WELCOMING REFUGEES
Cyprus Mobility
The student exchange in Cyprus took place in Limassol between 09/10/2022 and 15/10/2022. Our Italian and Irish partners arrived on Sunday 09/10/2022. Our German partners were scheduled to also arrive on 09/10/2022, but due to a flight cancellation they arrived on Monday 10/10/2022. Our Turkish partners did not attend the activity.
A total number of 8 teachers and 18 students from the three countries above attended the mobility. From the hosting school in Cyprus, a total of 5 teachers and 15 students attended the activities in Cyprus. The title of the activity as per the application was ‘Festival Celebration: Increasing friendship to better include refugees’.
On Sunday 09/10/2022 once the Italian and Irish teams arrived at school, students went with their hosts and teachers went to their hotel. Later that evening all visiting teachers along with all the Cypriot teachers participating in the project had dinner in order to get acquainted and get a briefing of the activities that were to follow in the following days.
On Monday 10/10/2022 all visiting students, visiting teachers and Cypriot students and teachers participating in the project, had the opening Ceremony at the school starting off with a short welcoming speech by our School Headmistress. This was followed by all teachers presenting their fellow teachers and students and each partner did a short presentation on their school. A brief introduction to the project, its principles and its goals was done by the Italian Coordinator, as the German Coordinator had not arrived in Cyprus yet due to their flight cancellation. All participants took part in a interactive workshop organized by the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute labelled ‘Integration of pupils with migrant background to the Cyprus Educational System’ where it was explained how the Cyprus Government deals with immigrant students, what support system is in place both inside and outside the school and the mentoring system that is active in the school environment. Following a lunch break, each country did a presentation on a traditional festival they have in their country and how this is related to students with migrant background. Just after luvh time our German partners arrived with their students. Students were matched with their hosts and the German teachers joined the other teachers already in Cyprus. Later in the afternoon, all teachers had a meeting to discuss organizing the next mobility.
On Tuesday 11/10/2022, all students took part in an arts activity at the school where students of our school with migrant background discussed their integration in the school environment and the Cypriot society in general. A common idea arose in order to create a painting that had to do with children migrating and the layout was created on a large canvas. Later on all students took part in a guided city walk along with a treasure hunt organized in cooperation with of the Centre Of Social Innovation Cyprus. During this tour there were several stops where adult volunteers with migrant background from said organization shared their experiences of how they integrated with the Cyprus Educational System when they arrived in Cyprus and how their life as adults is now in Cyprus along with any problems they had to deal with. Later on in the afternoon, all teachers took part in a workshop organized by the Centre Of Social Innovation Cyprus. This seminar was made in order to help and guide teachers to work in culturally diverse classrooms, how to actively engage migrant parents in the education process, create a set of tools to help facilitate the academic success of migrant students, boost cultural growth, enhance cultural heritage and cultural inclusion.
On Wednesday 12/10/2022, all students and teachers had a day filled with cultural activities where they visited the Centre of Cyprus Handicrafts to view traditional handicrafts, the Costa & Rita Severis Foundation with its vast collection of memorabilia and paintings from Cyprus during different periods of time, a visit to the historical centre of our capital town Nicosia and a visit to the picturesque village of Lefkara in the mountains for sighteeing.
On Thrusday 13/10/2022, all students took part in an arts activity in the city promenade by the sea to finish off their painting which was over 5 meters long. This helped them to express their feelings through arts. Later in the afternoon the final part of the activities was done with the aid of the Human Library. A group of adult volunteers withing the Human Library organization, of different race, different migrant background, different sexual orientation and special needs, gave 1-1 or small group interviews to the students. In this activity, the volunteers act as ‘Books’ in a library and the students are the ‘readers’. This activity helped to create empathy and share experiences. At the end of the day all students and teachers had a dinner at a traditional Cyprus restaurant where traditional singing and dancing was included.
On Friday 14/10/2022, the Italian and Irish teams departed. The German students participated school lessons with their hosts along with a school tour. The German teachers sat down with the Cypriot teachers where they were filled in on what they had missed on the first day due to their flight cancellation.
On Saturday 15/10/2022 the German team departed.
