Múinteoirí Gavin agus Róisín ag baint fíorthaitnimh as na radharcanna áille in Innsbruck san Ostair
Tá áthas orainn a fhógairt go bhfuil Coláiste Ghlór na Mara ina chomhordaitheoir ar thionscnamh úrnua Erasmus+ dar teideal Mountains for Change – togra uaillmhianach a dhíríonn ar úsáid inbhuanaithe a bhaint as acmhainní na sléibhte agus a dtionchar dearfach ar phobail áitiúla.
Dhear muid an tionscadal seo i gcomhar le BG/BRG/SRG in Innsbruck, an Ostair agus Escola Secundária Francisco de Holanda i Guimarães, an Phortaingéil. Beidh sé ar bun ar feadh 18 mí, agus glacfaidh 45 dalta agus 24 oideoir páirt i dturais oideachasúla go hÉirinn, an Phortaingéil, an Ostair – agus go Parlaimint na hEorpa sa Bhruiséil, áit a roinnfidh muid torthaí ár gcuid oibre.
Chun tús a chur leis an bpleanáil agus an oiliúint, chaith Múinteoirí Cian, Gavin agus Róisín seachtain ghnóthach agus fhiúntach in Innsbruck, áit ar bhuail siad lena gcomhpháirtithe idirnáisiúnta.
Thosaigh a n-eachtra i Vín, an phríomhchathair, sular thaistil siad ar thraein tríd na hAlpa go Innsbruck in iarthar na tíre. Ansin bhuail siad le Múinteoirí Helena agus Natalia ó Ghuimarães, agus Múinteoirí Magdalena agus Jonas ó BG/BRG/SRG.
Ar an gcéad lá, tugadh turas cuimsitheach dóibh timpeall na scoile BG/BRG/SRG, áit ar bhuail siad leis an bpríomhoide, leis an bhfoireann iomlán – agus fiú le muca "tacaíochta mothúchánacha" na scoile! Bronnadh bronntanais Éireannacha ar an bhfoireann, chomh maith le litir ó Mhéara Fhine Gall, ag léiriú go soiléir an tacaíocht pholaitiúil atá ann don tionscadal.
Ghlac na múinteoirí páirt i ranganna éagsúla, bhuail siad le daltaí agus fuair siad blaiseadh de shaol an oideachais san Ostair.
Níorbh iad na ranganna amháin a bhí spéisiúil: rinne na múinteoirí blaiseadh ar bhia traidisiúnta áitiúil ar nós domplagáin, Tiroler Gröstl agus tris, agus rinne siad iniúchadh ar lár na cathrach álainn.
An lá dár gcionn, bhuail siad le David Kurtz ó Bahn zum Berg, eagraíocht atá tiomanta do nascadh iompar poiblí le rochtain ar shiúlóidí sna sléibhte. Spreag sé na múinteoirí le coincheap den chineál céanna a fhorbairt dá gcuid tíortha féin – agus tá muid ag súil go mbeidh suíomh gréasáin á chruthú ag na daltaí Éireannacha agus Portaingéalacha, dar teideal "Slí chun na Sléibhte" agus “Mover Montanhas".
Ar an tríú lá, ghlac an fhoireann an iarnród cábla go Arlzer Alm, ag foghlaim faoi na hathruithe a tháinig ar an timpeallacht shléibhtiúil mar thoradh ar athrú aeráide. Bhí sé soiléir ón turas seo cé chomh leochaileach is atá bithéagsúlacht na sléibhte, agus mhúscail sé tuiscint níos doimhne ar an ngá atá le beartas inmharthana a fhorbairt idir thíortha na hEorpa.
Ina dhiaidh sin, thug siad aghaidh ar Seefeld, baile beag turasóireachta, áit ina bhfaca siad conas is féidir leis an turasóireacht inbhuanaithe tacaíocht a thabhairt do gheilleagar agus do phobal sléibhtiúil.
Ar an gceathrú lá, dhreap na múinteoirí barr an Nordkette, áit ar ghlac siad páirt i gceachtanna faoi aeráid agus timpeallacht i seomra ranga a bhí suite ar leac an tsléibhe.
