On Thursday 16th March three lucky Dumfries and Galloway students from Kirkcudbright Academy and their Head teacher will be flying out to Norway for a week-long stay as guests of Gudeberg School and the Gamlebyen Rotary Club, both based in Frederikstad.
As early as 450 BC the Greek playwright, Euripides, wrote “Experience, travel – these are an education in themselves”. This is certainly a message that helped to inspire a new initiative between the Rotary Club of Kirkcudbright and Kirkcudbright Academy.
The three S4 students, Euan Donald, Sabrina Henry and Struan Hayes will each be staying with a student of similar age and a host family.
They will be representing their school, their town and their Rotary Club as Youth Ambassadors in a project that is designed to establish new friendships and new opportunities, not only for the three Young Ambassadors themselves but, in the longer term, for many Kirkcudbright Academy and Gudeberg students who might take part in future school exchanges.
Headteacher Anthony Tuffery, who will also be staying with a host family, is going to set up teacher links to facilitate the sharing of best teaching practice.
He told DGWGO “At a time of huge upheaval and uncertainty in Scottish education it seems the perfect time to look beyond these shores to see what lessons we can learn from neighbouring education systems.” Headteacher of Kirkcudbright Primary School has also expressed an interest in investigating any opportunities for his school to share good practice with a Norwegian school.”
The three Norwegian host students, and one of their teachers, will be returning to Kirkcudbright on a reciprocal visit during the week starting Thursday 8th June. The two Rotary Clubs have funded the cost of the flights between Scotland and Norway for their Youth Ambassadors and will also help to provide a programme of visits and experiences for the visiting students.
This “Youth Ambassadors” project was the idea of Paul Tebay, Youth Service Convenor of Kirkcudbright Rotary Club and Ottar Weel from the Gamlebyen Rotary Club. The two Rotary Clubs have recently organised and enjoyed two exchange visits between adult members of their respective Rotary Clubs and it was the success of this initiative that seemed to offer a good platform on which to build and to provide opportunities for young people.
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