EMAGAZINE 2022 APRIL LTTA IN SICILY VOLUME VI PROJECT WEBSITE
TABLE OF CONTENTS 03 HILS in a nut shell 04 Get to know the partners LTTA POV Spanish Students' Diary 05 LTTA in Sicily 06 -07 08 - 12 Students' testimonials
Crucially, we have been able to include in the partnership two non school government organisations based in the Netherlands and the UK specialised in public health and healthy schools, respectively These member organisations play an essential role in providing the necessary expertise and knowledge required for an effective delivery of the project's goals.
In essence this project brings about issues related to social inequality in the context of healthy living and wellbeing, two highly relevant, hotly debated global issues. Over its 3 year course, HILS will enable a large number of young people across this partnership to explore a large variety of healthy living aspects, tackle a number of barriers to a healthier, longer and more fulfilling life HILS has been thoughtfully structured by combining methodologies which have been previously tried and successfully tested as well as by bringing a series of innovative ideas and strategies The activities have been carefully designed and selected to suit the needs of young people across the partnership, by being both accessible and suitably challenging These activities will enable the students involved to learn in a progressive way which will lead to the planned outcomes There is a strong emphasis on students' leadership skills; HILS will empower young people to take control and be the main driving force in their quest for the full implementation of the project's results, which will in turn forge and develop their leadership skills and a let’s do attitude
Above Opening words from the head coordinator on the first day of the online LTTA
In many ways, this project has the potential to transform the lives of a great number of young people, who seem to be trapped in a self-imposed vicious cycle of poor lifestyle choices leading to poor health, academic underperformance, lack of aspirations and ultimately, a shorter, less fulfilling life.
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HILS in a nutshell HILS (Healthy Inclusive Lifestyle through Schools) brings together 8 secondary schools from: Netherlands (Project Coordinators), Spain, Portugal, Slovenia, Finland, France, Italy and the United Kingdom.
It is not by accident that this partnership brings together educational institutions from a vast variety of EU regions covering rural and urban areas, north and south of Europe, east and west, and most significantly, students from varying degrees of socio economic and demographic spectrums, as the project's ultimate aim is to robustly challenge the general perception that a healthy lifestyle and all the perks associated with it, is a privileged of children and adults from the wealthier 'side of town' Issue 30 | 234
Gettoknowthe partners HILS Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices A strategic partnership for school education Head coordinator Pallas Athene School Ede English partner AIM North London Academy (until 2021) Christ's College Finchley (since 2021) French partner Ecole Hôtelière de Paris Lycée Jean Drouant Italian partner Liceo Scientifico Leonardo da Vinci Floridia Finnish partner Latokartanon peruskoulu Helsinki Spanish partner Instituto de Educación Secundaria Playa San Juan Alicante Slovenian partner Osnovna šola Benedikt Portuguese partner Agrupamento de Escolas Alberto Sampaio Braga English Health Organisation Enfield Council Dutch Health Organisation Veiligheids en Gezondheidsregio Gelderland Midden Arnhem EDITORIAL OFFICE Agrnominkatu 22, 00790 Helsinki, Finland EDITOR IN CHIEF Seda Altunbay SUBSCRIPTIONS Visit our project website here for further information Page 4
In April the 4th Hils project LTTA was held in Floridia Italy. Health, safety and environment was the topic of this mobility The main focus of the activities such as presentations, workshops, visits and assignments where all situated around this topic We visited beaches with environmental protection, had readings about how to keep the environment healthy and spoke about dangers in your environment for your health, like hard sounds and how to protect you from these The students worked in international groups to create idea’s and presentations about different aspects of this topic and how to deal with it. They presented their results in a plenary meeting (Source: Dutch partners' subsite)
I think what I will remember the most were all the dinners with everyone including our Italian pen friends who were so friendly! LEARNING TEACHING TRAINING ACTIVITIES
Mélissa from France
4th - 8th April 2022 Page 5
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SpanishStudents'Diary
After an outstanding opening ceremony about peace, all the students made high quality presentation about the situation in each of their countries, then they had the opportunity to participate to outdoor ice breaking activities All along the week, they attended conferences about safety and environment, participated in several workshops about various topics such as “safety in hearing” or “safe warming up and cooling down”, and had the privilege to visit the Vendicari Nature Reserve and the Plemmirio Marine Protected area near the Maniace castle in Syracusa, as well as the unique antique sites, without forgetting the delicious Sicilian gastronomy! (Source: French partners' subsite) by Carla Pérez, Elsa Ruíz, Mario Muñoz, Marta Molina, Ania Chaher, Andrea Fdez, and Martín Camuñas
Since we flew here yesterday, It’s not our first day in Siracusa But it’s the day we’re meeting with everyone. People from The Netherlands, Slovenia, France, Italy and Portugal are also coming Italy, the host country, has done an incredible presentation with several dances and songs. It was really impressive and enjoyable. As we were told, we did our presentation and listened to others This was very entertaining as we got to know the different schools from each country.
