Budapest visit – February 2023
On 17th February, a small delegation from our English department travelled to Budapest to meet up with our colleagues from Közgazdasági Politechnikum Alternatív Gimnázium, one of our partner schools in creative projects.
This was the first time that the teachers and project mentors had been able to meet since the lifting of pandemic-related travel restrictions and it was a great opportunity to discuss things in person instead of via video conference as we had done over the past few years.
The first discussions were linked to our international haiku competition which has been part of our wider creative writing scheme for over a decade now. Plans were made to build on our international connections and to do all we can to make sure that this project continues to thrive.
The focus on creative work allowed for new plans to be made as well. Ideas were shared regarding how smaller projects could be used to give students the chance to share their ideas and creative work and the foundations were laid for this type of more concentrated exchange.
The final set of conversations were connected to how we use creative writing in different ways within our regular classes and through different extracurricular activities. It was interesting to see how our schools organise workshops for students and to share our experiences of the most successful ways to encourage self-expression through the English language.
Before leaving the school, our delegation was invited to have a brief tour of the school while classes were going on. We saw some of the new facilities available at the school and were told about the new artistic displays which incorporate elements of student work alongside a presentation of the school’s history.
Overall, this proved to be a very successful dialogue with the overwhelming feeling being one of positivity and optimism with regards to our schools continuing to work together to give our students the best possible opportunities to put forward their ideas and creative work in the years ahead.