Présent pour le Futur

Happy New Year! 🎉🎉🎉

Merry Christmas! 🎅🎄☃️❄️🎁

Miss all of you and the project, too 🇨🇵️🇩🇪️🇵🇱️🇹🇷️🇷🇴️

Le sentier de petite randonnée inauguré L'inauguration officielle du sentier de petite randonnée de Sainte-Thècle Montesquieu a eu lieu dans la bonne humeur par un beau matin automnal, en présence de Mme Feau, maire de Montesquieu, de Mme Billé, directrice du lycée Saint-Caprais d'Agen,...

We are happy to announce the official inauguration of our walkway in Montesquieu, France

Our photographer, Vlad Vladaia, surprised us with more photos from this summer. We were installing the small panels containing the information about the main trees of Capela Hill

Présent pour le Futur updated their website address.

Tourists on Capela Hill. Our panels are helpful 👍

Romanian team at the National Center for Tourist Information and Promotion, Vâlcea

The first panels on Capela Hill, Rm. Vâlcea, Romania

THANK YOU VERY MUCH OUR DEAR TURKISH FRIENDS FOR YOUR HOSPITALITY, CARE AND ALL THE UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCES WE RECEIVED IN YOUR COUNTRY.

From 26th of June to 1st of July the teachers from France, Germany, Poland and Romania visited the Turkish partner – Izmit Atilim Anadolu Lisesi. Unfortunately, it was the final meeting of our project.
Thanks to the great hospitality of the Turkish school the participants could not only work hard on the Final Report of the Present for the Future project but also visit the amazing natural sites and historic places in Izmit and Istambul.
On Wednesday,27th of June we met at school to work and contacted with the local press, visited the Biology Department of Kocaeli University, met the vice mayor of Kartepe Mr Abdullah YILMAZ and went to the Kartepe Site to see the unforgettable views and the panel fixed there thanks to the help and permission of municipality of Kartepe and the authorities of the city.
On Tuesday, the 28th of June we discussed the questions of the Final Report at school, walked around the school, went to the Education Department in the city hall and talked to director Mr Ifran ZEKI ER. Afterwards we visited the site Yuvacik with the Yuvacik Dam where we could study the great variety of plants and animal species.
Friday,29th of June was the day of Istambul Tour. We had a walk in the site “Gulhane Parki” and saw the Topkapi Palace. Next historical sites were Hagia Sophia, the Basilica Cistern and Blue Mosque.
We could also walk along the Great Bazaar, Spice Bazaar and took a Bosphorus Tour.
On Saturday, 30th June we had a guided tour of the old town and the History Corridor of the ancient city of Nicomedia where we saw many historic artefacts from the Roman and Ottoman Empire and the Republican Period. Afterwards we had another project meeting and completed the part of the final report in the Mobility Tool. During the friendly dinner on the Gulf of Izmit we determined our next Skype meeting in July.
Sunday ,1st of July was the day to say goodbye to all the fabulous places we got to know during our stay in Turkey and left for our homes.

Press article about the transnational meeting in Izmit

http://www.ozgurkocaeli.com.tr/atilimin-yabanci-konuklari-353876h.htm

Atılım’ın yabancı konukları Avrupa Birliği Bakanlığı Avrupa Birliği Eğitim ve Gençlik Programları Merkezi Başkanlığı tarafından kabul edilen Erasmus+K219(Gelecek İçin Armağan) projesi çerçevesinde 5 ülkeden 9 eğitimci İzmit Yahya Kaptan’da bulunan Atılım Anadolu Lisesi’ne geldi.

Another visit to the Towarnie Mountains

On Tuesday, 5th of June, students of I Liceum Ogólnokształcące in Częstochowa, Poland, taking part in the project ERASMUS + "Present for the future" together with Biology-Chemisrtry class 2e students, went on a trip to the Towarnie Mountains in order to clean up litter lying there. It was one of many activities that our school undertook to protect the environment of this place. We also had the opportunity to see an information board prepared and placed there by us, regarding this ecological ground. Of course, we were supported by the Olsztyn Municipality with installing the information panel. Our hard work has contributed to a significant improvement in the aesthetic qualities of this place. It also improved the awareness of our school pupils about the importance of maintaining cleanliness, especially in protected areas. It also made good practices, thanks to which raising litter can simply get into a habit. An interesting experience was also the visit to the Towarnia cave, in which the chill gave us a respite from the sun outside. After the completion of garbage collection, everyone felt satisfied with the effects of working together. It seems to me that such initiatives are a great way to pass on such important values ​​and to fulfill the duty of taking care of nature.

