Swedish Erasmus Exchange

On 16th of May 2022, ten students from the KCS Erasmus team embarked on thier first trip abroad, after the programme began in September 2020. The project, ‘Challenges, Choices, Changes’, focuses on addressing conservation, reducing waste and recycling more in our school communities. The students have collaborated on sustainability related issues, comparing and contrasting environmental practices in each others schools through Microsoft Teams meetings over the past two years. Additionally, many of the students had met in person during the visit to Ireland in March. Upon their arrival to Landvetter Airport, Gothenburg, the KCS students were greeted with a welcoming party and reunited with their international partners!

The students travelled to Eskjö by bus to be nearby the school and stay with their host families in the town. Eksjö’s idyllic town centre boasts more than 50 listed wooden buildings, making it one of Europe’s best-preserved wooden towns. The weather was beautiful, perfect for exploring the nearby landmarks such as the town square pictured below.

The first sustainability related activity that the students took part in consisted of an ecology lesson and a study of the lake located beside the school. The students took samples of the water from this lake and compared them with water previously collected from other lakes. The Ph of the water was also tested. Many students enjoyed catching and releasing water animals using fishing nets to get an insight into the biodiversity of the lake. Unfortunately, some unnatural objects were found using the nets, such as plastic and rubbish. The students disposed of these items to protect the flora and fauna living there.

Things got loud in the woodwork room, with the students sawing and hammering to create bird houses for the school campus. Somehow we managed to fit one in our luggage and bring it back to KCS where it will serve as a memento of our trip and most importantly, attract birds to a safe space at our school.

On Wednesday, the students really came at one with nature by hiking Skurugata. Skuragata is a rock canyon in Eksjö, an 800-metre gorge which runs up to 56 metres deep and is at points only 7 metres wide! At times the hike was difficult but the views at the top were well worth the climb! The students also enjoyed some Swedish Fikka at the top as a snack. With this fuel, students continued the hike to Klinten where they set up to stay the night. Food was cooked on a barbeque including vegan and vegetarian options. The students played sports such as Gaelic football and Kubb and learned dances from the partaking countries, including the Irish Dreoilín!

On Thursday the students put some work into the creation of their Eco App, followed by a visit to the towns water treatment plant to learn how they have encouraged biodiversity on site as well as managing water conservation. It was a very educational visit, learning about why the water in the local rivers is so clean and healthy.

The highlight of Thursday had to be the visit to the nearby Moose park! The park is home to 2 types of deer as well as the moose!

On our final day in Sweden, the students planted a plum tree on the school grounds of Eksjö Prästängsskolan. It was all hands on deck to dig the hole despite the fact the soil here is very sandy, there were a few stubborn stones that needed to be removed! The tree will serve as a lovely memento of our time in Sweden, as the students also planted trees on their visit to Ireland!

The last activity of the trip was an organised clothes swap to highlight the importance of giving clothes a second chance rather than succumbing to fast fashion. It was a unique opportunity for the students to collect clothes of different styles that may not be available in Ireland.

Tears were shed and promises to meet up again were made on Friday evening as we embarked on our journey back to Ireland. The trip was certainly an enjoyable experience for all involved, with memories made to last a lifetime!