Case Studies
Solidarity Project between Ireland and Kenya:
Rockbrook Park School, Dublin and John Paul II Mixed Secondary School, Nairobi
Background
The link between Irish school Rockbrook Park and their Kenyan partner John Paul II Mixed Secondary School is now in its fourth year, having been established with the help of Strathmore University, Nairobi in 2007 and supported by WorldWise since then.
Aim and Focus
When the partnership was originally formed, its main aim was to help students and teachers in both schools understand and appreciate more the people and cultures of each others’ countries within a global context. The main focus of the project to date has been on sustainable development and human rights, and how all states in both Europe and Africa have a role to play in fostering these.
The project has progressed well over the last three years: starting with a straightforward exchange of photographs by students and moving on to the joint production of a development education magazine, in which students share their views on various global issues, and the establishment of 'Solidarity Week' - an event held in parallel in both schools - to provide students with the opportunity to engage with different local and global issues (see more details below).
Communication
Communication is maintained by weekly contact between coordinating teachers, mainly through email, but also using mobile phones and VoIP Buster to speak via the internet.
Teacher Visits
The first Irish WorldWise teacher visit took place in October 2008, where, amongst other things Irish teachers Jude Mulligan and Ed Kellett worked with colleagues to produce a partnership agreement. The teacher visit further cemented the link by enabling face to face meetings between colleagues which meant they could plan more effectively joint activities for the year, as well as giving Irish teachers valuable insight into their partner school and community. A return teacher visit to Dublin of the JPII principal and vice principal,
Mr. Cosmas Sila Kivindyo
and
Mr. Christopher Okuku Lubanga,
took place in November 2010. In spite of being impeded somewhat by the severe snow and cold weather, this visit provided the opportunity
to move along plans for the rest of the 2010/11 school year, set up a schedule and objectives, and create a joint student Project Book.
The development education dimension of the partnership has developed as the project has progressed, with three main strands having been established for students to focus on: Development and My Future; Development and My Identity; Development and My Community. Jude Mulligan, teacher and project coordinator in Rockbrook explains, “We tried to ensure that there were clear educational learning objectives for each activity which engaged the students in critical thinking about the issues at hand. It was never a case of simply doing something for the sake of it, but rather the students could see that there was a clear meaning in what they were trying to do in terms of their own understanding of the world.”
One of the most successful activities to date has been Solidarity Week, which has taken place each year in Rockbrook since the partnership was established, and this year will take place simultaneously in JPII. During the week there will be permanent exhibits in each school foyer, explaining the nature of the linking programme; displays of artwork and photography from students in both schools; and the latest edition of ‘You and Me’ magazine. A number of speakers have been invited to address students during previous Solidarity Weeks including Her Excellency, Catherine Muigai Mwangi, Kenyan Ambassador to Ireland; Elayne Devlin, broadcast journalist who gave a workshop on “Images of Africa: How they influence our viewpoints”; and Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Byrne who ran a workshop on “Military Support for Humanitarian Aid Overseas.” During last year's Solidarity Week, JPII held an exhibit of the linking project with Rockbrook in their local library and organised a Community Clean Up Day in their local area of Kibera. Both of these activities highlighted the project to the local community and raised its profile.
Solidarity week 2011 is due to be held next summer and is in the diary of both schools!
Student Visit
A student visit by 9 Rockbrook students to John Paul II took place in July 2009, where they were involved with a group of 9 John Paul II students in a series of collaborative projects based on critically engaging with issues in Kibera slum under the three headings of education, work and teenage life.
These 18 students were divided into groups and for three days the teams worked in the school and all over Kibera, interviewing teachers, children and trades people, recording information, taking photographs and visiting homes for interviews. On the fourth day a student conference at Strathmore University was held for 60 students in total. In addition to opening songs and lunch, two sessions were held: in session 1, the Kibera teams presented their work and findings from the first three days; in session 2 all the participants explored the three issues of the week, culminating in short presentations through art and drama.
The 18 students who comprised the three teams got certificates at the end, presented by the head of the Community Outreach Programme of the university. Those Kenyan students at the conference who were not part of the Kibera teams were genuinely shocked and impressed to see their classmates giving professional presentations with PowerPoint about their own neighbourhood. For further details, read the report of the visit by Jude Mulligan
Good Practice Elements from this partnership
• Partnership Agreement
• Final Report
• Joint Development Education Activities in both schools including production of You and Me magazine
• Structure of the student visit
