2nd meeting
Synopsis of the 2nd project meeting in Vidigueira, Portugal, February 12th-17th 2011
Saturday, February 12th
The
last February 12th was marked by the beginning of the second meeting of
Comenius Multilateral School Partnership - Project "Our Treasures" in
Portugal. After Bulgaria in October, it was time for Portugal and the Village
of Vidigueira to receive the delegations of project partners (this time accompanied
by young students). The first day of the meeting was unfortunately a long and
tiring day for everyone, waiting in Lisbon and Faro for the arrival of the
various delegations was unavoidable. For the following hours the partners arrived
according to the estimated time of flight and warmly welcomed by the project coordinator
Miguel Almeida. Wales came through Faro and was received by teacher Marta Silva,
while Bulgaria, Slovakia, Greece and Croatia reached Lisbon in the morning. In
the afternoon Latvia, Lithuania and Spain arrived. After 8 pm all partners
departed towards Vidigueira. Arriving at Vidigueira at about 11 pm, the
teachers were housed in a hotel and the students were received by host families
and quickly sent to their homes.
Sunday, February 13th
On
Sunday the 13th, all project participants (teachers and students)
met in front of the Museum of Vidigueira to start the Tour of the Gama´s County.
The tour which included lunch provided the visit to the most important Churches
of the County, the Museum of Vidigueira, Quinta do Carmo and the Roman Ruins of
St. Cucufate. A Sunday stroll through the county with rainy weather.
Monday, February 14th
February 14th was the first day of
presentations. Upon Reception by the Mayor of Vidigueira in the Great Hall of
the Municipality and a coffee break at Café Relógio it was then time for the
presentation of the tour guides made by students for each of their countries.
All students have done very well in their presentations, both orally and in
terms of graphical presentation of their guides. The audience was attended with
beautiful images of the regions of each of the partners, traditional music and
videos and good mood. By the end of the morning gifts and work materials were
distributed.
After a lively lunch at a local restaurant where the successful integration of all students involved in the meeting was very well visible, either through the established communication, either by the international music made by some students with the strings of their guitars. The afternoon involved a visit to the Adega Cooperativa de Vidigueira, Alvito and Cuba, and his store to underline the importance of wine culture in the region of Alentejo. This was followed by a visit to Cooperativa of Vidigueira where a video on the production of another product of capital importance for economic and social Vidigueira, the Olive Oil was seen.
At 5:30 pm, after a quick snack in the school facilities of Escola Profissional Fialho de Almeida (vocational school) and the departure of students to their host families’ home, the project coordinators finally held the teachers’ meeting. The meeting provided an assessment of activities by all partners in each of the schools. All partners have worked the themes of the project closely with various groups and have also made their disclosure either on the website and the Wiki platform, or in the media. It was also made a redistribution of tasks involving the themes to be presented at the 3rd meeting to be held in Zagreb, Croatia in May 2011. It was then agreed that the date of the meeting will be from the 2nd to May 6th, the number of students and teachers to participate in the meeting, themes to be presented (theme 3 - Effective Intercultural Communication and theme 4 - The treasures within us, talents, abilities, creativity and imagination) in Zabreb.
The day ended with a dinner for teachers in a restaurant in Vila de Frades, a nearby village, allowing once again the contact with the traditional local cuisine, while the students dined at their host families’ home.
After a lively lunch at a local restaurant where the successful integration of all students involved in the meeting was very well visible, either through the established communication, either by the international music made by some students with the strings of their guitars. The afternoon involved a visit to the Adega Cooperativa de Vidigueira, Alvito and Cuba, and his store to underline the importance of wine culture in the region of Alentejo. This was followed by a visit to Cooperativa of Vidigueira where a video on the production of another product of capital importance for economic and social Vidigueira, the Olive Oil was seen.
At 5:30 pm, after a quick snack in the school facilities of Escola Profissional Fialho de Almeida (vocational school) and the departure of students to their host families’ home, the project coordinators finally held the teachers’ meeting. The meeting provided an assessment of activities by all partners in each of the schools. All partners have worked the themes of the project closely with various groups and have also made their disclosure either on the website and the Wiki platform, or in the media. It was also made a redistribution of tasks involving the themes to be presented at the 3rd meeting to be held in Zagreb, Croatia in May 2011. It was then agreed that the date of the meeting will be from the 2nd to May 6th, the number of students and teachers to participate in the meeting, themes to be presented (theme 3 - Effective Intercultural Communication and theme 4 - The treasures within us, talents, abilities, creativity and imagination) in Zabreb.
- Theme 3 should involve a change of emails between students of each partner in order to ask for information regarding the culture, traditions, history, etc. of another partner, so groups of students should get in contact with the designated partner school students and ask them. Also Croatia has already prepared lesson plans for theme 3 which are available in the Wiki. Date: ending of February/beginning of March.
- Theme 4 should involve the presentation of a video of a concert/show involving singing, dancing, traditional folklore, etc. Date: April.
The day ended with a dinner for teachers in a restaurant in Vila de Frades, a nearby village, allowing once again the contact with the traditional local cuisine, while the students dined at their host families’ home.
Tuesday, February 15th
On
Tuesday morning partners visited the lands of the Great Lake. The Alqueva Dam,
Marina Amieira, and the Village of Portel, where an excellent reception by the
local authorities was held. The reception included the viewing of a film about
the region and its products and a PowerPoint presentation About the local
natural surroundings. After lunch at a local restaurant, everyone returned to
Vidigueira for the presentations of themes 1 and 2 of the Project at the
Auditorium Caixa de Crédito Agrícola of Vidigueira. All student partners held
their final performances, all different, but very interesting. Both Major Community
Problems (theme 1) and The School
of Our Dreams (theme 2), were developed very well as the final product of
the themes were presented. After the final presentations, the farewell dinner took
place in the evening. It was time for socializing and handing out the
certificates. The excitement of the students showed that they were very
satisfied with the entire meeting and with their new found friends. One by one,
participants were asked to receive your certificate of participation and to
pose to the photo gallery. A nice farewell.
Wednesday, February 16th
The
next day, Wednesday, 16th, the delegations of the project left for Lisbon. It
was a whole day dedicated to visiting the capital with special attention to
Jerónimos Monastery, Belem Tower, bus sightseeing and the Park of Nations.
Despite the rain, wind and cold, the day turned out to be pleasant, because the
guide who accompanied the visit was very helpful and explained in detail the
history behind the visited monuments. After 5 pm, all partners except Wales,
were housed in the Youth Hostel in the Park of Nations for the night Lisbon. It
was time for an emotional farewell, wishes for a comfortable return journey and
a quick reunion in Zagreb.
Thursday was a day of departures, either by Faro or Lisbon. Thus, it the meeting in Portugal came to an end. There was a feeling of fulfilled duty, indeed tiring, but also fantastic and unforgettable experiences for all students. There was a real cultural and linguistic exchange that fostered friendships cemented the European citizenship and awareness of the importance of international cooperation and European values.
Thursday was a day of departures, either by Faro or Lisbon. Thus, it the meeting in Portugal came to an end. There was a feeling of fulfilled duty, indeed tiring, but also fantastic and unforgettable experiences for all students. There was a real cultural and linguistic exchange that fostered friendships cemented the European citizenship and awareness of the importance of international cooperation and European values.