The last week of April the community of Vilkaviskis Primary school hosted forty five
people-teachers, students and their parents from five European countries-Croatia, Czech Republic, Italy, Poland and Turkey.
Vilkaviskis Primary school is participating in Comenius Multilateral Partnership Project „Join Hands and hug Europe“. The multilateral learner-centred intercultural Project aims at providing a platform for close cooperation between six European primary schools- their pupils, teachers and other education staff in order to improve the school climate and create a safer, more tolerant and inclusive school by reducing violence and bullying and ensuring that every child feels accepted and develops its potential to the full.
Seventeen students from European countries were hosted by the families of Vilkaviskis Primary School students‘. While waiting for the young guests the parents said that hosting a kid from different culture and background is a kind of a challenge to the whole family.
When the stay was over, one of the mums Gileta Naujokiene who hosted a Polish girl Julija shared her impressions and gained experience. Her two kids-school chidren perceived the importance of ability to communicate in foreign language and understood huge perspectives that could await in the future if the skills of foreign language will be higher than average. Mrs Gileta noticed that during the stay they communicated in Russian, Polish, English and...the language of gestures. The third grade student-her son-made sure that the speaking English during the English lessons and communicating in English in a real life are two absolutely different things. During the stay the whole family were pleasantly surprised when Julija pronounced Lithuanian words „Labas rytas“(good morning), and „laba diena“ (good afternoon).
The Project „Join hands and hug Europe“ will last till September 2013. The delegation of nine people-five teachers and four students are leaving for Zagreb on the 21st of May. More students will be able to visit countries neighbours-Poland and Czech Republic next school year.
Renata Vitkauskiene,
The journalist
Irada Miltiniene,English Teacher Of Vilkaviskis Primary School/Lithuania
