History and French Virtual Exchange
On Friday, 20th October, the Grade 11 History and French students had a virtual exchange with an Ursuline school in Caen, France. The purpose of the exchange was to gain insight into a different lifestyle, with questions such as: whether or not the South African youth consider themselves luckier than their parents, and if we have a wish for our country’s future. Both groups were put in a position in which we were to engage with not only our past, but also our present, making the experience incredibly eye-opening. Furthermore, the discussion about the rainbow nation taught both groups much about the experiences of our young people. With perspectives from different ethnic groups across a multitude of races, the general aura in the room was that the rainbow nation and the spirit of Ubuntu are ever-present. However, our journey towards a true rainbow nation is still ongoing. Pupils discussed their hopes for the future and one of the questions posed to the French students was, how are immigrants treated in France? With a response similar to the South African context, this question highlighted that our own experiences are not far-removed. This summarised the afternoon perfectly, for we have created empathy across borders. Furthermore, we learnt more about ourselves within the global context. #Insieme #StrengthInUnity #Ursuline
-Olivia Temba, Brescia House School student