MAPS PRE-SELECTION AT THE ANNUAL SOLIDARITY WEEK OF
COOPERATION AND HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL OF ALCALA DE HENARES TO ENCOURAGE THE
PARTICIPATION OF THE STUDENTS AT PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL IN BARBARA
PETCHENIK CHILDREN'S WORLD MAP COMPETITION BY NON GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS
(COORDINATED BY ACTIONAID GROUP OF ALCALA)
E. Zapatero Cabañas, J. Manuel Ortiz
Uiversity of alcala, meco secondary schoo, actionaid
actionaid alcala
elena.zapatero@uah.es
This initiative
starts from Ayuda en Acción volunteers group of Alcalá de Henares
(Madrid), a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) for Cooperation and Development
(ActionAid International), and is developed in the Cooperation and Human Rights
Council of the city of Alcalá de Henares (made up of Political representatives,
Non Governmental Organizations (like UNICEF Alcalá, MPDL -Freedom, no
Arms and Peace Association-, Solidarity Group Against External Debt,
ActionAid Alcalá ,etc) and
Citizen Associations (like Local Women Council, University of Alcalá
(CICODE), Parents of Students at Primary and Secondary School Association,
etc). Education and Youth Councils
collaborate too.
Since 2004/05 academic course, a Cooperation
Council of Alcalá workgroup (only some NGO´s volunteers
coordinated by the Cooperation councillor) has developed some sensitizing
activities in Secondary Schools of Alcalá: Women Rights and Gender
Equality, Sustainable Development (Fair Trade included) and Extreme Poverty. Barbara Petchenik Children´s World
Map Competition appears as a transverse activity through these last ones
during 2006/07 academic course.
The aim is pointing out the
Solidarity Dimension in Barbara Petchenik Children´s World Map Competition, promoting
students´ awareness of world, beyond their city or country. Further more
the cartographical and geographical knowledge and creative representation of
the world in graphic form (relevant itself, of course), children could find a very important solidarity
dimension on theme: “Many Nations, One
World”. This interdisciplinary activity makes students aware of their
environment, poverty (unfair trade), women & children rights, and human
being rights in general, etc.
First of all, the ActionAid group of
Alcalá designs an action plan
with specific objectives for some periods of time during the academic course
2006/07 that must be passed by the rest of the members of Alcalá
Cooperative Council. This plan includes some meetings and documents, as
follows:
·
Alcalá
Educational councillor will coordinate a meeting with Geographical, Art and
Pedagogical Departments of the secondary schools in
·
After
that, Secondary Schools interested in the contest will be visited by ActionAid
and other volunteers from the workgroup for more details with teachers and
tutors.
·
Teachers
and tutors will encourage children to participate and draw world maps while
teaching their subjects: geography, art, etc. (as a interdisciplinary activity)
·
Local
media: radio, T.V. and newspapers as much as possible will inform about the
pre-selection to Barbara Petchenik Children´s World Map Competition at
the Annual Solidarity Week of Alcalá .
·
Annual
Solidarity Week: Exhibition of all maps
during all week after collecting them in Secondary Schools in a public
space of
·
Finally,
a statistical study about all maps will be carried out in collaboration with
the Mathematics Department of the