Newsletter:

 Peace and tolerance are key values in our Erasmus+ Project “We are European, We are Equal.” They have particular importance at IES Guadalquivir in Spain as we work hard with pupils to help them resolve conflicts in their day-to-day lives. Learning to manage emotions and respecting the backgrounds and beliefs of other pupils are core values we try to instil in our pupils. For this reason, the celebration of the “School Day of Non-Violence and Peace” was chosen as a key international day by all the project partners who face similar challenges.

On Wednesday 30th of January we started the celebrations by reading a collaborative Peace manifesto written by pupils from Greece, Italy and Spain. This manifesto highlighted the origins of the European Union and the peace we take for granted in our continent.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wnf-JvM8iCVCxM-Y3viiFWeNLxinIQ6_0Wa0zUfAYXs/edit?usp=sharing

Building on this, pupils completing their vocational course in our school prepared a board using textile material to symbolize peace. Furthermore, some pupils created art work based on the peace symbol. We even took part in a Peace race in which one of our pupils won the first place.

 

 

 

 

On Thursday 31st of January, we held 3 different workshops offered by the local Town Hall and delivered by different local NGOs in relation to peace. The first one focused on cooperative games designed for first year pupils and delivered by the Barbiana Association. The second workshop, delivered to second year pupils by InterRed, introduced the idea of using games to bring people from different communities together. The third workshop explored conflict resolution delivered by ACPP to third and fourth years. The week ended with pupils writing letters with peace wishes to their school mates.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All these activities involved a whole school approach, raised awareness on the importance of Peace in Europe, and contributed to the growing sense of communal respect and tolerance in school. This celebration, held in the three partner schools, received very positive feedback from all participants and proved to be a key activity in our project.

 

Preventing #ESL (Early School Leaving) is a key priority for our ErasmusPlus project We are European, We are Equal. Last Wednesday IES Guadalquivir in Spain took part in the local absenteeism conference with other schools and social service providers to tackle this issue and build support networks for all involved

Yesterday we held a meeting with families at IES Guadalquivir in Spain in preparation for our next pupil exchange in Greece

An amazing Peace Manifesto written by our pupils in preparation for the School Day of Non-Violence and Peace as part of our Erasmus + Project

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wnf-JvM8iCVCxM-Y3viiFWeNLxinIQ6_0Wa0zUfAYXs/edit?usp=sharing

eTwinning brings our project team closer together and allows us to have regular coordination meetings using the video-conference tool.

On 24^thJanuary 2019 we celebrated World Religion Day at IES Guadalquivir in Spain.

The celebration of this International Day was included in our Erasmus + project as pupils considered having a different religion as one of the main causes for social exclusion.

Since 1950, the United Nations has chosen this date to raise awareness that:

– no conflict should happen due to different religious beliefs

– the importance of religion as part of a person’s identity

– the freedom of culture is a right included in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and also a guarantee in the EU.

The aims of our celebration were to generate a spirit of unity and tolerance and allow pupils to discover that all religions pursue world peace and justice but from different religious perspectives.

At IES Guadalquivir in Spain, our preparatory work for the celebration of this international day began with pupils investigating which were the main religions in Europe, what were their symbols, what were their main features and what were their liturgies.

We also worked with the U2 song “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for” and we finally watched the BBC documentary “My life, my religion,” which explored Islam.

During the event directed by the Religion teachers in our school, the following representatives from the three main religions in Córdoba explained the common points and differences about their religions:

– Kamel Mekhelef: President of the Local Muslim Association

– Miguel David Pozo León: Local priest

– Eduardo De la Piedra: Evangelist pastor

These representatives talked about the central idea of their religions and their main liturgies.

Then, pupils read inspirational sentences taken from holy books such us the Bible or Quran. We finished with a question and answer session in which pupils clearly showed their interest in this issue.

Finally, our school Principal thanked all participants and ended the ceremony with a reflection: “We must learn to respect our cultural and religious differences. Our school is committed to acknowledging and celebrating multiculturalism in a peaceful and tolerant way.”

Outstanding Erasmus Plus working sessions involving other stakeholders in our First Pupils Exchange in Spain thanks to Europe Direct Cordoba, the Cordoba city hall, the national Romani and Don Bosco Foundation and the local radio station “Intimidad Radio”. Having a real impact in our local, national and European communities.

Do you think 25 pupils from the Spanish local cookery school “Gran Capitán” can teach our Erasmus + pupils how to cook 11 different paellas – the perfect Harvard Plate using a Community Service Learning methodology? Find out with this great video:

Healthy Living Activities had a huge impact on our pupils exchange in Spain as part of our Erasmus + project as shown in this fantastic video:

Our Erasmus + project “We are European, We are Equal” rap is available now