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3 February 2021
In February, pupils studying over 5,400 miles apart will make the most of digital possibilities and connect with students at Academy of Our Lady of Peace, San Diego in an international collaboration project.
Over the coming weeks students will be preparing for a ‘Living Library’ event, where girls from the UK and USA prepare a presentation on a topic of interest which they’ll then exchange, hoping to find out more about each other’s interests and gain a greater understanding of their different cultures. At a time when the world can seem small and closed-off, this project offers pupils the chance to connect with one another through informal after-school gatherings and to broaden their horizons by exchanging stories and experiences of what it’s like to grow up in the UK and USA.
Speaking about the benefits of working with Northampton High School, Bridgette Ouimette, Strategic Initiatives & Research Director, Academy of Our Lady of Peace, comments, “It is so important for us to nurture global collaborations for our girls, so as to create a platform through which girls can appreciate diversity and forge meaningful partnerships, especially given the increasing interconnectivity of our world.”
The project seeks to empower girls to find their voice, to make new friends and to learn more about growing up in different settings. Students have drafted biographies of their teachers and have created profile pictures (pictured) to introduce their class teachers to their new friends in California. Mrs Fordham and Miss Taylor, Year 6 teachers at Northampton High, are excited to be able to connect online, “the digital age allows barriers to be broken down and a strong unified approach to be adopted, strengthening our resolve to make the future brighter for all women and girls”, they said. “We are looking forward to leaping across the pond to meet our new friends in California!”
Everyone involved with the project is excited for it to get underway, with the first live session happening later in February
