Young Historians of Europe.
It is with great honour and pride that our school announces its official participation in a two-year programme under the auspices of Erasmus+. The school is providing a unique opportunity to its students to participate in this endeavour of cultural celebration and increased historical awareness on a European dimension.
Our students will be visiting 5 regions in Europe and beyond. They will visit and engage in workshops focusing on the historical and cultural heritage of Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey and, naturally, our own national historical and cultural treasures.
Our school will be positively impacted as our students, including those not directly participating in the programme, will have an opportunity to meet and engage with similar-aged students from all over Europe. This will help us discover the values we share as Europeans as well as experience each other’s cultural diversity.
Our school is proud of its staff members who have sought to, and secured, The Sacred Heart minor Seminary’s participation in this international endeavour.
Trip to Taranto
On Sunday 9th December four students and two teachers from the Sacred Heart Minor Seminary, Ms Francesca Mizzi and Mr George Farrugia, left for a week-long educational visit to Taranto as part of an Erasmus + project called “Young Historians of Europe”. This was possible thanks to the Erasmus + programme in collaboration with EUPA.
The group had the opportunity to visit the unique city of Matera, European Capital of Culture for 2019. Here, students admired the antique rupestrian churches and the picturesque Sassi region of Matera.
Other cities the group visited include Grottaglie, Martina Franca, Alberobello, Lecce and Taranto. In Alberobello, another UNESCO world heritage site, students could admire the beautiful Trulli.
While in Lecce students had the chance to visit the majestic cathedral, which is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. In Taranto, where this experience was based, the group took a tour of the historic centre of the city, the Aragonese Castle, as well as the promenade.
Other activities include pottery workshops, a visit to a typical Apulian Masseria, various cooking demonstrations and folkloristic dance and music performances.
This occasion proved to be a valuable one for the students since they socialised with peers from different countries, learnt about other cultures and gained an immeasurable amount of knowledge about history and Italian traditions and customs.
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Cappadocia - Turkey
The mobility in Turkey presented us with a myriad of cultural, historical and educational aspects. Our school’s team, especially the students, to some extent experienced a culture shock. Although the context was unfamiliar to us, in the end, it was an enriching experience.
The language was a significant barrier and communication was difficult at first. We were exposed to the local cuisine, which was starkly different than the ones we are used to. Other aspects which stood out were traditional attire and religious rituals followed by the locals. Despite this radical change in culture, soon enough students adjusted and came to terms with the local customs. All the students appreciated the effort made by each hosting family, despite their financial background. Having experienced the ‘unfamiliar’, the students commented that thanks to this mobility, they were able to deal better prejudice and how to overcome it.
One of the highlights of this mobility is the historical heritage of the region. Cappadocia, comprises layers of history which was highly conducive to learning about the spirit of the land. The aspects our week-long induction focused on the anthropological elements, the linguistic makeup and heritage of people living in Cappadocia, and a strong focus on the geological history of the place.
The historical aspect of Cappadocia highlighted the norms and values endorsed by previous civilisations. With the thorough guidance of qualified guides and teachers, our students were able to immerse in the multi-dimensional mobility. It was positive to note that they often asked questions about the place and its history.
As the title of the project entails, the students adopted the mind-set of young historians, keen to learn and discover new places. One of the most rewarding experiences to our students was the opportunity to visit ancient churches which still exhibit frescoes from the Byzantine period. This helped them to be more appreciative of our Christian heritage. Most participants felt astonished by the tenacity of past Christians to safeguard religion, evidenced in the underground cities built to escape the enemy and the artistic frescos and churches visited. The latter helped the students appreciate art and its importance in the manifestation of culture belonging to the past societies.
Apart from strengthening our students’ awareness of the cultural, geographical, historical and linguistic elements of Cappadocia, this mobility helped our students to develop on a personal level. Meeting and living with new people and their culture was not easy, a fact highlighted by our students’ familiarity with spacious houses which include an array of amenities.
This mobility exposed our students to family context with relatively reduced commodities and this helped our students to be more appreciative of life in Gozo.
Empathy was evident in our students. They acknowledged the genuine and accommodating nature of the hosting families and showed acute sensitivity to both strengths and otherwise of the numerous students at school hovering around the poverty line. The exposure to such diverse contexts was mostly cocked up during the evenings, when our students spent time with their host families. Some evenings were more interesting than others, as our students can vouch, as the working parents could not always afford, timewise, to organise outings during the evenings.
One thing we as teachers noticed was the constant attempts to converse even with non-English speaking members of the families. Naturally, this presented challenges at first but soon enough interaction was fluent and constant, sometimes even cheeky. It is incredible how humour transcends language barriers. Our students and their hosting counterparts assumed responsibility to maintain contact – in fact they are still in contact with these students through social media platforms.
We believe that the main highlight, perhaps less identifiable than other more tangible evidence, is our group’s ability to accept diversity, in such a short period of time. All the contingents present from the six different countries acted as a community, often making the most out of what the programme had to offer us during this week.
This gives us, as educators, immense satisfaction and we feel obliged to include students in these type of projects. Holistic education cannot be confined to the classroom environment or to token cultural trips. Exploring the world can teach us a lot about ourselves and the people around us. This is why we highly encourage the participation of other teachers and students to join us in this adventure.
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Porto - Portugal
In May, four students and two teachers from the Sacred Heart Minor Seminary, Mr Andrea Camilleri and Mr Joseph Cordina, left for a week-long trip to Porto in Portugal as part of the Erasmus+ project.
