Sweets' Taste Along Europe

Background

Following the many years of experience in teaching, each partner identified as a big problem, the tendency of the students to be more and more isolated. They are no longer able to work in groups, to act as sociable people. They spend most of their time in front of the computers, being unable sometimes to establish a healthy relation with their peers.

In this regard, the project called „SWEETS' TASTE ALONG EUROPE” had as the main goal the creation of a framework for giving the students strategies and tools to increase their social inclusion abilities and for the teachers to acquire the necessary tools to combat the Ss' social alienation. The research done and cooking together specific sweets in team-building activities were used as the main tools in combating this social alienation and in giving them a better self-esteem and respect for the others. Unfortunately, most of the students came from very poor families and disadvantaged areas with high risk of unemployment and social exclusion. It means that their self-esteem and confidence were mostly low and the risk of dropping out school was high. We made it as a goal to involve also these vulnerable students in the activities and this way, the dropout rate has decreased considerably.

Objectives

We fullfilled all our goals, meaning to:

• increase the students’ social skills (realized by means of the technology and learning activities: online meetings, chatting on WhatsApp, on Facebook, playing Kahoot games, collaborating at the creation of the Sweets booklet, Sweets Map and Glossary, exchanging recipes)
• enhance the teachers’ professional competence (IT and English abilities and professional knowledge sharing with the other teachers)
• decrease the schools' dropout rates by promoting learning to learn (as students at risk were glad to be involved in the creation of movies, presentations and IT products)
• develop the students' abilities in finding solutions, their critical thinking as a consequence of applying new technologies to make traditional products as a means of socialization
• enlarge the Ss’ self-esteem, self-confidence and motivation to learn
• grow the teachers' social skills and their knowledge on non-formal activities meant to stimulate Ss' motivation, aquired during the course in Braga.
• improve the students' digital skills (they used Web 2 Tools in creating videos, logos and posters, plays, Codeweek activities etc.)
• include the students with different needs in activities and improve their social skills.

Implementation

Common activities made:

• International Conference-19th February 2020 at Galati, Romania,
• Learning and teaching activities in Portugal, Italy, Turkey and Romania.
• Halloween sweets/artistic/pumpkin contests
• Christmas/Easter activities
• cooking sweets, drawing, making event invitations.
• Whatsapp group socialization,
• etwinning activities
• Logo and poster contests
• International Language Day celebration
• Codeweek activities (we got the Certificate of Excellence for our project);
• a Kahoot game played on 9th February 2021 on Safer Internet Day.
• Students’ Chatterpix and Voki introductions.
• 2021 Calendars in PhotoFunia.
• Final products creation: ebooks, videos, Sweet Map, glossary, magazine.
• Erasmus Days events, in 2020, 2021, 2022.
• Romania Brand Hospitality Competition, 4th Edition, 2022.

Local activities:

• workshops on social inclusion and personal development
• Erasmus Days events
• Codeweek activities in each school
• Sweets preparation videos before and during holidays
• Sweets cooking demonstrations
• Children's Rights Day, 20th November Webinar
• International Tolerance Day webinar
• World Disability Day activity
• Different holidays/ events
• Ramadan cooking events
• Project school corner exhibition.

Results

Outcomes:

• For students - increased social skills in order to ensure a better integration in society.
• For teachers - a set of skills achieved during a course on social inclusion and personal development
• Outputs:
• 3 learning and teaching activities mobilities for 12 students per partner,
• at least 3 workshops and tutorial classes per year with students in each partner's institution,
• minimum 400 students and 60 teachers as the beneficiaries of this partnership,
• 4 trained teachers per partner,
• Final products:
• EU Sweets Booklet, with ISBN
• a project youtube channel
• 2 Newsletters
• project website at https://sweetstaste.wordpress.com/
• a didactic tool, "Social Inclusion and Personal Development. Best practices" e-book, with ISBN
• "Sweet Taste of Innovation & Inclusion" international magazine, no. 1, with ISSN
• Sweets Google Map
• Sweets Glossary
• 2021 Calendars with PhotoFunia.
• A common video, Sweet Taste of Languages, at https://youtu.be/OTIPLQy9BxA
• Padlets with wishes,
• Kahoot game,
• Facebook Page
• sweets puppet shows
• Traditional sweets plays.
• videos with the story of a sweet
• videos with innovatory and traditional sweets.
• display corners
• common needs analysis.
• fancy dessert table serving videos