After that, we were given our lunch and we had some time to talk to the new people Before we left, we played some interesting and fun games so that we could get to know each other Finally, we went to our corresponding hotels and at 19:50 we had some Italian food. It has been a fantastic day. We’re very happy for being here and meeting all these people
Monday, April 4th
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Thursday, April 6th
On Thursday we went to visit the protected sea area near Siracusa and the Maniace Castell in the city. In the protected area, we took a beautiful walk and it reminded us a lot of our area of Alicante, where there is also a natural protected area, by the sea in Santa Pola, where there are also salt flats and where it is possible to observe many species of birds that rest on their long migratory journeys In the castle we learnt a lot about the history of Siracusa, and the views were beautiful. We had lunch, and after that we went to the Ancient Greek Theater of Siracusa, an amazing place, it was beautiful Friday, 8th April It’s our last day here and we are very sad since we probably won’t see each other again Today we went back to the Liceo Da Vinci in Floridia. We have to prepare a presentation with our groups. Each group has a different interesting subject. After we had presented, we had a fantastic meal at school Food was really nice When we got back to Siracusa we hung out with the friends we had made. And at dinner time, we had to say our last goodbye It was devastating But we really had a great time during the week so it’s bittersweet.
Tuesday, April 5th
On Tuesday we went to the school at Floridia, we did several activities about sports.
At first we did a “competition of rock, paper scissors”, it was very funny, our classmate Martín won!! After that we worked with our groups, mixed groups of all nationalities which is quite interesting to know each other We had to do two choreographies; in the first one we had to stretch, and on the second one, we had to imitate some sports of the Olympics Games and the other groups had to guess which sport we were imitating We had lunch, and after we had the opportunity to listen to a presentation about pollution. And we left for Siracusa at 16:00 as always. And we had dinner together
"I decided to go on this Erasmus trip because I wanted to improve my English, discover a new country and also make new encounters with others students It is for me a huge opportunity and in the future, I want to work in others countries than France. During this mobility, we went to the Leonardo da Vinci high school to meet our penpals and do our HILS presentation. We also met Spanish, Portuguese, Slovenian and Dutch students We had several workshops, many conferences, a guided excursion to the natural reserve of Vendicari, a guided visit to Maniace castle, we had to do another presentation at the end of our stay and then we had a farewell party. We ate at the restaurant for
dinners. What I preferred what the beautiful city of Syrcusa, spending time with the others students, making connections and improving my English. I loved the dinner times, Sicilian food is amazing ! What surprised me the most was the fact that in Italy, when you order a « hot chocolate », they serve you thick melted chocolate I think I will always remember the connections between all the students, the times when we taught each others our languages and the fact that all the students made an effort to speak English and have interesting conversations. Discovering other cultures and tasting local specialities such as the incredibly declicious « aranchino », was one of the best times we had ! But most of all this experience gave me confidence " Louise, France "The last day was really special: we went to their school and prepared presentations in our groups, presented them to others and when everything ended, we went outside and had a farewell party I learn a lot of new things from this experience We have learnt about social safety,
Students' testimonials
drinking and food safety, pollution and how to live healthy, etc From presentations we learned some things from every country and was really interesting." Nusa, Slovenia "I participated in this Erasmus mobility because I wanted to be able to improve my level of English while discovering the culture of another country. During the mobility, we were able to make friends with the students from all the participating countries through work groups during which we had to interact. We also visited two places related to environment : the Vendicari Natural reserve and the Maniace castle The last day we had to make a presentation about an environmental subject with our international group What I also enjoyed a lot were the free times we had during which I was able to talk to people from other nationalities, it helped me to improve my English and mu Spanish a lot The thing that surprised me the most was our ability to talk to each others that fast and to understand each others even if we don’t speak the same language. What I will always
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Ema, Slovenia
"We enjoyed our stay in Italy very much, we had a great time and met new friends from all the countries included in the HILLs project. We worked in mixed groups. Later on, we had various lectures and competitions, in which representatives of each country participated by answering questions It was a great experience and I hope it will continue in the future "
Mélissa, France
"On second day, we visited volcano Etna It was really cold there, and it was very windy we weren’t expecting that But it was still very cool visiting an active volcano Our guide explained everything to us and said last eruption was in February 2021 On Monday, we had the first day at school We met our Italian hosts Then each country represented itself and talked about health, safety and environment in their countries Then we had launch and after that we went outside and played some games. For the first one we made two circles one inside the other and when music was playing, we were walking in that circles and when it stopped, we stopped. And then we talked to a person that was standing on the opposite side so in the other circle. It was very fun and I met a lot of nice people. Then we had a competition every country chose one person to compete in that game They had to answer questions with yes or no, and if they said yes, they stepped one step further, and if they said no, they took one step back And when they run out of questions, they had to run till the end of path, and the first one to do that won