Krzysztof Piwódzki kl.IIa

Hello! We would like to share the article of one of our students about the place we take care of - The Towarnie Mountains near Częstochowa, Poland.

That’s one small step for man, but one giant favor for humanity

Have you ever wondered what would happen if there were no forests, wildlife reserves or national parks? Probably such a life would be extremely difficult due to the limited amount of oxygen in the atmosphere and the decline of many species of animals or tourist attractions of charming places that allow us to relax and take a leasure from the everyday hustle and bustle. Such a gloomy future will await mankind if we ignore the basic rules of environmental protection and rely only on ecological activists. The protection of peculiar places is our privilege and duty. One of them is the Towarnie Mountains - the pride of the Kraków-Częstochowa Jura.
The range of these two-peak mountains is located near the village of Kusięta. At their foot lies the Trail of the Eagles' Nests - one of the most famous tourist trail in Poland. Among the numerous karst forms which can be found here, the four caves stand out the most. These extremely interesting places are characterized not only by the occurrence of stalactites and stalagmites (the Cabanowa Cave), but also creating wonderful patterns of dripstone. They contain traces of human existence in these areas from over 2,000 years ago as well as from World War II. During the occupation, it was a hideout or shelter. It is noteworthy that the name of one of the caves - Bear Cave is not baseless. Speleologists who discovered it found inside remains of a cave bear, which currently does not exist in these areas.
However, the most important value of the Towarnie Mountains is the wildlife. The caves are inhabited by many species of bats act of which we can distinguish Myotis myotis, Myotis natteri or Myotis brandti. Particularly notable are the trilobites (organisms inhabiting caves only): collembolan, spider Porrhoma moravicum and beetles originally inhabiting the French Pyrenees.
You cannot forget about the unique flora. Nearby popular rock called the Partridge, such a rare shrub grows – the European bladdernut Staphylea pinnata. This little-known plant is considered as a natural symbol of the Towarnie Mountains Range. Moreover, the numerous species of trees and shrubs that consist on the wonderful landscape impact this place a unique atmosphere. It can be experienced both spiritually and physically because the current xerotonic turf with junipers has an influence on forming of microclimate with medicinal properties. Tourists have the opportunity to admire views and walk among the lush vegetation. However, such a charming but little-known place is not appreciated by those who decided to commune with nature...
We mean human activity, which recklessly and without any scruples destroys a surrounding nature. The aforementioned xerotonic grass, although it has a positive impact on a human body, is frequented by unknowing drivers of quads or enduro participants. Another problem is the explorers who, during examining caves, successively destroy the stalactites and leave their rubbish after their expedition. In addition, they contribute to the shying of bats which inhabit these areas. A vandalism, also takes place here, which, as it turns out, predominates not only in cities. Rocks with colorful graffiti destroyed label plate on the ecological path do not look like eco-friendly activities. The area of the Towarnie Mountains is protected, therefore ecological wastes, despite the attempt to take action by small groups of people, rise along with the mountain of rubbish left by tourists. Their irresponsible actions led to concern the participants of the Erasmus+ project this case, who, being mindful of respect for nature, and thus for other people, decided to clean up left bottles, food packaging bags and many other household waste. Their undertaking was not in pointless which was evidenced by a plenty of filled bags. It made participants realize what a great problem ignoring protection of natural environment is. On such a small area, a man can create a "rubbish desert". If they does not stop this shameful action and reject the good of nature, they will become a victim of their own conduct. However, this is not an impass. The Towarnie Mountains have a status of ecological use. Therefore, you can go a step further and make this place a wildlife sanctuary that will be slightly more protected than before. A very noble initiative of the Erasmus participants was placing a signboard encouraging to respect nature, which is to bring the developing problem to tourists attention.
In everyday life, we forget about our surroundings and focus on the products of human activity. However, it is worth considering what is really important to us. The answer seems to be obvious - life and health. The result is that we should take care of nature, which is their guarantor. It would be enough to control your own attitude towards the surrounding nature, and for those who desire greater effects, you can recommend taking an example from Erasmus participants. It is them who deserve to be congratulated and thanked for such a admirable human attitude and selflessness.

By Kamila Kamińska

Remembering the Project activities :)

Well done!!!

Une belle réalisation européenne au village Mercredi dernier, la commune de Montesquieu accueillait une colonie de jeunes lycéens et de professeurs venus de plusieurs pays d'Europe, autour d'un projet européen Erasmus+ dont le thème s'articule autour du développement durable. Le lycée Saint...

