6. FRENCH LOCATED PROJECTS

Water is Life

Context

The “Water is Life” project, developed within the framework of Erasmus+, is a core component of our “Northern Projects” (projets Nord).
Its goal is to create pedagogical content in collaboration with teachers from French, Spanish, and Turkish institutions and to make these resources available to all participating teachers across Europe.

The project follows a two-step approach:
1. Awareness-Raising: Conducting activities with students to increase awareness of global warming and the impact of human activity on the climate.
2. Resource Preservation: Focusing on the urgent need to preserve water resources and exploring actions that can be taken—or invented—at an individual level.

Hydraulique Sans Frontières action

The kick-off session took place in the Paris region in April 2024. It brought teachers together to build team synergy around the core themes and to share pedagogical tools and methods.

The second session was held in early October in Chambéry, featuring four types of activities:
• Theoretical and Scientific Training: In-depth study of climate phenomena and the provision of educational tools, content, and games.
• Field Experience: A visit to the Mer de Glace glacier to witness its retreat ($-3$ km in length and $-300$ m in thickness since 1820, with an acceleration since 1990: $-1$ km and $-160$ m respectively). This aligns with the theme of World Water Day 2025. The team also visited a pumping station in the Aix-Chambéry catchment area.
• Collaborative Lesson Planning: Multi-national teams developed educational units, including content, references, student exercises, and grading criteria.
• Knowledge Sharing on Practical Projects: Each institution presented concrete school-based initiatives:

oFrance: Rainwater harvesting systems for garden irrigation.
oTurkey: Automated irrigation control based on plant humidity levels.
oSpain: Hydroponic systems for tomato cultivation.
oNote: Agriculture and irrigation are vital economic pillars in these regions of Spain and Turkey, yet they are also the largest local water consumers. In France, technical vocational training (Electrical Engineering) provides positive solutions to reduce the environmental impact of water consumption.

A third session took place in November in Turkey, including four students from each high school to:
•Refine the content and methods of the pedagogical units, focusing on how students research, process, and present information—both orally and in English.
•Visit sites impacted by human activity and climate change, and challenge the water-saving systems of each school in a festive atmosphere, despite the freezing weather.