On Tuesday, we had different presentations about hearing safety, environment, exercises, We made 7 groups (I was in group number 6) and we did some warm up exercises. We also had a quiz, where each country chose 1 person again to answer some questions. Next day, on Wednesday, we had a short trip to place, where birds took final rest before going to Africa in winter. We saw some birds like flamingos and they told us why they are pink colour. They showed us an old tuna factory and told us something about it We also had swimming in plan, but it was too cold for that so we rather went to a small village where we ate ice cream
remember was on the last day of the trip, when everybody started singing and dancing to share a last moment together, it felt like we were all from the same country and I appreciated that moment a lot " Martin, France
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On our sixth day, Thursday, we had another trip to a castle called Maniace castle There, we learned something about how they are taking care of safety at the sea. Then we walked around that castle, which is really pretty. We took some nice pictures and a lot of selfies. Then we walked to a place where were a lot of trees, at least two caves (we went in one) and an amphitheatre. It was very pretty there. But really hot and the sun was very bright."
Zala, Slovenia "I wanted to participate to the Erasmus project and to this trip to Sicily because I wanted to be in an English environment so I could improve my language skills. During this mobility we visited a natural reserve and a castle, and we had workshops in international groups. What I liked best were the visits and the time that we spent with other students from all the other countries : it was very nice ! I think what I will remember the most were all the dinners with everyone including our Italian pen friends who were so friendly ! It is an amazing experience and I would encourage all my classmates to participate as well "
"I decided to participate to the Erasmus mobility to represent our school, to discover other cultures and also to improve my English skills. During this mobility each group did a presentation on the first day to present their school, we also had workshops about mental and physical health, hearing safety, pollution and environmental issues. I think the moment that I preferred was when we visited the natural reserve and also the castle because I had the opportunity to learn more about the history of Sicily and Syracusa I met a lot of people with whom I became friends so I think I will remember them and this mobility for all my life "
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On Tuesday we worked in mixed groups and after work in groups we had a break After the break we had some interesting lectures, which were presented by different teachers from other countries After the lectures we went to the hotel because we had a free afternoon The Italians took us on a tour of Syracuse where we got to know each other properly and became good friends On Friday, as always, we went to school by bus When we arrived at the school, we had 2 hours to prepare a presentation in groups on the topic assigned to us by the teachers. Our group represented safety and use of public transport. After the presentations, we went to the yard in front of the school, where they prepared delicious snacks for us. One of my favourites was of course the Cannoli, there was also music and we danced a lot. The Italians also taught us some new dances After the party we said goodbye to the Italians and it was hard because we found really good friends there The trip to Sicily was a wonderful unforgettable experience We met a lot of new friends and spent a wonderful week together " Laura Lissa, Slovenia
Nives, Slovenia "My school is a part of HILS Erasmus project and one of the mobilities was in Italy, in a small town in Sicily called Floridia I was fortunate enough to be a part of this excellent mobility. It all started on Saturday, when we flew from Trieste to Catania by plane. It was my first time on a plane and I can say that it was not what I expected at all. But the feeling was quite pleasant. On Monday, I woke up at 6 just so I could get ready for the day. I was so nervous if the rest of the students would like me. Slovene and Dutch students got on the bus and waited for the French, Spanish and Portuguese students that came a bit later At 8:00 we arrived at the school and met our assigned Italian students My Italian student was Anita Puglisi She was so pretty, nice and polite when I met her She was a bit shy so we didn’t talk as much as we wanted to since I’m bad at holding a conversation as well, but we had a lot in common We talked and then sat down in a place where we held all the conferences and the welcome ceremony started We continued with countries presenting themselves. After a 30 minute break the Italian students showed us their high school, I think their school is really nice because they have the ability to walk outside as they are changing classrooms and get some free air. They have a nice little garden that the student planted just for the Erasmus project which I think is adorable and very nice of them. We continued with the presentations and then the Italian students surprised us with their talents such as dancing, singing and playing instruments We ate our lunch and then we got assigned to 7 groups and started solving a questionnaire with questions about our countries and schools’ environment, safety and health
On Friday we did presentations in our groups The theme of my team was safety in hearing All groups did great job After that we enjoyed in our farewell party I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed it like back then It was really funny and also sad of course. In this week I met some really special people. My new friends. Especially people from Netherland. We spent a lot of afternoon together. I did really special memories this week. And I won’t forget it never. Special thanks to my teachers for this experience and my friends to make it like it is now. Unforgettable."