The girls of our project team - Alexandra Ana-Maria, Isabela Maria, Andreea Vancea, Bianca Tîmplaru and Vlad Vladaia, of course, participated at the Young People in European Forests Contest and won the first and the second prize!

Another press article
http://curieruldevalcea.ro/agen-franta-noua-destinatie-a-elevilor-si-profesorilor-de-la-energetic/

Agen – Franța, noua destinație a elevilor și profesorilor de la Energetic După vizita în Italia, în baza unui proiect, elevii și cadrele didactice ale Colegiului Energetic au vizitat Franța, la originea deplasării stând tot un proiect: „Present pour le Futur: prote

Press article about the mobility in Agen

http://valceainfo.ro/2018/03/28/mobilitate-erasmus-a-elevilor-colegiului-energetic-in-agen-franta/

Mobilitate Erasmus + a elevilor Colegiului Energetic în Agen, Franța | Valcea info SocietateMobilitate Erasmus + a elevilor Colegiului Energetic în Agen, Franța De către Adrian PANĂ - 28 martie 2018 0 2 Distribuiți pe Facebook Distribuiți pe Twitter Franța este una dintre cele mai importante țări din lume, având în spate o istorie bogată și plină de lucruri interesan...

March 23rd

On Friday we arrived at Lycee Saint Caprais in the morning to do some task on QR codes. We checked if they worked properly. Of course they did :)). Next some us could take part in the ceremony of blessing the palms on the school yard. Before lunch we went for a walk along the banks of the river Garonne to the canal which links the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. In the afternoon we set off on a short trip to the Pech de Berre from which we admired the amazing panorama of the Agen region: all the beautiful vineyards, fields and the two rivers: Garonne and Lot which link there. Thanks to Mrs Udrescu, who translated for us the information given by a French guide, we found out about the geology of the area.
An additional attraction was watching paragliders preparing to their flights on the windy hill.
Afterwards we came back to the hotel for the final dinner during which we could listen to our Turkish friends performing Turkish songs.

March 24th

And, unfortunately, the last day of mobility in Agen came. At school we did the summary of all our project activites. All the teams said good bye to one another and departured to their destinations…
Merci pour tout, dear French friends!

March 22nd

On Thursday we set off to vist the famous city of Bordeaux. There we followed a tourist route to do the sightseeing. Afterwards our hosts took us to the nature reserve la Dune du Pilat where we climbed the highest dune in Europe. Standing on the top of it we could admire the two oceans: the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the “ocean of pine trees on the other one”. We even run down to the beach to “touch” the ocean. Surely everyone will remember these marvelous views for ever.

Some more pictures from March 21st

March 21st

We arrived at de Montesquieu site early in the morning because we had a lot of practical work to do. At first we met the vice-mayor of the community of Montesqieu, the local artist (we installed some of his sculptures on the walking route) and the president of the Community Walking Association who welcomed us at the site. Mr Dumerscq provided us with all the necessary equipment to start installing the panels and painting the signs for walkers. We were very lucky to have a splendid weather that day. Working in international groups was very well organized and we did our duty very effectively having good fun and the feeling of doing something really important and necessary.

20th March

On Tuesday we met at school at 9 o’clock and started the activities in the IT classroom. There Mr Sebastien Dumerq devided us into 7 international groups. Five groups stayed in the classroom and worked on the Padlet platform on making panels concerning de Montesquieu site. The two other groups went to the Chemistry classroom to do more manual job – painting small boards and sticking to them signs showing directions on the walkways in the site or the names of trees there. The boards will be installed in the site tomorrow by us.
Afterwards the teachers’ meeting took place during which Mrs Ana Udrescu presented the results of the mid-project survey and different tasks done in each countries were discussed.

Hello! So we are in Agen!

18th March 2018

On the first day of the mobility in Agen, France we met at Lycee Saint Caprais where the Romanian team summarised the mobility in colourful autumn Romania. They reminded us information about their natural places to protect: the Cozia Natural Park and the Capela Hill. Next we watched the presentations about our schools, cities and countries made by the participants.

!9th March 2018

In the morning we headed for the Townhall of Agen and met the deputy Mayor and the Headmistress of the school - Mrs Billet. After the speeches we returned to school and started the activities. At first
Mr Vedat Atalay showed his film film about the mobility in Poland.
Next important part of today’s work was the presentation of Mr Nail Tezer concerning the strategies taken by all the partners. Afterwards Mr Sebastien Dumerq presented the site we are going to work on tomorrow in international groups – de Montesquieu.
We are all looking forward to tomorrow’s activities.

