European Online Conference for eTwinning Schools 2023: Investing in well-being and creativity at school as a pedagogical asset.

This year, over 250 participants tuned in to the live broadcast of the opening day of the Online eTwinning Schools Conference.

Irene Pateraki, Pedagogical and Monitoring Manager at the Central Support Service, kicked off the event by briefing participants on the topics that would be covered—creativity and wellbeing in the classroom.

The opening speech was given by Anna Maria Giannopoulou, Deputy Head of Unit for ‘Schools and multilingualism’ at the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, European Commission. Giannopoulou focused on the challenges and opportunities of investing in wellbeing, before covering the main issues that schools in Europe are facing right now and likely issues they will face in the future.

The first keynote speaker, Arianna Sala, Project Officer at the Joint Research Centre (JRC), European Commission, provided participants with an overview of the LifeComp framework. Sala presented a series of inspirational principles, guidelines and recommendations to help educators in creating learner-centred environments and in developing socio-emotional competences.

Laura Huhtinen-Hildén, Principal Lecturer at the Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, opened the second keynote speech, titled ‘Creativity and well-being: building bridges’ with an interactive opening statement: How do you incorporate creativity into daily life? Huhtinen-Hildén examined connections between creativity, meaningfulness and well-being. Her main points revolved around fostering pedagogical sensitivity, care and agency at school, as echoed in her words: ‘The hope for the planet relies on the care and compassion potential infused in children’.

Subsequently, registered participants attended a collaborative work session, during which they interacted and networked with their peers. Participants engaged in discussions about their current well-being practices and brainstormed new mission statements for eTwinning Schools.

The second day began with a panel discussion featuring eTwinning teachers, ambassadors, and school leaders on the possibilities of eTwinning to enhance creativity and wellbeing at school.

Around 120 participants attended the workshops, which, in six parallel sessions, focused on a wide range of topics, including: cyberbullying prevention, digital wellbeing, putting LifeComp into action, theatre in education and co-creation techniques.

Lastly, the final keynote speech on the last day was led by Macarena-Paz Celume, Lecturer and Researcher in Psychology at Aix-Marseille Université. Celume explained how to develop children’s creative thinking through positive emotions, reviewing creative school initiatives and recent studies on the topic.

The Online eTwinning Schools Conference was an opportunity for participants to reflect and collaborate on the topics of wellbeing and creativity at school, providing educators with inspiring ideas for their future work.

Check out the full agenda for the Conference.