The project New Tendencies in Economics and Entrepreneurship receives the Nordplus Junior Aurora prize in 2023

Written by The Swedish Council for Higher Education

A collaboration between Sweden, Iceland, Latvia and Estonia coordinated by Swedish Calmare International School is awarded the Nordplus Junior Aurora Award 2023. The project won the open vote competing with two other projects, receiving just over 60 percent of the votes. Project coordinator Patrik Gahm is very happy.

- It feels absolutely fantastic to win! A proof that we did something really good and super fun!

Incredibly proud

The project coordinator Patrik Gahm, in the city Kalmar, the Aurora prize means that the entire project team is motivated to perform even better and continue to develop the students and teachers at the participating schools.

- I am incredibly proud about the collaboration with my Nordic and Baltic colleagues and that I got the chance to be a project coordinator.

What are the success factors for your project?

- We are a wonderful team that cooperates very well and have fun together. We also work with interesting and current topics that engage both teachers and students and make them want to learn more.

What results do you see?

- Above all, many of the roughly 100 students who participated in the exchange, still have contact with each other. The schools that participated have received the latest knowledge in social entrepreneurship, circular economy and sharing economy. The text materials and workshops that we developed during the project are used in teaching in four countries.

What is the best thing about participating in a Nordplus junior project?

- To have the opportunity to develop on many levels. The school creates contacts with schools in other countries and can develop its way of working in projects. The staff gets the opportunity for new knowledge, new ideas and new energy and finally the students get the chance to work internationally. And you make friends for life from all over the Nordics and Baltic countries.

Nordplus Junior Aurora Award

The Nordplus Junior Aurora Award was established in 2022 with the aim of finding and promoting good results from Nordplus junior projects and celebrating the successes of students, teachers, preschools, schools, and other organisations. The prize is awarded annually to a project that shined extra brightly during the year.

For 2023, the national Nordplus offices have nominated a total of nine recently completed projects that are well integrated into the organization, development needs and respective country's curricula and good project examples within Nordplus Junior that should be highlighted and disseminated. A jury with representatives of the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Nordplus Main Coordinator, Swedish Council for Higher Education and the Education Exchanges Support Foundation, Lithuania, has then selected three finalists for an open online vote.

The winning project team includes:

• Calmare International School, Kalmar, Sweden
• Hugo Treffner Gymnasium, Tartu, Estonia
• Riga State Gymnasium No 2, Riga, Latvia
• Menntaskólinn við Hamrahlíð, Reykjavik, Iceland