| Current Projects |
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| Past
Projects |
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| Global Village Project |
| We are working with four
village communities in Shropshire to add a global dimension
to local celebrations. |
| In June this year Bitterley
will be hosting visitors from Birmingham to begin to develop
a link with an urban community. Whereas Farlow community
will be working with Peter Chand and local storyteller, to
develop a scarecrow trail with a difference – exploring
issues of identity and belonging. |
| The project’s second
year featured diverse celebrations in the four participating
villages. Hinstock had two events celebrating
culture in the Balkans: Téa Hodžic Trio visited the
village in January as an Arts Alive event and the Mladi Metalac
women’s choir came in May 09. |
| Farlow village celebrated
the second Farlow Festival, a three day event in June celebrating
food and trade, local and global, as well as community and
school art. In Bitterley, the community came together to
open the new community garden space and to christen the beautiful
cob oven built by members of the community. The villages
of Maesbury and Maesbury Marsh held a Green Halloween event
on 31st October with support from Bridges to add a global
dimension to the traditional celebration. |
| This project
is funded by the ECCB and the Walker Trust. For more
information contact Alison: |
| alison@shropshirebridges.org.uk |
| sylvia@shropshirebridges.org.uk |
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| Millennium Development Goal
Countdown |
| This project focuses on
raising awareness and increasing action towards the fulfilment
of the Millennium Development Goals, international goals
set to reduce world poverty by 2015. |
| We are in the first year
of this long term project with school and community clusters.
This year we have worked with three clusters and a total
of 10 primary and 3 secondary schools, all learning about
the Millennium Development Goals and looking for ways to
engage themselves and others in the issues they raise. The
clusters are based in Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin.
Each cluster is focusing on one goal to reduce poverty each
year and looking to work with local community groups in order
to achieve changes in attitude and actions. Next year we
will have one more cluster on board. |
| So far, following training
for the teachers last autumn, schools have looked at world
poverty, environmental sustainability and working in partnership.
Many of our project schools took a very active part in Fairtrade
Fortnight. Pupils have helped raise awareness in parents
and local people of the issues around Fairtrade through
questionnaires, cafes, presentations and facilitating
simulation games to enable people to identify with the issues.
Other schools have engaged in issues around poverty and waste
for example through a photo competition and producing a thought
provoking shadow animation. There has been a wide range of
people involved in events and action, including parents,
Senior Citizens, churches and craft groups. |
| At the moment our schools
are looking forward to the first of our MDG summer conferences
taking place in Bishop’s Castle Community College,
Marches International School and Blessed Robert Johnston
Catholic Secondary School. At these conferences, Year 6 and
7 pupils will share what they have learned and done to help
make the world a fairer, more sustainable place. They will
then look to the next years of the project, when they will
engage with different development goals. |
| If you would like to know
more about this project, please contact Nina Cowley(Community)
or Sylvia Ruxton (Schools): |
| Nina@shropshirebridges.org.uk |
| Sylvia@shropshirebridges.org.uk |
Funded by the Department
for International Development
(DfID) |
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| Picturing Our World |
| What’s your take on
the major global issues of our time? This project uses photography
to explore some of the major global issues, such as education,
the environment or health, highlighted by the Millennium
Development Goals. We are working with Shropshire people
and communities with direct connections overseas. The groups
have been taking photographs to illustrate their story. The
result is a series of exhibitions in Shropshire and overseas
that we hope will enlighten the way we think about our world.
'Picturing Our World' is a three year project core
funded by the Department for International Development and
sponsored by Fogarty and Co. Travel. |
| For more information download
the project introduction document and contact Alison: |
| alison@shropshirebridges.org.uk |
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| Through Your Eyes |
| How do you see the world?
What if you could see the world through another person’s
eyes… |
| This project works with
people of all ages and backgrounds to explore well-being
and poverty at home and around the world. Groups will share
learning with other participants through art forms such as
drama, creative writing, photography or painting. |
| The project uses an approach
that starts from our own experiences goes on to explore what
other people in the area and around the world perceive and
experience in their lives. |
| If you are interested in
finding out more or getting involved please download the
introductory information to the right of this page. This
is a three year project funded by the Department for International
Development. |
| For more information contact
Nina: |
| nina@shrosphirebridges.org.uk |
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| Past Projects |
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| Developing a Cross-Cultural
Curriculum |
A
one year project in which 3 secondary schools developed
ways of working across Citizenship, History and Geography
to enhance cultural aspects of the curriculum. We
have been working with 5 overseas trained teachers based
in Birmingham. The participants have undertaken 3 placements
in their allocated school. The project was supported by
the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.