March 1st - a special tradition in Romania which, since 2017, has entered the UNESCO heritage.

Among Romanians there is a tradition dating back more than 2000 years called "mărţişor" ["martsichor"]. This word is a diminutive derived from "Mars", the month that marks, by custom, among Romanians, the beginning of spring.

At the time, when the territory was part of the Roman Empire, the Roman calendae represented the first day of each month. March 1st was the first day of the New Year.

The countries where the Dacians lived (now Romania and northern Bulgaria) were wll knowns for their very harsh winters. Many people died of various diseases during this extreme season. To be protected by the spirit of Zamolxe, the Dacians wore the first days of the new year an animal or floral symbol on their clothes, believing that they would be protected against death during the following winter. They carved in wood or stone the symbol chosen as protector, then adorned it with a red thread and another white (the red symbolizing the blood of those who had disappeared during the past winter and the white symbolizing the rigors of snow, cold, ice, which were responsible for the deaths of their loved ones).

This tradition has been well preserved in the countries of the ancient Dacians, as well as among Romanians who celebrate the "Marțișor" every year on March 1st. It is offered to all as a sign of friendship, respect, joie de vivre, and also to welcome the birth of spring.

For nine days (until the Orthodox feast of 40 Saints Martyrs) the "mărțișor" is worn on the clothes.

There is also a legend that evokes an old woman, "Dochia" (Dokya) who abandoned in early March her big winter clothes. She wore twelve long, heavy coats (each representing one month of the year). From the 1st to the 12th of March she abandoned one of these coats every day. These are the twelve days of heavy snow that mark the adios of winter.

The ancients said that the stubborn winter did not want to leave the Dacians without yet taking its tribut. There are regions in Romania where people wear "mărțișor" for twelve days.

Le 1er Mars - une tradition particulière en Roumanie qui, depuis 2017, est entrée dans le patrimoine UNESCO.

Chez les Roumains existe une tradition vieille de plus de 2000 ans qui porte le nom de "mărțișor" [« martsichor »]. Ce mot est un diminutif dérivé de « Mars », le mois qui marque, par la coutume, chez les Roumains, le début du printemps.

A l'époque où le territoire faisait partie de l'Empire Romain, les calendes romaines représentaient le premier jour de chaque mois. Le 1er Mars c'était la première journée de la Nouvelle Année.

Les pays où vivaient les Daces (actuellement, la Roumanie et le Nord de la Bulgarie) étaient renommés pour leurs hivers très rigoureux. Beaucoup de gens mouraient de diverses maladies durant cette saison extrême. Pour être protégés par l'esprit de Zamolxe (issu des croyances mazdéistes), les Daces portaient les premiers jours de la nouvelle année un symbole animalier ou floral sur leurs vêtements, croyant ainsi qu'ils seraient protégés contre la mort pendant l'hiver suivant. Ils sculptaient dans le bois ou la pierre le symbole choisi comme protecteur, puis l'ornaient d'un fil rouge et d'un autre blanc (le rouge symbolisant le sang de ceux qui étaient disparus durant l'hiver passé et le blanc symbolisant les rigueurs de la neige, du froid, de la glace, qui étaient responsables des morts de leurs proches).

Cette tradition a été bien préservée dans les pays des anciens Daces, ainsi que chez les Roumains qui fêtent le « martsichor » chaque année au 1er mars. Il est offert à tous en signe d'amitié, de respect, de joie de vivre, et pour saluer également la naissance du printemps.

Pendant neuf jours (jusqu'à la fête orthodoxe des 40 Saints Martyres ) le « martsichor » est porté au revers des vêtements.

Il y a également une légende qui évoque une vieille femme, « Dochia » ( Dokya ) qui abandonnait au début Mars ses gros vêtements d'hiver. Elle portait douze manteaux longs et lourds (chacun représentant un mois de l'année). Du 1er au 12 Mars elle abandonnait chaque jour un de ces manteaux. Ce sont les douze jours de neige abondante qui marquent les adios de l'hiver.

Les anciens disaient que l'hiver tenace ne voulait pas quitter les Daces sans prendre encore ses offrandes ( c'est à dire encore quelques centaines de vies humaines). Il existe des régions en Roumanie où les gens portent le « martsichor » pendant douze jours.