"When we arrived at the school, we were kindly welcomed by the Italians. Each country introduced itself and the Italians even sang and danced After the presentations, the teachers organized games where we were getting to know each other
Samuila, France
"On Monday we went in school where we got our buddies for this week. We also had our presentations and it went great although I was really nervous. We had some workshops too so we could meet each other. It was so nice and people are really friendly. On Tuesday we had some lectures about safety of our ears and about pollution and environment I learned that earbuds are really dangerous for our ears I didn’t know that We also had sport workshop and we really enjoyed in it On Tuesday afternoon we went in the city with Italian people and we had a great time We went to the beach too It was just perfectly On Wednesday we visited Vendicari Natural reserve With one word beautiful I swear There is so calm and quiet We saw flamingos and some other bird. Flamingos were just the attraction. We also went to the beach where are a lot of sea grass. I forgot to use sunscreen so my face was sunburnt for real. On Tuesday we had one more trip. We visited Maniace castle, which is huge and gorgeous castle. From there is such a nice view Then we visited a Greek theatre We had to walk a lot and it was worth for it It is something special to see that Now I know the deference between theatre and amphitheatre I am proud on myself that I learned new things that week
On Wednesday, we all met on a bus and drove to Vendicari We took our lunches there and started walking towards the entrance We paid the entrance fee and split into two groups I was in the 2nd group. We had a guide that showed us flamingos. We learnt that flamingos are pink because they eat shrimps and the shrimps eat food with rich nutrition. Therefore, the pinkiness of a flamingo depends on how much nutrition the flamingo eats. We walked down a beautiful path leading to the beach. There we talked about the old tuna factory. This week was a very nice opportunity and experience The students are all very nice and the city is extraordinary I missed the place and the people on day 1 in Slovenia I wish to have more projects as this since students get to practice English in everyday conversation, and meet other students and their culture "
On Tuesday, we had workshops with a Dutch teacher Mrs Fiona She was telling us how ears work and can get damaged We found out that the random buzz in your ears means that your ears are already damaged After this we had a 30 minute break and then we got assigned to 7 groups and had sports workshops where we made sequences of warm up exercises. Some groups presented those and later the groups that didn’t present the warm up exercises presented some yoga sequences based on Olympic sports. My group had fencing, boxing, diving, golf and weightlifting The students that watched us had to guess which sports they were After all groups presented their stuff we had lunch We were given 30 minutes of a lunch break and then we continued with an environment conference with Mr Interlandi Some students joined a quiz that Mr Interlandi prepared and learnt a lot of new stuff about their country’s environment
Amila, Slovenia Page 11
Attilio R., Italy
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"This experience was both really interesting and fun We learned a lot especially through the various workshops and excursions, and I enjoyed hanging out with my buddy Jonas and other people from other countries and I hope we can see eachother again " Matteo, Italy
"It was fun meeting new people and learning about different habits and traditions from the various countries " Gabriele, Italy
"It's been amusing to have all this foreing people around, really friendly, nice and always ready to have fun with the people they meet. I learnt many things about different cultures as well as some words in the other languages. I hope we'll meet again sometime , it's been really fun to meet you all." Attilio, Italy
"This experience was really interesting. I met people who were nice and funny. We did workshop and beautiful excursions. I met Eduardo, a friendly guy who taught me words in portuguese and i taught him words in italian. We still talk on the phone and we are trying to see each other again. I would like to meet everyone again as soon as possible."
What'snext? Final LTTA and HILS Conference in