Get to know the students behind this project, the schools involved, and what inspired us to take action and make our voices heard! 

We are a team of students from Cyprus, Germany, Italy, Poland, and the Czech Republic, working together on the eTwinning project “Speak Up!”, made possible through Erasmus+.

Project Overview: The "Speak Up!" project emphasizes empowering young individuals to express their views and actively participate in decision-making processes. It underscores the importance of social media literacy, enabling students to research information effectively and discern between credible news and misinformation. The initiative fosters respect, active listening, tolerance, and empathy, cultivating a sense of belonging among participants. A key objective is to equip students to collaboratively combat polarization, division, and extremism. The project operates on two levels:

• Individual: Encouraging personal freedom of expression without fear of judgment.

• Collective: Promoting the sharing and acceptance of ideas, leading to well-informed collective viewpoints through compromise and collaboration.

Participating Schools: 

• Cyprus: Paralimni Lyceum

• Italy: Liceo Scientifico O.M. Corbino, Siracusa

• Germany: Gustav-Heinemann-Oberschule, Berlin

• Poland: Community School, Kudowa

• Czech Republic: Various schools collaborating through a youth exchange Erasmus+ program 

During the mobility to Cyprus, we were divided into six international groups, each tackling a different topic:

Group 1: Should students have more say in what they learn in school?
Team members:

• Marios Koshis (Cyprus)

• Lilly Hübner & Mathilda Schuch (Germany)

• Niccolò Marino (Italy)

• Mikołaj Hrynowiecki (Poland)

• Eliška Jirmanová (Czech Republic)

Group 2: Should schools actively promote gender equality in sports and extracurricular activities?
Team members:

• Dionysis Theofylaktou & Patricia Eleftheria Okolie (Cyprus)

• Frieda Vogel (Germany)

• Virginia Tomasello & Carola Zagarella (Italy)

• Natasza Siewert (Poland)

• Kryštof Šafr & David Bartůněk (Czech Republic)

Group 3: Should individuals be held responsible for their carbon footprint?
Team members:

• Daniel Poznaks (Cyprus)

• Felix Sadeli & Kiera Jung (Germany)

• Claudio Storaci & Salvatore Giuliano (Italy)

• Marceli Dębiński (Poland)

• Karolína Solárová (Czech Republic)

Group 4: Should schools focus more on learning life skills, like financial literacy and problem-solving?
Team members:

• Stavros Zymarakis (Cyprus)

• Julia Mrowiecz (Germany)

• Giada Nicastro (Italy)

• Maja Pinkava (Poland)

• Jaromír Hiebsch (Czech Republic)

Group 5: Is social media activism effective in creating real-world change?
Team members:

• Bogdan Pakhomov (Cyprus)

• Lelia Papke (Germany)

• Giulio Petrozzello (Italy)

• Janusz Pinkava (Poland)

• Valera Adlof (Czech Republic)

Group 6: Is veganism the most ethical and sustainable diet?
Team members:

• Andrea Zembashi & George Pittiris (Cyprus)

• Helena Leiditz (Germany)

• Riccardo Gigliuto (Italy)

• Ksawery Drzewiecki (Poland)

• Karla Macounová (Czech Republic)

Together, we are raising our voices, learning to listen, and working toward a better future.
Let’s Speak Up!