“Hacking Our Spaces” was a School Collaboration designed for students to learn and practice solving real-world problems using STEM and a Design Thinking approach. Participants researched on how STEM has impacted their lives and explore how STEM solutions can be leveraged to improve spaces like homes, schools, and communities around them. This was achieved by either acquiring some (block) programming using Microbits through an online platform, learning about different types of smart materials and their applications, or exploring other areas of STEM. Through a common online sharing platform, participants shared and collaborated with each other to study the different spaces of their partners and worked on solutions to hack the spaces with creative solutions to have useful functionalities.

“Everybody must be GREENed” was a School Collaboration that raised awareness on sustainability. First, students approached the concept of sustainability at an individual level by filling in a checklist on their own sustainable lifestyle. Findings were shared with students from other countries through Instagram. Then, students interviewed school management teams and teachers to understand sustainability at the school level, which were shared through a short video. Finally, by researching, observing and analysing similarities and differences of sustainable practices in various countries, students compared the concept of sustainability at a national level. The students presented their findings in an online magazine with URLs to Instagram and YouTube videos.

This School Collaboration invited students to take actions to protect the environment by making Ecobricks. An ecobrick is made of clean and dry plastic bottles to create a building block that can be used repeatedly. Plastic water bottles, straws, crisp packets, and bags have become a part of our daily lives. As they are not biodegradable, excessive use and improper management of them is now a major environmental threat. Ecobrick is one of the solutions to this threat as it can be used to make modular furniture, garden spaces, walls and even full-scale buildings. Building an ecobrick simply requires non-biodegradable plastic bottles and a stick to pack them together. Through the process of learning how to build and use ecobricks, this School Collaboration allowed students and school communities to gain awareness and take personal responsibility for their own use of plastic.

“Great Minds in STEM, Bridging the Gap” invited students from Asia and Europe to share the application of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in schools. Rather than teaching the four disciplines as separate and discrete subjects, STEM integrates them into a cohesive learning paradigm based on real-world. Students and teachers from Asia and Europe got a better understanding of the STEM subjects by sharing information on the importance of these subjects, and by exploring creative ways of teaching them in schools.

This School Collaboration focused on the Age of Exploration: Who were the famous explorers? What did they discover? How did they manage their voyages? Based on research, students posted digital presentations of national explorers and created multimedia outputs.

During this School Collaboration, students gained knowledge and understanding about the concept of Imperialism: What is Imperialism? Who had or has imperialised in the world? What footprints has Imperialism left in your own country and around the globe? Based on research, students posted digital presentations of national explorers and created multimedia outputs.

“Colonising the World” allowed students to gain knowledge and understanding about the Era of Colonisation: Who were the leading countries? Who colonised where in the world? What role did their own country play during this era? The pupils posted their answers online and thereby shared their own reflections on colonisation with pupils from different ASEM countries.

This School Collaboration focused created awareness among the students about healthy living, including daily physical exercise, the significance of healthy food and mental health. Participants also learnt appropriate ICT skills to interact with each other on online platforms on the topic and to collaborate in teams.

This School Collaboration inspired young people to use their youth power to promote the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through a character-building programme. The word “character” originates from Greek and means “chisel” or “the mark left by a chisel”. As Henry David Thoreau once said, “You cannot dream into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one.”

This School Collaboration built up on the results of the first edition called “Rivers – Am Elixir of Life” and focused on the importance of rivers for socio-economic activity and biodiversity. Students also discussed the various programs implemented by governments and non-government actors to conserve rivers. Students realised how vulnerable rivers are and the duty they have to undertake responsibility to protect these immensely important ecosystems.