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I realized - there is no need to be afraid to learn at any age: Autumn Science & Digital [not]School for educators was conducted at the International Green School 

“This place helped me meet a lot of interesting people, but it was very scary because I had never travelled outside of my city. For me, it was shock therapy, I mean the positive one”, Svitlana Hukova, “Pearl of Donetsk”, Sviatohirsk.

“Every day I wake up and fall asleep, and it seems to me, that it's a dream. Such beautiful people, wonderful teachers, friends are near. This was the best place I've ever been in my life,” Yehor Chabanov, Rubizhne, 16 years old.

“I realized - there is no need to be afraid to learn at any age,” Alla Babenko, the teacher of biology and geography, Sieverodonetsk.

Here are the impressions we brought with us from the International Green School, where Autumn Science & Digital [not]School was held from September 27 to October 2 with the support of the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Ukraine and the Development Cooperation and Democracy Promotion Programme of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania. Such impressions have already gone to the East.

In total, 32 persons participated in the school sessions in autumn: 19 educators, 8 students and 5 school students from different cities of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts: Bakhmut, Rubizhne, Kramatorsk, Sieverodonetsk, Lysychansk, Dobropillya, Yasynuvata, Svyatohirsk, Kreminna and Starobilsk.

Autumn Science & Digital [not] School was focused on the implementation of innovative STEM/STrEAM teaching methods, digital cases, media and soft skills acquisition, innovative management practices (SCRUM management) during the organization of educational innovation camps and the educative process.

During the training, an art workshop for everyone and a laboratory for ambassadors (high school students and volunteer students) were also working; there they, together with their teachers, studied the principles of the 21st century education, which provided a model for involving students of schools/HEIs in the educative process and the creation of a joint educational environment using modern digital tools.

During three training modules, the participants of Autumn [not]School have learnt new skills:

1. Let's Open Green STrEAM – advanced training of teacher, lecturers/student on the STEM/STrEAM methods based on the openschooling principles.

2. Media & Digital - Cool digital learning: a 21st century education tool.

3. Soft Skills - Soft Skills: the foundation of 21st century education.

The training took place in a single educational space for both teachers and children and young people; the sessions were often held outdoors. There were also breaks: ethno-exercises, coffee in the open air, space cocoa, gymnastics kinesiology, a space for dreams on hammocks, hiking in mountains during which future projects were discussed; in the evening we had fiery Hutsul dances, impressions and dreams with guitar music, hearty talks near the fire.

The discussion clubs with Georgiy Kovalenko deserve special attention; during these sessions important issues were raised and discussed. They also talked about peace and the impact of digital technology on personal development.

All lectures of Autumn Science & Digital [not]School can be viewed on the Open Policy Foundation's YouTube channel at  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEDiejha8zy5jyDszTh5VOAxpzPAkW4MF 

Autumn Science & Digital [not]School resulted in the conference “From the Ecology of the Soul to Ecology of the Universe”, at which participants presented their projects. Among them, there were the followings:

- A STrEAM natural science lesson was developed, Grade 5 on “Environmental Issues and their Solution. Alternative Energy”, the “Energy Transformation” learning project, using an engineering and training kit;

- The “Discover the World for Yourself” lesson was integrated using Newton's cradle;

- The ambassadors developed a landing page and “A ‘green school’ in your city. Implementation of ‘green schools’ in Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts,” using Smore ( https://www.smore.com/5u0dv).

The full video of the conference “From the Ecology of the Soul to Ecology of the Universe” can be viewed at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOz0J4wEhY4&list=PLEDiejha8zy5jyDszTh5VOAxpzPAkW4MF&index=11&t=0s 

Science & Digital [not]School was organized for educators by the NGO “Open Policy Foundation”. It was carried out in the framework of the Let's Open Green STrEAM project with the support of the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Ukraine and the Development Cooperation and Democracy Promotion Programme of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, and this event continues the last year's project.

We thank the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Ukraine for the systematic support of the projects aimed at providing access to education for children and young people from Eastern Ukraine who were affected by the war.

We would like to remind that in summer, from July 2 to July 7, Summer Science & Digital [not]School was conducted at Klym Churyumov International Green School for educators, students and secondary school students from Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts under the support of the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Ukraine. In summer, 24 participants from Kurakhovo, Myrnohrad, Starobilsk, Rubizhne, Mariupol, Luhansk and Mariinka took part in the training. They were lecturers and students from pedagogical universities and colleges, teachers and school students.

You can find more about Summer Science & Digital [not]School at  http://openpolicy.org.ua/news/317/ 

Motivational video on Science & Digital [not]School 2019 is at  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEV36VJlTlA