TEACHING AND LEARNING ACTIVITY MEETING IN BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
In December the school from Hungary (Ady Endre Gimázium in Budapest) hosted a partner meeting of Students Against Violence in Europe (SAVE). Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Spain took part in this Erasmus project with 4 students each and their accompanying teachers, to deepen their knowledge on the topic of nonviolence in different workshops. The English language was the common language of the project and the workshops, so students could also improve their language and communication skills in English.
On the first day we had the opportunity to get to know each other in various team building games, then in the afternoon we enjoyed a sightseeing tour in the Buda Castle and a sightseeing cruise on the river Danube.
The following day, volunteers from NANE (Women for Women together against violence) held a workshop about nonviolence, and another school activity was organized in connection with conflict management. Between the two workshops, Spanish students introduced themselves and held a flash mob in a break.
On the third day, while coordinators and other colleagues held a meeting, the students attended a handicraft session in the library. At the end of session, Santa Claus visited them, and in exchange of singing, everyone was surprised with some delicacy. Of course, teachers were also visited by Santa and he gave them a bundle of birch branches (virgács) to help them in discipline. (In Hungary naughty children get a bundle)
After Santa left, there was a workshop for students in connection with discrimination and acceptance. The day ended with a walk in the Jewish Quarter where we could enter the Dohány Street Synagogue and visit the remains of the ghetto.
On the fourth day, representatives of Amnesty Hungary came to our school and through stereotypes they led the students to understand the different stages of discrimination. This was followed by the award ceremony of the winning logo designer. Giulia Lopatriello, an Italian student, was awarded.
During the day, a representative of eTwinning had also visited us to help the teachers in the documentation of the project. Meanwhile, the students had a craftwork activity, where they created crafts in the topics of nonviolence and peace. During the breaks, Bulgaria and Italy introduced themselves.
In the afternoon there was a much more informal intercultural event, where every country entertained each other with interesting games, performances and national dishes.
On the last day, on Friday, while the teachers were working on the different tasks of the project, students made their vlogs about their experiences and new knowledge that they gained. During the breaks, students from Greece and Cyprus entertained the other students with their amazing performances. In the afternoon the students visited the zoo.
All in all, we had a very exciting and eventful week. Based on the feedback of the participating students we know that they were satisfied with the whole weekly event and not even bored for a minute. During the free afternoons skating, riding on the Budapest Eye, tasting Hungarian specialties, visiting theatres and concerts, were among the programmes.