The programme prepared by the Portuguese team was packed with activities and excursions related to the ‘Young Historians’ theme of the project. In fact, different historical sites were visited, including the famous Porto city hall, Porto Cathedral and Ribeira (the older town of Porto). The team also had the opportunity to visit Guimaraes, a city in northern Portugal, locally known as ‘The Birthplace of Portugal’.
Our students were lucky enough to participate in a workshop at Cindor, a famous jewellery training centre. Various moulding and refining techniques were explained, as the students worked hands-on at the centre, using the Filigree technique themselves – a local popular art form in jewellery making. Other interesting sessions included ‘The Countries’ Puzzle’ and ‘The Singing/Dancing Tradition’ workshop, during which students were able to learn about the culture and history of the participants’ countries.
The Maltese team noticed that Porto and its landmarks were decorated with local handmade Portuguese tiles – a characteristic feature of the city. Another feature which fascinated the team was the local cuisine, ranging from fish dishes such as the famous Bacalhau (codfish) to the delicious baked toast, filled with cheese and meat, called the Francesinha.
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Visiting Catalonia
Within the Young Historians of Europe – ERASMUS+ programme, opportunities are provided for students and teachers to undertake a cultural tour abroad. This October, a group of four students and two teachers from the Sacred Heart Minor Seminary located in Gozo had the opportunity to experience a week-long mobility placement in Barcelona.
All Erasmus partners from Turkey, Portugal, Greece, Italy and Malta were welcomed by the La Roureda school. The school is situated in the picturesque town of Sant Esteve Sesrovires. It is very close to the famous metropolitan city of Barcelona and a stone’s throw away from Montserrat and its spectacular mountain views of Catalonia, amongst other historical landmarks, museums and parks.
Our students were hosted by some lovely Spanish families who apart from providing great hospitality, accommodation and food, they served as a fount of knowledge in relation to Spanish culture, local attractions, language and historical questions that the students posed. They also provided the students with the opportunity to indulge in local food, experience local sports and games and socialize with family members, neighbours and local kids.
The Spanish school was very welcoming. They prepared a very interesting and varied programme for both students and teachers. The activities and events organized were targeted according to the ages of students and in line with the aims of the Erasmus + programme. The students had the opportunity to be active participants in different workshops including cooking classes with a particular focus on traditional food items. They had the opportunity to learn the basics of Catalonian folklore dances and express their fearlessness of building human towers better known as the Art of Castells. A formal welcoming activity was organized by the school where all partners involved had the opportunity to meet the mayor, where we were given a brief overview of the history and cultural milestones of the town of Sant Esteve Sesrovires. Numerous meetings, lessons and presentations were held throughout this week, where pupils from different countries had ample time to showcase their host countries, present a local hero and discuss cultural questions which emerged as the days passed by.
In order to get acquainted with some of the cultural, historical and artistic beauties contributing to Barcelona’s status as one of the major global cities, some tours were organised to this capital. All teachers and students were able to visit Placa Catalunya, which is a lively square in the heart of Barcelona, mainly comprising of shopping centres, department stores, sculptural groups and monuments as well as outdoor exhibitions. We had the chance to walk along the busy streets of Las Ramblas which forms the boundary between the Gothic Quarters and El Raval. About halfway down Las Ramblas, all Erasmus teachers and students paid a visit to Mercado de La Boqueria which is the oldest and most famous food market in Barcelona worldwide. It was the ideal venue to venture through the numerous food stalls selling inspiring selections of fruits, vegetables, meats, seafood and sweets whilst having a taste at some high-quality Catalan cuisine. The 2000-year-old mysterious Gothic Quarter was surely an experience full of charm and history for all stakeholders involved. Everyone simply enjoyed stumbling upon squares and enchanting alleyways whilst observing old synagogues, lovely cafeterias and bars. We also had the chance to pay a visit to Teatre Liceu and Placa St. Jaume which is popular due to the numerous political buildings of Barcelona and Catalonia, namely the City Hall and the Government of Catalonia. The students had an amazing time at Camp Nou Stadium which is the home to the world-famous Barcelona Football Team.
Throughout the week, we had the occasion to visit a number of the marvellous work by Antonio Gaudi. We were able to appreciate his highly individualized, one-of-a-kind style and admire the details of his creations including the ceramics, stained glass, ironwork and carpentry. One of the World Heritage Sites we visited was The Basilica de la Sagrada Familia which was inspired by nature and faith, and has been under construction since 1882. We passed along Casa Mila, better known as La Pedrera, which is well known for its unconventional rough-hewn appearance, as well as Casa Batllo which is a modernist style building known for its dragon-back design. We admired the grandeur of Torre Agbar which is one of the main icons of Barcelona’s skyline and strolled along Port Olimpic to admire the scenery, beach and boats. We also enjoyed a lovely afternoon at Park Guell which is a public park composed mainly of greenery, gardens and architectonic elements. Along the guided tour, we also had a look at the Arc Triomf which is a gateway to Parc de la Ciutadella and Montjuic that is a prominent hill overlooking the Barcelona harbour.
A short hiking activity was also organized along one of the trails of Montserrat. Despite the bad weather conditions, we had the opportunity to visit the Montserrat Monastery, visit the Black Madonna, know as La Moreneta and listen to the outstanding voices of one of the oldest boys’ choirs in Europe known as The Escolania.
This Erasmus mobility was a fruitful and pleasant experience for all students and teachers involved. We feel that our lives have been enriched with so much cultural and educational experiences, that we can disseminate with other personnel and students within our school. Surely an experience, which can’t be forgotten!
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