3 rd LTTA - Poland
C3 - Democracy and civic engagement. Civil society
C3 - Democracy and civic engagement. Civil society.
Democracy and civil involvement. Civil community - prior to the occasion, students make presentations about two effective NGOs and their spaces from their society. There's workshop in relation with native social issues and members recognize similarities and differences.
6th november 2022
Visit to Cracow
First day of the reencounter of Democracies, Cultures, People, Children, Countries, in which the language of Joy, Love, Union, Humanity, Peace was spoken! We are at school Jana Pawla II in Klucze, Poland.
Our adventure began at dawn on Saturday, November 5th, with some mishaps, but with flight baptisms, enthusiasm, excitement, "butterflies in the stomach", expressive phrases.
It has been a very intense experience for our students, who are experiencing unique moments in their still so short lives: trip to Poland, a foreign country, sightseeing tour of the city of Krakow on Sunday, interaction with students and teachers from other nationalities , among a multitude of other completely unique details!
7th november 2022
Yes, here we are listening, watching and absorbing all the moments of sharing that started early in the morning with a reception essentially filled with presentations by Polish students, enlivened with dances and songs. There was no lack of local folklore in the interpretation of the wisest ones whose age didn't take away their energy, showing the younger ones that life pulsates in gestures and voice!
It was a morning of pure magic, followed by lunch in the canteen, another moment of a new cultural experience, this time gastronomic and with different habits and rules.
The "tour" around the school started right away, allowing us to realize that the activities are to be carried out without delay.
And if we thought we were going to rest a little, we quickly found ourselves involved in a dance workshop, in which students and some teachers did their best.Â
To highlight the functioning of the school and the teaching system which go through the quality of the classrooms, many of them thematic and dedicated to certain subjects, such as English, Physical Chemistry, Natural Sciences and Geography. In addition to being rooms dedicated solely to teaching these subjects, exposure to sunlight, decoration and blinds give the feeling of being open-air rooms, while still having the necessary technology and comfortable furniture. Specifically highlight the two English classrooms, one of which is a language laboratory. As the last activity of the day, the students could take a swimming lesson in the school's swimming pool.
8th november 2022
The first hour at the school was a meeting between the coordinators of the five countries, while the students spent time interacting with colleagues from other nationalities and participating in different workshops. Presentations from each country about NGOs.Â
After lunch, more refined today, with a Sunday menu, we continued with the planned activities, which could not have been more pleasant: visit to the City Hall and reception by the Mayor, with exchange of gifts; visit to one of the biggest tourist attractions in the region, the Btedowa desert (artificial desert, consisting of 2 parts, a military one and a tourist one); disco at school at 5.30 pm and dinner at 8 pm at a local restaurant.
9th november 2022
Visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau
This was a special day, full of emotion, meaning, reflection and that will remain in our memories! Therefore, rather than a description of everything that was seen, we leave here the words felt by our students and some photos.
The objective of our project is Democracy, whose maxim must be Respect for all without exception.
Today we feel the elevation of our project in the fight against anti-democracy.
"I felt uncomfortable with the fact that the concentration camp was a place of extreme genocide; I was very amazed to see what it was like and what was there; I also felt joy in knowing that today something similar is unlikely to happen again!"
"I felt honored to be in a historic site; I felt frustration knowing that there were and are people capable of pushing the boundaries of evil; I felt grateful knowing that I don't have to go through nightmares like those people went through!"
"I felt very sad to know that millions of people died in this place!"
"I was afraid that something similar might happen again!"
"I found it very interesting to see so many things that show the suffering of so many people!"
"I felt the cold and discomfort of the place!"
"Today, I felt very grown up, as I visited a milestone in history that marked and will mark future generations; I also felt sad when I saw the photos of children crying for being separated from their parents, without knowing exactly what would happen to them, ending up being killed in a short time; I also felt ashamed, as evil continues to happen in some places in the world!"
10th november 2022
Today, the day woke up rainy and a little colder, but the human warmth we felt among everyone gave us the comfort we needed.
Behold, we arrived at the school and, as in the previous days, we had a group of students waiting for us to receive us and accompany us inside.
The day was filled with immense activities, starting with the presentation of NGOs from other countries, continuing with different workshops, while the coordinators of each country met one last time to take stock of this week and settle the details of the next LTTA . There was also room for the delivery of certificates and the exchange of "souvenirs" among all participants.
All activities were part of the school's celebrations for "Independence Day", which will be celebrated nationwide on November 11th. Interestingly, the whole school joined, with pomp and circumstance, in the auditorium to sing the national anthem at 11:11 am!
We highlight the group work carried out by the students who had to create and present an NGO. Each group was made up of elements from different countries.
Finally, the moment of farewell arrived, bringing together all the participants again in a beautiful dinner, having had time for the last conversations between the older ones and for the fun of the younger ones in the "party" specially organized for them. There was a lot of joy, emotion, some tears and the promise of meeting again in Portugal, in April, at the next LTTA.