Rinne siad tástálacha ar theocht ag leibhéil éagsúla den sliabh, agus fuarthas amach nach raibh an réigiún ach 6–8°C níos fuaire le linn an Ré Dheireanach Oighreachta – fíoras scanrúil a léiríonn tionchar mór athrú beag teochta ar shaolré agus ar chomhshaol.
Bhí lón acu i mbialann inbhuanaitheach a oibríonn ar bhonn muiníne – ní gá íoc as do bhéile muna bhfuil tú ábalta, agus cuirtear béilí blasta ar fáil ag baint úsáid as bia a bheadh caite amú ag bácúis nó feirmeacha áitiúla.
Chríochnaigh an turas le cuairt ar Vín arís, áit ar bhain an fhoireann Éireannach agus Portaingéileach taitneamh as ailtireacht ríoga na cathrach agus cupán caife traidisiúnta i dteach caife cáiliúil.
Tá muid thar a bheith bródúil as a bheith mar chuid den togra seo, agus tá muid ag súil go mór le deis a bheith ag níos mó daltaí agus oideoirí páirt a ghlacadh sna céimeanna atá le teacht.
Togra a chomhcheanglaíonn oideachas, cultúr, taighde agus inmharthanacht é Mountains for Change – agus tá muid sásta a bheith ar an mbóthar seo le chéile.
We are delighted to announce that Coláiste Ghlór na Mara is the coordinator of a new Erasmus+ project entitled Mountains for Change — an ambitious initiative focused on the sustainable use of mountain resources and their positive impact on local communities.
We designed this project in collaboration with BG/BRG/SRG in Innsbruck, Austria and Escola Secundária Francisco de Holanda in Guimarães, Portugal. The project will run for 18 months, involving 45 students and 24 educators who will participate in educational trips to Ireland, Portugal, Austria — and finally to the European Parliament in Brussels, where we will share the results of our work.
To kick off the planning and training, Múinteoirí Cian, Gavin, and Róisín spent a busy and rewarding week in Innsbruck, meeting our international partners.
Their journey began in Vienna, the Austrian capital, before travelling by train through the Alps to Innsbruck in the west. There, they met Helena and Natalia, our cooperating teachers from Guimarães, and Magdalena and Jonas, the host teachers from BG/BRG/SRG.
On the first day, they were given a comprehensive tour of BG/BRG/SRG school, where they met the principal, the entire staff — and even the school’s emotional support pigs! Irish gifts were presented to the staff, along with a letter from the Mayor of Fingal, clearly demonstrating political support for the project.
The teachers participated in various classes, met students, and gained insight into the Austrian educational system.
The classes were not the only highlight: the teachers also sampled traditional local dishes such as dumplings, Tiroler Gröstl, and tris, and explored the beautiful and historical city centre.
The next day, they met David Kurtz from Bahn zum Berg, a non-profit organisation dedicated to linking public transport with access to mountain trails. David inspired the teachers to develop a similar concept for their own countries — and we are looking forward to Irish and Portuguese students creating a website entitled “Slí chun na Sléibhte” and “Mover Montanhas”.
On the third day, the team took the cable car to Arlzer Alm, learning about the environmental changes in mountain areas caused by climate change. This trip highlighted how vulnerable mountain biodiversity is and deepened their understanding of the need for sustainable policy development across European countries.
They then travelled to Seefeld, a charming small tourist town, where they saw how sustainable tourism can support the economy and communities of mountain regions.
On the fourth day, the Erasmus+ teachers climbed to the summit of Nordkette, participating in lessons about climate and environment in a classroom literally situated on the mountainside.
They conducted temperature tests at various points on the mountain, discovering that the region was only 6–8°C cooler during the Last Ice Age — a striking fact that shows the major impact even a small change in temperature can have on ecosystems and life.
They had lunch at a sustainable restaurant operating on a trust basis — where payment is not required if you cannot afford it, and delicious meals are prepared using food that would otherwise be wasted by local bakeries or farms.
The trip concluded with a return to Vienna, where the Irish and Portuguese teams enjoyed the city’s regal architecture and savoured traditional coffee in a famous Viennese coffee house.
We are extremely proud to be part of this project and eagerly look forward to more students and educators having the opportunity to participate in the upcoming phases.
Mountains for Change is a project combining education, culture, research, and sustainability — and we are excited to be on this journey together.
