Gastronomy, Languages, Art and Discovery
European gastronomy, as well as the cultural heritage to which it belongs, is a complex topic that cuts across many fields. It has geological and historical roots in specific territories, helps to define a nation, contributes to the economic development of a region and is the reason for artistic creations. Therefore, this is an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach to the main disciplines of the restoration schools involved.
The GLAD project brings together six restoration schools with similar structures, students, curricula and goals. All schools, if not all teachers, have some experience in Erasmus+ and international projects and this particular project forms part of each school's European Development Plan and its internationalization strategy.
We all share the same commitments: preparing students for the job market, broadening their horizons, adding a European dimension to their personal and professional lives. We want to help them improve their professional, analytical, linguistic, computing, cultural and social skills, because this will help them to enter the job market and become full citizens. As all schools are professional, work-based learning will be the main learning approach, but we will also address gastronomy in other dimensions/disciplinary areas: History, Geography, Economics, Arts, Languages. Students will gain a better insight into their country's gastronomic culture and learn from their peers about other cuisines. They will use English to communicate with European colleagues and develop self-confidence and autonomy.
The project will include all catering departments in each school, even if not all students can participate in international mobility. About 150 to 200 students aged 15 to 19 will actively participate in the tasks that will be defined over the course of the two-year project and about 70 of them, with some kind of difficulty, facing social, economic obstacles or cultural differences. Overcoming exclusion is one of our priorities and we hope that, working with essential skills and soft skills , we will be able to guide students who have fewer opportunities, improving their ability to interact in society and their employability. The project will involve a wide range of activities and will use many digital tools, including eTwinning and Twinspace , to maximize the number of participants. Students from other departments will also participate when the school hosts international meetings.
Throughout the project, students will have to carry out common tasks related to the development of a menu. They will produce recipes, presentations, analyzes that will be included in a cookbook, to be edited at the end of the project. All productions will also be available on the Erasmus+ Project's Twinspace and Results Platform. Mobilities will also be organized in each school and the programs will always include a special time for students to work together in the restaurant or in the kitchen. Participants will visit local food and wine producers (to emphasize links with the territory's economy), restaurants or hotels (for professional purposes), museums or places of interest to see the link between gastronomy and other areas of the curriculum, such as Arts or History. All partner schools cooperated and communicated efficiently in the application process, sharing responsibilities according to the strengths and desires of each school. Contacts by videoconference and email or via WhatsApp group will be regular. We plan a joint team building event at the beginning of the project, during which we will all share a professional development experience.
The project will have a positive impact on the well-being and professional skills of students and teachers. It will help to increase motivation and we believe it can have a positive impact on the school climate. A cookbook will be created and each school will have paper copies that can be used in the future to create European menus or as a resource in English classes. In the Twinspace, all published materials will be available for all partners after the end of the project. Some schools may decide to continue working together and the experience gained in this project will contribute to future partnerships. Outreach activities will ensure that as many students as possible can benefit from the project. This project, supported by the Erasmus+ program, ultimately plays a key role in the personal and professional fulfillment of students and teachers and in the schools' internationalization strategies.
Partner institutions:
Lycee Le Gue a Tresmes (France) – Coordinator
Professional School of Salvaterra de Magos (Portugal)
Istituto di Istruzione Secondaria Superiore Salvatore Pugliati (Italy)
Lycee Hotelier Sainte-Anne (France)
Moravska strední skola sro (Czech Republic)
Srednja Skola Mate Blazine Labin (Croatia)
