English info

 
One World in Schools
 
The One World in Schools project is part of the One World international festival of human rights films. One World in Schools is a continuing educational project which uses documentary films and other audio-visual materials to teach at elementary, secondary and third-level schools.
 
We offer teachers sets of documentary films and accompanying materials. Teachers use these as sources information about the contemporary world’s most important issues. Above all, these materials help teachers educate their students about tolerance and respect for the rights of others, which are essential values and principles for a democratic society. Our experience to date confirms that documentaries and other audio-visual materials, such as social advertisements, are great ways to initiate debates; raise awareness and understanding among young people about development issues, they help young people find connections between and answers to difficult questions and allow them to form their own opinions and attitudes. We organize seminars regarding the implementation of these educational methods by teachers. We do not only emphasize the practical apsect; we also encourage personal development and help improve teaching skills.
 
Currently, One World materials are used at 2,300 schools around the Czech Republic and the project is starting to spread beyond this country’s borders.
 
The project deals with important subjects both specific to our country and applicible to the world at large – undemocratic regimes and war zones, racism, global development issues and development cooperation, coming to terms with the past, accepting differences, and drug addiction. The creation of this collection of documentary films was inspired by the lack of suitable teaching materials on modern Czechoslovakian history. We are now working on directing the One World project towards media training. Our aim is to increase young people’s ability to critically view the media (which influences them every day) and to develop their knowledge of how to use the media.
 
Another integral part of the One World in Schools program are the One World Film Clubs, which are started by  pupils themselves at secondary schools. There are currently hundreds of members in 43 active clubs in the Czech Republic.
 
Every year the One World festival organizes screenings for schools accompanied by debates with interesting guests. The  documentary films presented reflect the everyday lives, problems and attitudes of children and young people. We also regularly hold competitions for pupils and students during the year.  
 
 
HELENA KOUBKOVÁ, SOU Engineering and Trade School, Plzeň: “Concrete and emotionally powerful human stories told through documentary films can have a much deeper impact than hundreds of words.”
 
JAN JIRÁTKO, Gymnasium Zikmunda Wintra, Rakovník: “The collection of videotape, that we received, has had a strong response among the teachers and especially among the students. It allows us to liven up lessons and add a new dimension. As a part of this project we also made several works of art.“
 
VÁCLAVA ŠNOKHOUSOVÁ, Český Krumlov, High School: “I would like to praise the fact that the organizers of the project did not just deliver video tapes, but also organized seminars and provided materials for teachers, so that they could find the most effective way to work with the films. These seminars were the best examples of supplemental learning that I participated in this year.”
 
 VLASTA VYČICHLOVÁ, SOŠT Liberec: “The One World in Schools project offers something that was hopelessly absent from my job: the possibility to get more insightful understanding of the events that are covered in the mainstream media in too fragmented a manner. The project also gives students a chance to discuss and reflect more thoroughly on the news they see on the TV and too often do not understand or do not care about.”