Source: www.guardian.co.tt
Two schools in Trinidad and Tobago have been selected to take part in an exciting project with the BBC and British Council, in the run-up to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Maraval RC Primary School and Belmont Boys’ RC Secondary have been chosen to take part in the World Olympic Dreams project, because one of their former pupils is Olympic hopeful, 400 metres hurdler, Jehue Gordon – whose story about his journey to the 2012 Games is being told by the BBC.
The BBC is featuring the stories of 26 Olympic hopefuls worldwide and 19 year old Jehue is the only athlete from Trinidad and Tobago to be featured.
The two local schools will be twinned with schools in the UK. Their twin schools will be selected from hundreds of schools in the UK that entered a national competition - the ‘Olympic Dreams School Search’ – to win a link with an aspiring Olympian’s school. Schools in 22 countries are involved in the project.
The twinned schools will be able to share and compare ideas and experiences online and, on occasion, in the BBC’s World Olympic Dreams broadcasts. The British Council – which connects classrooms around the world - will support them to work together and develop their partnerships throughout the lifetime of the project, through creative work inspired by the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Amanda Farnsworth, BBC London 2012 Project Executive said: “We want to put young people right at the heart of our coverage of London 2012 and this is a great way for schools to get involved and make an inspirational connection to other schools around the world.”
Olga Stanojlovic, Head of Schools at the British Council said: “Through this project we hope to inspire schools around the world to make valuable connections with one another – international partnerships that have the Olympic and Paralympic Values at their heart and give young people opportunities to develop the skills and inter-cultural understanding they need to live and work as global citizens.”
All the athletes featured can be found on the World Olympic Dreams website: www.bbc.co.uk/2012 and the schools they attended here: www.bbc.co.uk/worldclass/WOD2.shtml . Audiences around the world can also follow the project on the BBC World Service and BBC World News.
Other schools in Trinidad and Tobago will be able to follow the progress of the project online. They can also find their own partner schools in the UK by signing up to Global Gateway www.globalgateway.org or by contacting the local Global School Partnerships Manager at kent.jardine@britishcouncil.org.tt.