Erasmus+ Fair Trade Slovakia, April 2017

In April 2017 two members of staff and five students made the journey from Peterborough, England to Handlova, Slovakia for the next stage of the Fair Trade project.

After a very early start and a long, but comfortable journey, the English team arrived in Handlova where the students were met by their host families. One by one, the remaining partner schools arrived from Italy, Germany, Denmark and Austria.

On the morning of day one the project teams met at the Town Hall for a welcome presentation from the Mayor of Handlova. After a brief presentation the Mayor invited everyone up in person to present them with a gift bag from the people of Handlova and the opportunity to sign the Handlova Town guest book.

Our next stop was the Gymnasium Ivana Bellu, our Slovakian partner school. During our visit to the school we received a tour of the building and watched the student presentations.

After enjoying lunch at the school we made our way to mining museum to learn about the heritage and history of Handlova, before moving on to the art gallery for a spot of creativity, sewing felt hearts, which we were able to keep as a reminder of the day.

Day two saw us travelling by coach by the town of Trencin for a tour of the castle and the opportunity to climb the tower. The castle was situated high above Trencin providing fantastic views of the town, river and surrounding countryside. Climbing to the top of the tower only served to make the views even more stunning!

After some fun and games with the stocks and a picnic lunch in the castle grounds the students were split into groups and set the challenge of producing the most imaginative Fair Trade photograph. With two hours to capture the winning pose the students made their way around the town of Trencin.

Day three was a real treat. Once again, we travelled by coach but this time up to the mountains to a remote livestock farm. Upon arrival, the group was split in two, with group one visiting the sheep barn and group two learning how to make the traditional Slovakian cheese, Korbáčiky. The students loved being around the animals, particularly milking the sheep and holding the lambs who were more than happy to have a cuddle or two.

After swapping activities, the groups came together to watch the farmers cook a mountain side lunch of Bryndzove halushky - potato dumplings, sheep cheese and roasted bacon, followed by dessert of berries with cream cheese.

After lunch the students were given free time to explore the farm while they waited for the arrival of the horses. As the horses made their way over the hills, it was clear to see that this was going to be the highlight for our students. One by one the students were given the opportunity to ride the horses, guided by one of the farmers. As predicted the English students went back for more, enjoying a second ride around the hill. This was a lovely experience for our students.   

On the journey back to Handlova we stopped at a small, purpose built glass workshop. During our visit we were able to watch how glass is heated, manipulated and blown to create beautiful glassworks. After learning the basics, the students were invited to have a go at glass blowing themselves. We didn’t have quite as many volunteers as with the horses but we are pleased to say that Luke, one of the English students, was up for the challenge.  

Day four was the one we had all been looking forward to, the beautiful, fairytale castle of Bojnice. We travelled by coach to the town of Bojnice which did not disappoint with its tree lined main street leading up the castle. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t on our side, but that didn’t dampen our spirits (just our hair!).

After receiving a very informative tour of the castle, with lots of photo opportunities, we made our way to one of the local restaurants for lunch where we treated to some traditional Slovak cuisine. After a delicious lunch, the winners of the photography competition were announced. We are proud to say that our students were in the groups that placed 2^nd and 3^rd.

After lunch we walked back up the hill to Bojnice Zoo, which is situated opposite the castle. The students enjoyed seeing the animals and the stunning views from the tree top view point.

It was difficult to believe that day five had come round so quickly. With our bags packed, the English group boarded the coach for the final time as we prepared to depart at lunchtime. Before our journey home there was just enough time for one more visit, this time to the town of Kreminca and home of the Mint.

It was another chilly day and on our approach to Kremnica we could see snow on top of the mountains….in April! (we don’t get much snow in England).

Our itinerary for the morning was a tour of the Mint factory where the coins are produced in their thousands and the Mint museum which had its own secret mine! After the tours, and with just an hour to spare, the students were given some free time to explore the pretty town of Kremnica and of course, make snowballs out of the huge snow block covering the town square! After our time in Kremnica, it was time to say good bye.

Farewell Slovakia, we had a blast!

Student visit to Thomas Deacon Academy in Peterborough,

In January 2017 the Fair Trade project team met in England for the third transnational meeting of the project and the first student visit to Thomas Deacon Academy in Peterborough, England. 

TDA welcomed teachers and students from Germany, Denmark, Italy, Austria and Slovakia for the next stage of the Fair Trade Project. Students were hosted by families of TDA students while the teachers stayed in nearby accommodation. TDA offered a packed itinerary for the visiting schools including workshops, presentations, cultural visits and feedback from the visit to the chocolate factory.

On the first morning students and teachers were formally welcomed to TDA by the Principal, Mr Walls, following which each partner school delivered a short presentation on the work they have been undertaking on the project since our last meeting. Following the welcome meeting and presentations TDA International Ambassadors took the guests on a tour of the Academy.

The Royal Geographical Society visited TDA in the afternoon to deliver a workshop on digital mapping, to support the project partners in producing a digital map of their respective towns for the project website. Students were able to start working on their maps, plotting suppliers of Fair Trade products in their local areas.

On day two students worked with the Peterborough Skills Service on a Dragons’ Den style business challenge. The students were split into groups and were given resources and instructions on producing a business model to sell up-cycled products made from coffee bean bags. The students were required to allocate roles to each member of their team and they had to produce a business plan, marketing plan and financial records for their business. At the end of the challenge each team had to present their business proposal to a panel of judges. There were some very interesting ideas and unique products.

                                                                                                                                                                                             

In the afternoon we visited the impressive Peterborough Cathedral, a 12^th century Norman structure situated in the city centre. The students and teachers received a guided tour of the Cathedral where they were able to ask questions and peruse the amazing structure.

    

On day three the project team received a visit from Bala Sports, the only producers of Fair Trade footballs in the UK. The Bala Sports team talked about the work they do before setting the group another challenge – to trade as crop growers in a third world country. With just paper, crayons and workers the teams had to produce oranges which they would then attempt to sell at market. The teams consisted of family members, including children and the elderly. Facing the hurdles of a third world country the students had to try and make an income to support their families. The purpose of the challenge? To highlight the importance of Fair Trade.

     

As a treat for the all hard work put in during both challenges that students were treated to an afternoon at Bounce, a large indoor trampoline park on the outskirts of Peterborough. The students and a few of the teachers let of steam in the park while the other staff took time to catch up.

One day four students and teachers were in for a real treat with a visit to the Warner Brothers, Harry Potter Studios in London. In addition to a tour of studios, which tells the story of the making of Harry Potter, the project team attended a film making workshop. The day was a huge success demonstrated by the faces of some very excited students.

                                                                                                                                                                                               

It’s hard to believe how quickly the final day of the visit to England came round. On day five we visited the world renowned city of Cambridge, but not before a quick stop off at Hotel Chocolat for some very important Fair Trade chocolate purchases.

Upon arriving at Cambridge we headed straight for the River Cam for a punting tour of the colleges and historical buildings. It was a little chilly, to say the least, but some blankets and good company kept us warm as we soaked in the wonders of Cambridge and its famous universities.

After the punting tour the students and teachers spent the afternoon exploring the city of Cambridge independently before making their way back to coach to head back to Peterborough.

We had a fantastic week hosting the students and teachers in England and hope that everyone found the week informative and enjoyable.