This year's theme is rooted in "Democracy and Citizenship" and the title is
«Make Your Voices Heard! - Young People and Their Democratic and Civic Engagement».
The text is co-written by the four professors involved in the project:
Margot Roullier-Paijmans, Pascale Fuchs, Karen Fossum Langhelle and Anne-Lise Solheim
Monday 16 January
After arriving at school together, the Norwegian students went to attend their regular classes whereas the French students were given an introduction to Norway followed by a guided tour of the school by Ulrik and Gard, students from the school’s Travel Business class. Afterwards, the French students attended an English class with Merek Cooper, whose station-based lesson took them through a variety of interactive exercises about the British Isles, covering everything from geography and historical events to sayings from Shakespeare and regional accents. At lunch in the school’s restaurant, the French students were officially welcomed by Principal Kersti Kelder and enjoyed a traditional Norwegian salmon dish prepared and served by students from the school’s Restaurant and Food Production program.
For the second half of the day, both the French and Norwegian students gathered in the auditorium together with students from English 1 and from the Politics and Human Rights class. Invited speakers Katia Busuttil from Unge Venstre (the Liberal Party’s youth wing), Sivert Leirbakk from Unge Høyre (the Conservative Party’s youth wing), Åsne Mjelde Refsum from Natur og Ungdom (Young Friends of the Earth Norway), and Erle Kåråsen Lunde, leader of the school’s student council, spoke about their own personal journeys to becoming actively engaged in political and civic issues, why young people’s engagement in various issues is so crucial to society, and the many different ways in which young people today can contribute. A Q&A session followed, in which the students asked lots of probing questions that among other things uncovered interesting similarities and differences between Norway and France. The discussion continued over refreshments afterwards. At the final summing up of the day’s events, all students agreed that the contribution and engagement of young people are essential to a well-functioning democracy, and a large majority of the students expressed a desire to become more actively involved in issues they are passionate about.
Tuesday 17 January
On Tuesday morning, we met directly at the airport to take the train to Oslo where we had a guided tour at the Storting scheduled at 10 AM. After having cleared security, we met the Parliamentary Andreas Sjalg Unneland (SV) who was waiting for us. We started in the main entrance where he explained not only the evolution in the architecture of the buildings and architecture using reduced models but also the evolution of rights in the political system which evolved from a restrictive policy in which only men above 25 years old were allowed to vote. Prior to explaining the political spectrum, Mr. Unneland detailed the evolution of Storting’s exterior and interior architecture namely a structure enabling politicians to hear protestors outside as well as a “hemicycle” to avoid the face-to-face model (as in the Britain) which is not conducive to achieving consensus. After a brief visit to Stortingssalen where the Foreign Minister was speaking, Mr. Unneland led the students to the Eidsvoll gallery ending the visit in Lagting Chamber where students had opportunity to ask some questions on different topics including what led him to choose political engagement becoming one of the youngest Parliamentary (28 years old).
Following the visit, we all went to Barcode Foodhall where the students were given a gift card to choose their street food and enjoy sharing a meal at communal tables before the guided tour at the Resistance Museum situated in the oldest part of Ankershus Fortress. The pupils were divided into two groups, mixing French and Norwegians. Students from both countries were led to understand the importance of resistance during WWII through the detailed and anecdotal explanation of the two knowledgeable tour guides. While French students discovered the resistance in Norway, all students could reflect on the importance of defending principles of freedom. After the museum, the school day was finish. Students went off with their correspondents to discover Oslo or engage in other activities.
Wednesday 18 January
For the second day in a row, the students gathered bright and early at the train station for another full day of activities and events in Oslo. First stop was the Nobel Peace Center, currently housed in the City Hall due to renovations, where the students were given an introduction to the laureates of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2022: human rights advocate Ales Bialiatski from Belarus, the Russian human rights organisation Memorial, and the Ukrainian human rights organisation Center for Civil Liberties. The students were then divided into six groups and given a cardboard box each with four objects, the task being to uncover the link between the objects and one of the winners. The students gained valuable insight not only into the crucial contributions of the three laureates and their fight to preserve democracy but were also invited to explore and reflect upon the connection between democracy and human rights. Several stayed behind after the tour had ended to write postcards to Ales Bialiatski who is currently in prison.
Then followed a guided tour of various artworks at the National Museum. In two separate groups, the students were shown several important works by artists whose political and social engagement have made important contributions to a number of debates both past and present. From Norwegian painter Christian Krogh’s 1887 painting “Albertine at the Police Doctor’s Waiting-Room” attacking the lack of rights for women and the double standards of the bourgeois to Sámi artist Máret Ánne Sara’s 2017 tapestry of 400 reindeer sculls protesting the Norwegian government’s attempt to override indigenous rights, the tour allowed the students to reflect upon the role of the engaged artist and the notion of art as activism and engagement.
