In order to achieve the goal included in the title of the project – OUTSPREADING –all project activities were targeted at increasing skills and readiness to share gained experiences and to communicate with students, teachers and other stakeholders within and outside the schools – in the community, municipality and region.

In March 1^st in Riga and March 2^nd in Daugavpils regional forums took place where teams from ten involved schools shared experience with more than 200 guests from 30 schools and other organizations. Among audience and active participants of the workshops were students, teachers, state and municipal educational leaders, decision makers from municipalities, partners from youth centers etc.

 

In the forms of interactive workshops students and teachers together told and showed with examples how to promote sense of belonging to one’s own school, community and state, how to include European and global dimension, how to promote tolerance and inclusion based on common values and recognizing differences as a resource. School teams demonstrated how to organize learning process and let joy in it, how to use school as a spring board for so called “adult life” in the most meaningful way, being ready to become a part of local community and whole society. For example, team from Daugavpils Secondary school No.10 in the workshop “Let’s play Latvia!” presented more than 10 different games and plays, some board games, some electronic and some outdoors, which help to learn about different aspects of Latvia’s past and present in the enjoyable and active way.

During the forums as during the whole project very important part was meetings with inspiring persons from different fields, such as Mārtiņš Daugulis, researcher at Rīga Stradiņš University, TV moderator and public speaker, entrepreneur and activist Jana Strogonova, representative of the National Cinema Center  Agnese Zapāne, board member and artist of the Daugavpils theatre Kristīne Veinšteina, artist and playwritter Jānis Balodis from Dirty Deal teatro  with the performance “National development plan” and others.

Here is some feedback from evaluations of the students:

In order for the state to be better you have to do something yourself.

Each one has to have his or her own development plan.

I enjoyed theatre performance as I never had thought about National development plan and even didn’t know what it is.

If things are not going in the fully right way in the state the – how things should be done?

Theatre – it is about reflection and adventure. I appreciate courage and interactivity.

EDC project team got confirmation that it has been good solution to use arts and culture as a means for reflection on current processes, integration and person’s relationship with the state.