In the current context of climate challenges and the increasing need for education oriented toward sustainable development, Erasmus+ projects represent a highly relevant pedagogical framework for developing our students’ ecological and civic competences. The transnational mobility hosted by Liceul Teoretic Radu Vlădescu and carried out within the Erasmus+ project 2025-1-BG01-KA121-SCH-000332655 implemented by Varnenska Morska Gimnazia “St. Nikolai Chudotvorec” located in Varna, Bulgaria, highlights how ecological education can be effectively integrated into non-formal, collaborative, and interdisciplinary learning activities. This educational experience demonstrates that fostering responsible attitudes toward the environment becomes significantly more effective when students are directly involved in practical, intercultural, and digital activities.
The mobility programme was structured around Strategic Objective 3 of the Bulgarian school's Erasmus Accreditation, which focuses on the development and implementation of ecological competences in the school environment. From a methodological perspective, the activities were designed to combine cognitive, socio-emotional, and behavioural dimensions. During the first day, 27 April 2026, the emphasis was placed on socio-cultural integration and group cohesion, an essential aspect of any international project. The tour of the host school and the question-and-answer session with representatives of the Student Council contributed to creating an open and participatory educational climate. The Bulgarian students had the opportunity to directly observe the institutional organisation, the school infrastructure, and the ways in which the Romanian school promotes sustainability values.
From a pedagogical point of view, the outdoor icebreaking and team-building activities played a strategic role. These non-formal methods facilitate interpersonal communication, reduce the anxiety associated with international interactions, and encourage cooperation among participants coming from different cultural backgrounds. Moreover, conducting the activities outdoors strengthened our students’ relationship with the environment and supported experiential learning. In this context, the teacher becomes a facilitator of learning, while the students develop autonomy, initiative, and collaboration skills.
A relevant example of methodological good practice was the circular economy workshop entitled “The Gift that Keeps on Giving.” The activity was based on the principles of reuse and waste reduction through the exchange and donation of personal objects among students. This approach transforms abstract concepts related to sustainability into concrete and accessible experiences for teenagers. In this way, the project participants did not learn about the circular economy solely at a theoretical level, but experienced directly the value of reuse and the positive impact of responsible consumption. Such activities contribute to the development of critical thinking and to changing everyday behaviours, which represents an essential goal of modern ecological education.
The second day of the mobility, 28 April 2026, highlighted the importance of integrating digital competences into environmental education. The demonstration lesson dedicated to sustainability offered the participants concrete examples of interactive, student-centred teaching strategies. The use of multimedia presentations, debates, and collaborative tasks demonstrated that ecological education can become more attractive and effective when supported by active teaching and learning methods. In this context, the teacher does not merely transmit information, but creates authentic learning situations that stimulate reflection and student involvement.
A particularly valuable component of the mobility was the exchange of good practices through the presentation of environmentally themed eTwinning projects implemented by the two partner schools. The project “EcoDigital Explorers for Sustainability”, presented by Liceul Teoretic “Radu Vlădescu”, and the project “Eco Mind Eco Life”, implemented by the school in Varna, demonstrated the potential of international collaboration in developing green skills. From a methodological perspective, eTwinning projects encourage interdisciplinary learning, the educational use of technology, and the active participation of students in solving real environmental problems.
The transnational digital workshop conducted on the Canva platform represented an important stage in developing twenty-first century competences. The students worked in six international teams to create digital posters promoting sustainable development and environmental awareness. The activity combined creativity, collaboration, and the use of ICT tools in an authentic intercultural communication context. Through such learning tasks, the students simultaneously develop digital, linguistic, and social competences while strengthening their ecological awareness.
The impact of such mobility projects extends beyond the immediate academic dimension. Participation in international activities contributes to shaping a European identity based on common values such as responsibility, solidarity, and respect for the environment. Ecological education thus becomes a tool for developing active and engaged citizens who are capable of understanding the complexity of global issues and adopting sustainable behaviours in everyday life. The Erasmus+ experience within project 2025-1-BG01-KA121-SCH-000332655 demonstrates that contemporary schools must move beyond the limits of traditional teaching and provide students with authentic contexts for collaboration, reflection, and civic engagement.
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