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A global citizenship project to bring the concerns of children in 15 partner schools across Europe and Africa to the attention of Angela Merkel, Prime Minister of Germany and the European Union and the G8 Summit leaders that despite their promises, there still remain 80 million children who do not go to school. All the partner schools started by holding hands in a huge human chain and took photos and digital video of the event.
Pupils and staff in each school used digital cameras to record their human chains. In Ghana mobile phone technology was used to take the photograph. Slovakian Business students word-processed a letter to Angela Merkel and the G8. Children either made their paper chains through regular methods or they ‘Joined Up’ online, using the website http://www.sendmyfriend.org to design and make their own ‘friend’ to represent their chains.
Teachers used email, and the eTwinning tools Progress Card and Twinspace. Within our twinspace we have: uploaded photographs, websites, biographies, letters from pupils and written evidence to keep all parties involved and to ensure that our partners outside of the eTwinning network can access the site.
The greatest gain for the students was for them to take a simple action, as part of a much larger action, and to realize that they can be active global citizens. They also learnt that together they can be stronger. They realized that their joint action is more effective than a single action and can have more impact. They were helped to understand that other children do not access education, that educating all children can reduce the cycle of poverty, and that they can make a difference to others lives.
As such a big group of schools took this action in an etwinning project, it attracted the attention of the media and various local press agencies picked up on this- links to the relevant websites are on our twinspace. Therefore, it promoted eTwinning more widely too. Our local MP David Burrowes visited us and also took part in the action and recorded it on his website. He promised to ask Tony Blair in Question Time about our concerns.
I got to meet Hilary Benn, Secretary for International Development at the Department for International Development (DfID), to present a petition to him calling for the G8 and the UK Government to honour their promises of cutting debts to southern countries, getting more teachers and healthcare workers, in order to improve the lives of others. This was recorded in the national media, on radio and newspapers.
“An example of eTwinning moving beyond Europe in a positive manner. Real collaboration for a real purpose”
Visit the project’s public Twin Space to find out more.
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