Three schools have decided to participate in the project named Geoheritage, culture and sustainable communities in rural areas in Finland, Iceland and Norway. Those three schools are Vaalan lukio/Vaala Upper Secondary School from Finland (as a coordinator) and Brønnøysund videregående skole from Norway and Framhaldsskólinn í Austur-Skaftafellssýslu from Iceland as partners.
We have together decided the main idea of the project and our preliminary title is Geoheritage, culture and sustainable communities in rural areas in Finland, Iceland and Norway. The aim is to study the formation of the environment in the long term since the Ice Ages. The environmental conditions to the humans as well as the sustainable development of rural societies in the past, at present and in the future. The project supports the goals of the curricula in the schools as to phenomenal learning and ecological culture. The schools will be trained to cooperate with researchers and experts from other institutions. One of the main goals is to support nordic cooperation and identity. The idea is to choose six of the sustainable development goals (by the United Nations) so that every country is responsible for two of them. We have chosen the following goals: Goal 6 / Water and sanitation for all, Goal 7 / Sustainable and modern energy, Goal 9 / Inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation, Goal 12 / Consumption and production pattern, Goal 13 / Climate Change and actions to compact climate change and its impacts and Goal 14 / Use of the oceans, seas and marine resources. The exchange weeks will be based on these themes; two themes per each exchange.
Climate change worries young people, because it is so complicated a phenomena. The schools should offer some methods to understand and handle the situation by the means of knowledge. The subjects that are relevant to the project areeooegraphy, biology, history, social sciences, philosophy, languages, arts etc. During the exchange weeks we will have two theory days and three working days in the fields. The results will presented and published mostly in social media; a blog, Facebook, Instagram, articles etc. Everybody takes part in the evaluation of the project. The project meetings will be held during the exchange weeks in order to save climate, money and time. The students will be hosted by families. Ten students from each country so that the transports during the exchange weeks could be organized with one bus.
Our aim is to apply for a three-year-Nordplus Junior-project together with three northern countries to compare environmental aspects in rural areas. The geoparks Trollfjell Geopark in Norway, Rokua Geopark in Finland and Katla Geopark in Iceland as well as local nationalparks would play an important role in the project.