Sustainability through Generations Project: A Visit to Sweden

In September, our STEAM & Eco Coordinator Gabrielle Dinocourt was invited to Gothenburg, Sweden to participate in a cross-country project on heritage and sustainability through generations. Five countries were represented at the workshop: France, Norway, Slovenia, Finland, and Sweden. The purpose of the project is for students to produce short films that explore and discuss the local landscape in the past, present, and possibilities for the future. As the Mediterranean coast is such a rich treasure trove of natural beauty and cultural history, ICS students have a unique opportunity to explore the environmental and cultural heritage of the area and imagine what it could look like in the future.

During the three days, educators worked together to define the scope of the project, the aims and objectives and the learning outcomes for the children.

Gabrielle shares with us: "There were two benefits to this workshop. The first was a wonderful opportunity to share teaching methods, and I really liked an approach called "storyline," where children take on the roles of characters within a narrative. For example, while working on sustainable development, each child became a person in the town—such as the mayor, children, or parents—discussing their needs and viewpoints. In another case, the students were studying a beehive, with each one embodying a specific role within the hive."

The second aspect was to develop a project that involves finding and analysing images from the past to imagine future landscapes, all while considering the sustainable development goals. We also plan to incorporate a media component, enabling the children to develop skills in video and sound production as they explore these ideas. This initiative aligns perfectly with our STEAM and eco programme, and I can't wait to get started!"

Dr. Karolina Westling, Senior lecturer at the Department of Cultural Sciences, University of Gothenburg shares:

“This project is a Media and information literacy project that involves both cultural heritage and sustainability issues (Agenda 2030). The aim is to try ”our" model that we have tested in five schools in Sweden, in different cultures to see how it can be adapted to different contexts. The Côte d’Azur is so different from Sweden, so we are so excited to see the scope of the project on the Mediterranean. It is a fun and very important project where children meet and learn with the local community. They work with old and new images and films to think of the past, present and the future!”

Thank you to Dr Karolina Westling and the University of Gothenburg for the invitation to join this fantastic cross-European project.