and pets (ibid). It is possible to include in this group of small pets, such creatures as cats, rabbits, ferrets, birds, fish, etc. They are also used in schools, zoos, hospitals and homes for the elderly. Homes for the elderly and hospitals can also benefit from birds (most of them already have parrots and other species). The other alternative is an aquarium with fish.The PAW Project is built around the EU Strategy for the Protection and Welfare of Animals, which focuses on key activities and acts as guiding instrument for development and promotion of co-operation between EU Institutions, Member States, educational and animal welfare stakeholders. The Commission would like to achieve the following objectives: define more clearly EU action on animal welfare, continue to promote high standards in this field, provide greater coordination of resource, support research and promote alternatives to animal testing, ensure the coherence and coordination of all EU policies on animal welfare.The plan focusing around the following main axes:•On the promotion of participation in animal protection and welfare activities •Investment in mental health promotion through zootherapy•Skills and qualifications in animal protection and welfare will be prioritized through best practice exchanges and knowledge building organizations<< Implementation >>Output 11.1.Mapping of national needs & best practices per country: good practices identification and benchmarking of successful strategies1.2.PAW benchmarking report: a report collecting national data and best practices. It will include recommendations.Output 22.1.PAW educational material: Designing and development of digital and multimedia educational material2.2.Guide for teachers: integration of the subject (animal protection) in the school curriculum 2.3.Handbook for parents: documentation of animal welfare websites, trainers, shelters and animal associationsOutput 33.1.Piloting sessions: sessions in primary schools, one session in each partner school with minimum of 20 participants in each session3.2.Sessions with parents about zootherapy: one session in each partner school with thematic of animal therapy as an adjunctive form of treatment for children with learning disabilities and mental disorders.Output 4Dissemination Communication and dissemination of the project’s main activities and results:4.1.Multiplier events organised by all partners at national levels: Awareness campaign: “Adopt a stray animal in your school”. Awareness raising campaign targeting educational sector specially schools to adopt a stray animal and include the method of therapeutic contact with animals(zootherapy) in the schools4.2.Creation of the visual identity of the project. 4.3.Development of promotional material such as leaflets, posters, gadgets etc.After the project’s completion the following outputs will be created: •The project’s forum and digital material, which will be lasted up until two years after the project’s completion, available in an open access form.•All project printed material which can be used for follow-up campaigns•A fully developed open accessed material on animal education directed to schools•Online and printed guides for educators and parents<< Results >>The project aims to have concete results through its main deliverables: - It will create a concete benchmarking report for the data about animal welfare and animal rights in Greece, North Macedonia, Lithuania, Poland and Spain. It will also include best practices from all over Europe. - It will create a MOOC educational material translated in all partners languages related to animal rights and protection of animal welfare.- It will create a guide for educators and teachers on how to inform and raise awareness of children about animal rights and protection of animal welfare- It will produce a handbook freely accessible for parents in Greece, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Poland and Spain-It will run piloting sessions for at least 30 students (minimum 90 in total) from each school, which participates in the project, in Greece, Lithuania and North Macedonia-It will organise 3 multiplier events in Greece, Lithuania and North Macedonia and final Conference for the multiplications of project's results.