HOW TO CREATE A SUCCESSFUL ERASMUS+ PROJECT

 ”Environment Security, Our Future Security” 

The ERASMUS program of the European Commission / EU was officially launched in 1987, after a pilot study between 1981 and 1986 and was dedicated, par excellence, to students, involving at that time approximately 3200 people from 11 states.

Its main purpose was to stimulate learning and the exchange of experience and good practices between students.

Later, in 2014, continuing the idea of ​​learning, the ERASMUS program was extended to adult education, becoming ERASMUS +. This new program combines several components: education, training, youth and sports. Therefore, it also addresses adult education. The latest ERASMUS (+) reports indicate the involvement of over 640,000 people in 24,000 projects in these areas.

More than 30 years after its launch, Erasmus (+) remains resilient, even in the difficult context of the pandemic years, supporting a total of over 9 million people since its inception until now.

In this context, the organizations and individuals involved in ERASMUS + projects have a great responsibility to carry out quality projects that promote this generous and innovative idea in the future.

Our project started in 2021, after the establishment of the Diplomacy, Security and Defense Research Organization (DSD RO), when we thought of contributing to one of the most imperative topics of the moment – the security of the natural environment. Noticing that this issue is of major importance globally, in Europe and even nationally, we have tried to understand why its effects are not immediately felt and the pollution of the natural environment does not stop.

Thus, after a thorough study, we found that there is a gap between “theory” (policy, legislation, research, etc.) and “practice” (what ordinary people and organizations do). Therefore, DSD RO decided to act immediately and join the general effort to save the natural environment.

The ERASMUS + program provided the context for the development of such an initiative and thus the project “Environment Security, Our Future Security” was born. Designed to reduce the distance between “theory” and “practice”, the mentioned project brings together two organizations with a vocation in defense of the natural environment, from Romania (DSD RO) and Italy (Igor Vitale International srl – IVIsrl), which set out, during several activities to raise public awareness of environmental priorities and bring theory closer to practice, creating authentic “green” motivations, attitudes, behaviors and values.

In this sense, we started with a group of psychologists, who want to give a new and modern meaning to Environmental Psychology, in the context of the challenges that pollution poses to us, in a harsh, massive, non-discriminatory, unpredictable and volatile way.

In order for the “Environment Security, Our Future Security” project to be successful, it started from a good synchronization between DSD RO and IVI srl.

The first transnational activity (M1), which took place in Bologna, allowed the project teams from Romania and Italy to get to know each other, to discuss the project in detail, to harmonize some points of view, to analyze the best methodologies and techniques of approach and to exchange best practices in the field.

On this occasion, the relevant documents for a good cooperation were finalized and signed. An important place was the observation of how the natural environment is protected in Bologna.

At the same time, the DSD RO team from Romania had the opportunity to see a wonderful city, full of history to visit the oldest European university and other historical and cultural objectives, which strengthened the ties between Romania and Italy.

Ecological facilities have been chosen for accommodation and transport.

The activities organized afterwards demonstrated how important the following elements are: a good understanding between the project partners, a real and constructive exchange of experience, knowledge of innovative environmental protection solutions used by the Italian side, and the opening of the team’s interest in history and the culture of the wonderful city of Bologna.

Thus, the experience gained during the transnational activity in Italy meant a real success for the project team, for the project at all and for the ERAMUS + program.