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| For more information please
contact Alison: |
| alison@shropshirebridges.org.uk |
| Supported by: |
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| Views from Shropshire (2006 – 2009) |
| What is it like coming to Shropshire from India in the
1960s? And what was it like be the first black family moving
into the neighbourhood? These are some of the real life experiences
collected from various ethnic minority groups in Shropshire
and Telford and Wrekin, which have been developed into a
book, exhibition and resource pack for schools and community
groups. |
| Click
here to view the ‘Views from Shropshire’ site
and download resources. For more information on purchasing
resources see our resources page. Funded by the Heritage
Lottery. |
| For more information contact Mel: |
| admin@shropshirebridges.org.uk |
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| The G8 Challenge |
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| A three year project working
with Primary School teachers and 7 – 11 year olds to
engage them with, and take action on, topical global issues
with the help of local MPs and leaders. 8 schools in Shropshire
have taken part in a schools G8 summits, with schools representing
non G8 countries such as Ghana, Jamaica and China. |
| The summits have led onto
action by school councils and a conference (June 2008) for
project schools to share with themselves and other schools
about how they have engaged with global issues such as poverty,
malaria and energy efficiency. Guidance on how to develop
pupil-led global action in school will be produced in the
final year of the project. |
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| Fairtrade School Status |
| Bridges is supporting schools
across the West Midlands who are interested in, working towards
or have obtained Fairtrade School Status. Fairtrade School
Status is a scheme run by the Fairtrade Foundation. |
| For more information about
the scheme visit: |
| www.fairtradeschools.net |
| Or email: |
| Sylvia@shropshirebridges.org.uk |
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| Our Community, Our Environment |
| Three local schools and
communities are addressing a global environmental issue that
affects their area. Pupils will find out from their communities
what people think and share this through an event. Members
of the communities will then come together to prepare to
take action on the global issue they have identified. |
Funded by the Aggregates
Levy Sustainability Fund.
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| For more information contact
Sylvia: |
| Sylvia@shropshirebridges.org.uk |
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| Global Food Chain (2007-2008) |
| Ever wondered where your
food comes from? Or whether it is more ethical to buy locally
produced or fair trade food? Three Shropshire Primary schools
have investigated food issues affecting their school and
local community via video diaries and local action. The Global
Food Chain website is now available for all schools to use.
Schools can upload their food issue videos and share their
thoughts with other schools. |
| To find out more information
on using the site, download the introduction sheet or contact: |
| admin@shropshirebridges.org.uk |
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Global Citizenship for Shropshire
Schools
(2005-2008) |
| A project working intensively
with three primary schools each year to help them bring the
global dimension to the whole curriculum. Funded by Oxfam. |
| For details of the ‘World
in Shropshire’ resource produced as a result of this
project please see the resources section of our website. |
| For more information contact
Sylvia: |
| Sylvia@shropshirebridges.org.uk |
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| Tackling Controversial Issues
(2007–2008) |
| Using Experiential Education
to Tackle Controversial Global Citizenship Issues in Secondary
Schools (2007–08). |
| This project explored the
extent to which experiential education methodologies for
tackling controversial issues add to the skills, values and
attitudes associated with global citizenship. |
We worked in partnership
with Telford Learning Innovation Centre and secondary school
citizenship departments in Telford and Wrekin. Funded by
Oxfam.
For details of the online resource exploring the crisis in
Darfur, and guidance on using experiential education methodologies,
please visit the resource section of our website.
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For more information contact
Davina.
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| Davina@shropshirebridges.org.uk |
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| The Carbon Trading Game (2006 – 2008) |
| Bridges helped to develop
an online pan-European carbon trading website that helps
pupils consider solutions to Climate Change, in a project
led by Field Studies Council and working with partners across
Europe. |
| Funded by the European Union.
For more information contact Davina: |
| Davina@shropshirebridges.org.uk |
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| Roots Music (2006 – 2007) |
| A project to use roots music
such as Bangra as a starting point for exploring global issues
and diversity. This project worked with secondary schools
in Shropshire. |
| Funded by the Youth Music
Action Zone. For more information contact Sylivia: |
| Sylvia@shropshirebridges.org.uk |