After so much food for thought, many students seized the opportunity to initiate themselves to ice-skating in the heart of Oslo on the seasonal ice-skating rink right across from Storting while others explored the city further. Despite the freezing temperature, students skated cheerfully amid smiles and laughs; instances of mutual help between students on the ice were plentiful - a marvelous testimony to understanding and the exercise of democracy in ensuring that all have access to equal opportunity.
Thursday 19 January
All students attended school. Norwegians attended their classes while a special program was organized for the French students. Some of the students enrolled in the sports program organized a sport session for the French students. The warm-up consisted of two games of Dodge Ball followed by Volleyball matches. Thank you to the Norwegian students for having organized this session.
Then the English teacher Ingvild hosted the French students in her class which focused reflection on culture in France, Norway, and the US. In groups, she invited the students to choose a topic related to cultural differences and to compare these three countries. Students chose religion, architecture, national days, and food. After 25-minute of group work, the lesson ended with a short presentation of each group in English.
In the afternoon, French students had about one hour to start catching up with the lessons they have missed before attending afternoon classes. Student were divided into two groups.
One group was invited by the math teacher Ina who prepared and taught the lesson with the French math teacher Pascale Fuchs. Together with her Norwegian students, they worked on analyzing the results of the survey on youth political and civic engagement that had been conducted in both schools. Slightly intimidated at having to work in groups with students that they didn’t know, French and Norwegian students worked together efficiently at representing the results with the objective of comparing both groups.
The other group participated in a technology and scientific innovation class with Kjell Arnt. First, they solved a physics problem dealing with lift forces on an airplane wing to then build a reduced model wing. French students were very interested in this very practical task and the students’ investment was very much appreciated by Kjell Arnt. We found out that students organized a surprise party for two students that had birthday on Thursday and Friday.
Friday 20 January
Friday started with at school with Norwegian students followed their regular classes until lunch.
Throughout the morning, French students participated in religion and ethics classes. First, the entire group was invited by Ulrikke to lead a 60-minute group reflection with feedback around the notion of freedom of speech.
Then, French students were invited by Kristine, Anne Synnøve and Marianne to participate in their classes dealing with the topic of secularism. At the beginning of the hour, a presentation on French secularism which three French students had prepared was given in each of the classes followed by group discussions and exchanges between French and Norwegian students. This was an extremely interesting exchange and provided food for thought for all involved.
After lunch provided by the school in the canteen, a bus took the students for a picturesque drive to Eidsvoll where they were taken on a tour of Norwegian history and the origins of the Norwegian Constitution in 1814, establishing the link with the visit of Storting but also connecting Norwegian and French history. Our guide Torleif Hamre gave a tour of the mansion’s rooms and commons before inviting the students to reflect on the meaning of democracy in “Demokratisentret”.
Gjenbesøk i uke 18, Thann i Alsace
Involverte lærere fra de to videregående skolene: Margot Roullier-Paijmans, Pascale Fuchs, Karen Langhelle og Anne-Lise Solheim.
Søndag 30. april dro 18 elever fra Vg2 ST, Vg2 ID/MK, Vg1 ST og Vg1 ID til Thann i Alsace, Frankrike på utvekslingsbesøk hos elever ved Lycée Scheurer-Kestner. Dette var et gjenbesøk ettersom de franske elevene allerede hadde vært hos oss i uke 3.
Mandag 1. mai, guidet tur i Thann og Accrobranche Alsace ved innsjøen Kruth
Første dagen i programmet fikk elevene en guidet tur i Thann og besøkte byens katedral. Vi lærte blant annet om legenden om byens grunnleggelse, som involverer en helgen, en løsrevet finger og en brennende stav (!) og om regionens turbulente fransk-tyske historie. Lunsj var en piknik på skolen. Etterpå bar det av sted til klatreparken «Accrobranche Alsace» ved innsjøen Kruth, der både elever og lærere fikk prøve seg på klatreløyper høyt oppe i trærne og zip-line over innsjøen.
2. mai i Strasbourg
Dag to gikk til Strasbourg der vi besøkte og fikk omvisning i selve Europarådet før vi dro til Den Faste Norske Delegasjonen. Vi lærte om Europarådets historie og dets viktigste rolle for å kjempe for demokrati og menneskerettigheter for innbyggerne i sine 46 medlemsland. Tone Cecilia Engdahl ledet en engasjerende samtale med elevene om delegasjonens arbeid og rolle. Det var en tankevekker for alle å få høre at ikke siden Europarådets stiftelse, har demokrati og verdiene som det representerer, vært så truet som de er i dag.
Etter piknik i strålende solskinn, ble elevene bedre kjent med EU og Strasbourg gjennom rebusløypa «Discover Europe». Det ble også tid til en guidet båttur langs elven i den eldste delen av byen, et besøk i katedralen og middag på en tradisjonell restaurant der vi fikk smake ekte «tarte flambé alsacienne» aka «flammkuchen, før vi tok bussen tilbake til Thann.
