Description of the realised programme of C4.
Between the 21st and the 25th of February 2022, pupils and teachers from all the partner schools involved in the Erasmus+ project “Entrepreneurship matters” attended the blended short-term exchange of groups of pupils, C4, which was hosted by the “Agostino Bassi School”, Lodi, Italy. The schools from Greece, Portugal and Romania participated in person and the schools from Bulgaria and Austria virtually (due to travel restrictions imposed by their local authorities).
All partners arrived on the 21st and we had a first dinner meeting in the evening where the students from the visiting countries were met by the students of the Agostino Bassi.
On the 22nd of February the school accommodated for a 5 hours live stream for Austria and Bulgaria through Microsoft Teams live stream:
https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ap3tcrAjReEhXW-8wunxx42j9ouY-gRDMSF4wA8GK75Y1%40thread.tacv2/1644337685768?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%2285bb924f-5672-47d4-a101-c5985d8522f2%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22907884c0-8bf8-4c46-8f81-7fe6d847f912%22%7d
There was, firs of all, welcome greeting by the coordinator and after kids from each participating country. There were musical performances by students and after they presented their projects according to the planned activities in the application.
The following agenda was followed
⦁ The Lodi area by Mariotti C. Lodi area is in the central-southern part of Lombardy region. It has a good economy (agriculture, industry, tourism and sports), religious architecture, natural areas and traditional events.
⦁ The river Po by Siwar B.R. The river Po is one of the most important rivers and the longest one in Italy. It represents a common identity determined also by everything connected with it like biodiversity, gastronomy, history.
⦁ The town of Lodi by Giorgio J. The town of Lodi is an ancient town in the Lombardy region founded by Federico Barbrossa. It has a lot of historic sites.
⦁ Women’s start-up by Vaghetti V. There is still a lot of to do for female entrepreneurship in the world. To promote female entrepreneurship, it’s better to encouraging girls to acquire STEM, its knowledge and skills in science, technology, engineering and math in order to be able to overcome gender stereotypes.
⦁ Ferrari Formaggi and Ferrarelle by two Italian companies. Ferrari is a cheese company from Lodi but it has a national fame and it is an example of female entrepreneurship because the management is a female one. Their president did the presentation. Ferrarelle is an Italian company who works on international markets focused on the concept of the Made in Italy brand and committed to sustainability. Ferrarelle is also a female entrepreneurship example as shown by the manager (the boss daughter) who made the speech at the meeting.
⦁ The Farmsteads and dairies on Lodi by Grassi P. There are some types of farmsteads in the Lodi area: farmstead and dairies for production purposes and farmsteads for Enogastronomic ends.
⦁ Gastro tourism: Italian cuisine by Caronelli M. Italian food has become one of the world’s most important national cuisines. The Mediterranean diet and pizza Napoletana were included in the list of oral and intangible heritage of humanity by UNESCO.
All presentations and projects will be uploaded on the project website, you tube and eTwinning.
In the afternoon the hosting school and the visiting partners (teachers and students) had a meeting with the mayor who informed us on the opportunities and the good practice the region has as far as agrotourism and the opportunities for alternative entrepreneurship for young people available in the region. We also had a tour of Lodi where some selected students played the role of tour guide talking about some historic and cultural sights in the town. All activities were live streamed through Facebook for the partners in Bulgaria and Austria.
On 23rd February, in the morning, we had an excursion on the river Po by boat until the Adda river. The Po is the longest river in Italy and its central stretch, which crosses the Lodi area, has been proclaimed a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2019. Crossing the river, we had the opportunity to observe flora and fauna and typical agriculture of the Po area. In the afternoon, we visited a Food&Wine school where we had experiential cooking workshops. All teachers and students became chefs for a day, and in small groups we experienced preparing panzerotti and typical carnival sweets eating them at the end in atmosphere of dancing and joy.
On 24th February we went to Milan by train. Milan is one of the most important cities of Italy; it is Italian business and fashion capital, and it also has several UNESCO sites. We visited GAM – Galleria di Arte Moderna, the largest municipal collection of 19th century works, the Duomo, the city gothic cathedral, and, following the Vittorio Emanuele II gallery, we arrived at Theater alla Scala, which is one of the most famous theaters in the world. We experienced the flavors of Italian street food, and we tasted the noises and the colors of the shopping streets. We were lucky to be in Milan during “Milan fashion week” (22nd-28th February). Teachers and students discussed the Russian attack to Ukraine with big regret. We also discussed and we shared Portugal and Romania meetings in the afternoon.
The Participants left home on the 25th February.
All the obligatory project paperwork was done: attendance lists, program copies, certificates.
Acquired competences and skills.
During this physical mobility, the students acquired many useful competences, such as getting a better idea of what entrepreneurship is all about, problem solving concept, strengthening their creative and critical thinking skills, being open-minded towards inclusion, cultural diversity and tolerance in education, improving their leadership skills, and their ability to work in transnational teams.
All the participants in the exchange became acquainted with the Italian lifestyle, as well as with the local culture and customs, cuisine and tradition of Italy. In special way, Italian food and wine culture was an integral part of the meeting in accordance with musical performance everywhere. Students and teachers alike improved their communication skills in English, and their interpersonal abilities, promoted their own cultural and educational achievements, got a stronger sense of European belonging, and became part of the e-mates family. Students learned through their experience that public speaking serves the purpose of transmitting information, and motivating people.
Students with special needs was in the presentation students’ teams and participated actively during the meeting at the school and during the whole meeting.
Though the Covid restriction limited a lot of the activities and most of them were quite time consuming. All the group had to be checked for vaccine passports anywhere we went, and some sights were totally restricted and not the whole school could participate as there was a limit of students in the Aula Magna. The worst part was the fact that Austria and Bulgaria were only virtually with us and though they actively participated, and we had a daily communication through Facebook, teams, WhatsApp, and messenger nothing compares to face-to-face human contact and their teachers and students missed the best part of Erasmus-human contact, hugs, sometimes tears, smiles all the time.
It was really a challenge for physical mobility in the covid period, but we are e-mates family, and we turn challenges into strengths to break down the barriers of culture and knowledge and build friendship.
Lodi, Italy
26th February 2022
Maria Grazia Giordano