ACTIVE SISTER SCHOOLS is an international project that aims to build bridges and create unity and integration across school classes. The project was born out of a desire to connect Ukrainian schoolchildren who had been displaced by war with children in other countries. Through classroom activities, students learn about each other’s lives, cultures, traditions, and surroundings.
Schools in Denmark, Poland and Spain are partnering with their Ukrainian counterparts to arrange regular contact between students in the second and third grades of primary school, typically aged 8-9 years old. The project draws on the classic pen pal system, which has for decades helped develop strong bonds between people of all ages. In addition to written communication, children participate in online meetings, webinars, art-based activities and monthly fun ‘challenges’ designed to maximise engagement through friendship and movement. Through these activities, children are given opportunities to learn about each other’s culture, and language and everyday life.
The concept of international communication between school students is long-established. ACTIVE SISTER SCHOOLS builds on experience already gained while aiming to identify the best methods of engaging children who are suffering from the negative effects of war or other forms of isolation. The timeline of the project runs to May 2025, after which lessons and best-practice will be shared on the project’s website. It is hoped that ACTIVE SISTER SCHOOLS will provide a valuable blueprint to enable similar exchange schemes in the future, potentially on a global scale.
Project partners are Danish School Sports, the International Sport and Culture Association, UkraineActive, Poland’s V4Sport Foundation and DES (Spain).
Learn more at https://activesisterschools.com/