3. mai ”jeux de pistes” og landsbyen Sélestat
Onsdagen startet med frokost på skolen, før elevene fikk høre om hvordan den videregående skolen i Thann praktiserer demokrati i praksis. Elever fra skolen fortalte om hvordan elevrådet fungerer hos dem, og om hvordan det velges en elevkomite som har det praktiske og det økonomiske ansvaret for driften av ulike klubber og evenementer på skolen.
Etter lunsj i skolens kantine (tre retter, selvfølgelig – man er jo tross alt i Frankrike) dro vi til Seléstat for å besøke la Bibliothèque Humaniste. Seléstat ble på 1400-tallet et viktig senter for læring og vitenskap som vokste fram rundt humanisten Beatus Rhenanus. Rhenanus ble etter hvert bestevenn med Erasmus av Rotterdam, som ikke bare var en av renessansens største vitenskapsmann, men også inspirasjon til EU-programmet ERASMUS + som finansierer prosjektet vårt. Erasmus og ERASMUS + deler begge tanken om at det å reise rundt og møte andre er essensielt for at det skal kunne dannes fellesskap preget av kunnskap, respekt og forståelse - alle grunnverdier i et demokratisk samfunn. Etterpå ble det innføring i å kopiere latinske tekster med fjærpenn og blekk, og elevene fikk dermed en liten smakebit på hvordan det var å gjøre lekser i renessansen.
Etter lunsj i skolens kantine (tre retter, selvfølgelig – man er jo tross alt i Frankrike) dro vi til Seléstat for å besøke la Bibliothèque Humaniste. Seléstat ble på 1400-tallet et viktig senter for læring og vitenskap som vokste fram rundt humanisten Beatus Rhenanus. Rhenanus ble etter hvert bestevenn med Erasmus av Rotterdam, som ikke bare var en av renessansens største vitenskapsmann, men også inspirasjon til EU-programmet ERASMUS + som finansierer prosjektet vårt. Erasmus og ERASMUS + deler begge tanken om at det å reise rundt og møte andre er essensielt for at det skal kunne dannes fellesskap preget av kunnskap, respekt og forståelse - alle grunnverdier i et demokratisk samfunn. Etterpå ble det innføring i å kopiere latinske tekster med fjærpenn og blekk, og elevene fikk dermed en liten smakebit på hvordan det var å gjøre lekser i renessansen.
4. mai «Café démocratique», Charles de Gaulle og Colmar
Dagen startet med « Café démocratique » der elevene diskuterte følgende temaer: Er sosiale medier en trussel for demokratiet, bør vi engste oss for ChatGPT og er sivil ulydighet en demokratisk nødvendighet? Deretter fikk elevene en innføring i fransk motstandsbevegelse under 2. verdenskrig og Charles de Gaulle, et fantastisk opplegg som var spesielt laget for de norske elevene av M. Deraco, en av skolens historielærere.
Ettermiddagen tilbragte vi i Colmar, en pittoresk by med kanaler flankert av bindingsverkshus, der vi fikk omvisning i museet dedikert til skulptøren Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, mannen bak Frihetsgudinnen og en forkjemper for demokratiske verdier. Til slutt ble det tid til is og litt fritid i den flotte byen.
5. mai «la laïcité», Rådhuset i Thann og gruppearbeid
Dagen startet med en innføring om «la laïcité» (sekularisme) i det franske skolesystemet og hva det innebærer. Historielæreren forklarte prinsippet og sammenlignet de to landene før det ble tid for debatt blant elevene.
Deretter dro vi til rådhuset i Thann der en av byens lokalpolitikere tok oss imot for å snakke om hvordan de praktiserer demokratiet på grasrotnivå i Thann for at alle skal ha muligheten til å delta med sine meninger og ideer.
Etter besøket, bar det tilbake til skolen og lunsj i skolens kantine. Etter lunsj fikk elevene lære litt om «Den femte republikk» som ble innført av Charles de Gaulle i 1958, og fikk muligheten til å spille spillet som ble laget for 2 år siden i forbindelse med en nasjonal konkurranse i historiefaget «Découvrons notre constitution». Elevene fra skolen i Thann vant førstepremie og ble invitert av Macron til Paris for å ta imot prisen. Til slutt var det tid for gruppearbeid der elevene skulle uttrykke med ord og bilder i form av en plakat hva de hadde lært om demokratiet i løpet av uka.
6. mai Europapark
Lørdag morgen ble vi fraktet med buss fra Thann til Europa-park, en av de største fornøyelsesparkene i Europa (bare Disney i Paris er større) og som ligger i Rust i Tyskland. Parken er delt inn i femten forskjellige områder, hovedsakelig oppkalt etter europeiske land. Parkens maskott kalles «Euromouse». Her fikk elevene boltre seg en hel dag i fart og spenning, og det ble en flott avslutning på årets Erasmus + prosjekt.