This is a mirror project between Decin, in the Czech Republic and Haninge, in Sweden. In this project Eva Ingelstedt and Svatja Hradska
have developed a twinning project for young peope in the two communities to come closer together, to discover and understand their cultural differences and similarities.
Ten years ago a colleague of mine and I visited the Upper Secondary School in Decin for the first time. We were received in a most generous way and within minutes we were standing on high chairs rolling out a huge map of Sweden. We talked about the archipelago in Haninge, Björn Borg, Abba, Emil in Lönneberga and Strindberg. and we had an enthusiastic audience! We decided to start an exchange programme between our schools.
Our aim from the very start was to integrate the exchange in our everyday schoolwork. Our Czech friends visited Haninge and we have visited Decin as a result of many contacts and much planning. I am particularly grateful to Mrs Svatja Hradska for all her help and kind support.
Together we have agreed on programmes for our stays. The Czech students have performed scenes about the relations between our countries throughout history, which contained creations of Gustav II Adolf, Comenius, Nobel and Smetana as well as singing and music.
We have prepared some information about the Swedish policy on different aspects of the environment, like acid rain, disposal of waste and biological diversity as well as information about places of interest and about the Swedish school system.
In this project we planned to write a book together about our towns and lives in the perspective of the enlargement in the EU in May 2004. The Czech students decided to write about Stockholm, our mutual interests such as music and sports, and the trip to Utö, among other topics. The Swedish students, on the other hand, had to choose a subject according to the goals of their programme.
They wrote about:
Social science students wrote about the importance of meeting each other in the future EU, the School in Decin, and how important it is never to forget Theresienstadt
Technical students wrote about how to make a package, environmental aspects and Czech history
The media students have planned the layout as well as written about Czech food. Will it change in the EU?
I want to thank all those who have worked with this Exchange Programme during the past ten years, first of all the Gymnazium in Decin, Svatja Hradska and Alena Vesela. I also want to thank all my Swedish colleagues, Agneta Båkman, Susanne Larsson Krieg, Eivor Lundh-Blomkvist and Anders Bäckman.There wouldn´t have been a project without their help!
Finally I want to thank Skanpak for all their generous support, Fredrika Bremergymnasiet for giving me some pedagogic freedom to work with the project and EU-stafetten for their economic help.
It is my sincere hope that this project will result in a better understanding and communication between young people in Decin and Haninge, an understanding that will be of great significance for our common future in Europe.
Our aim from the very start was to integrate the exchange in our everyday schoolwork. Our Czech friends visited Haninge and we have visited Decin as a result of many contacts and much planning. I am particularly grateful to Mrs Svatja Hradska for all her help and kind support.
I want to thank all those who have worked with this Exchange Programme during the past ten years, first of all the Gymnazium in Decin, Svatja Hradska and Alena Vesela. I also want to thank all my Swedish colleagues, Agneta Båkman, Susanne Larsson Krieg, Eivor Lundh-Blomkvist and Anders Bäckman.There wouldn´t have been a project without their help!
