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One World in Schools
Afterwards, the independent One World in Schools programme was established with the aim of educating primary and secondary school pupils about the topical issues of the contemporary world through the screening of documentary films. Other audiovisual materials and accompanying publications were later added.
Since the programme began, special screenings for primary and secondary schools have been held within the framework of the One World IFF at all cities and towns hosting the festival throughout the Czech Republic. Films are selected with the age of viewers in mind. The youngest can enjoy short films in the One World for Children category, which this year touches on issues like children’s rights, the environment, poverty, social exclusion, old age and living with a handicap.
The One World for Students category is aimed at older elementary school pupils and those at secondary school. It will feature films on human rights in Russia and Afghanistan, development aid, old age and civic activism. The documentaries in this category will for the sixth year be judged by a student jury. To date, a total of nearly 300,000 pupils and their teachers have attended school screenings organised by the festival. Last year the number was 46,000.
Thematic meetings are then organised for both teachers who have used the programme’s materials and for students at faculties of education. To date 74 seminars have been held, and they have been attended by over 1,500 participants.
Documentary films also reach students via One World in Schools Student Film Clubs, which students run themselves as a free-time activity for their classmates, teachers, parents, friends and peers. As well as making their own film selections, students invite guests to their meetings and prepare accompanying activities such as exhibitions, tastings of traditional foods, etc. School-wide festivals lasting several days and film nights are frequently put on by students. At present there are 60 such clubs.
The Stories of Injustice project has for eight years been introducing pupils and students to modern Czechoslovak history, with an emphasis on the post-war period. Every November, screenings and meetings with those who have experienced that era are held, with the Stories of Injustice Prize being presented for courageous deeds and attitudes during the communist era. Students put forward nominations for the award and a student jury selects that year’s recipient. Student literary competitions and exhibitions are also held and thematic publications are issued.
This year One World in Schools has entered the 11th year of its existence. At present, over 2,800 primary and secondary schools are involved, which is over half of the schools in the Czech Republic. Furthermore, every year the programme is expanded by new subjects, activities and educational sets.
At present environmental guides and projects on the subject of old age are ready for introduction, while there is also a new website on which films and teaching materials, which had hitherto only been distributed on DVD or in print form, will be available to download in various formats.
“One World in Schools has simply made reality what theoreticians and experts on teaching at universities and institutes, including ministry officials, generally only write about and discuss. It offers school pupils contact with the contemporary world and motivates teachers and students to think, experience, and discuss.”
Jaroslava Schlegelová, Eliška Krásnohorská Gymnázium (Grammar School), Prague