Global Citizenship

May 9th, 2011

Europe Day 2011

nickmorgan

Comments: 1 Comment Tags: Tags: europe, modern languages
 : Categories europe, international, modern languages

Today is Europe Day, the annual date for celebration of the existence and activities of the European Union. Many Scottish schools work throughout the year to support student learning about Europe, taking part in initiatives such as the primary school Euroquiz

This is also the month of ‘Comenius Week’, when schools celebrate the successes of intercultural dialogue achieved through the EU’s Comenius partnerships programmes. Scotland has benefitted from many Comenius school partnerships, with both bilateral and multilateral school projects, and the newer Regio programme has enabled partnership working at local authority level too.

All the major European organisations offer support to teachers who want to include a stronger European dimension to their work in schools. Three examples: the annual European Day of Languages (26th September) initiated by the Council of Europe; the education resources such as ‘Crisis Point’ produced by the European Parliament offices; and the resources such as ‘Passport to the EU’ created by the European Commission.

On this 9th May, a BBC News web story focuses on poor language skills among British people and the impact of this on their ability to win jobs with European institutions.

May 2nd, 2011

Scottish Heritage

nickmorgan

Comments: none Tags: Tags: scottish culture
 : Categories citizenship, scottish culture

A core part of being a global citizen is a knowledge of your own heritage and culture. ‘World Heritage Day 2011′ was celebrated in April, and many Scots took part in events to enjoy aspects of the rich historic and contemporary cultures of Scotland.

The ‘Shadows of our Ancestors’ project highlighted the significance of the five locations identified by UNESCO as ‘World Heritage Sites’ of international importance. New Lanark is one of our five Scottish sites, and its staff organised a special event to mark the occasion with students. An article in The Guardian reported on celebrations in Edinburgh in the historic Old Town.

During May 2011 Scotland’s museums will be taking part in the ‘Festival of Museums’, offering the public a range of additional events which highlight aspects of our culture, arts and history. The festival website lists local events.

National organisations such as Historic Scotland run learning activities and educational visits throughout the year, and teachers and students also have access to resources like the Scottish Screen Archive which illuminate Scottish history through photographs and moving images.