Page 33 - link magazine

The Link Magazine • May 2006 33
Global viewpoint goes beyond stereotypes at Greendown
Greendown Community School's connection with a partner secondary school in South Africa is breaking down barriers
and building understanding writes teacher Cristina Bennett.
From where do we get our ideas vidual the chance to take control
about people and places we know over the way others see them.
nothing about? From these photos came poems
Our global view is usually filled with powerful images of
shaped by a mixture of news sto- pride, respect for their families,
ries, film images, popular music the value of schooling, the impor-
and its performers; it's very rarely tance of freedom. These are far
shaped by individual voices. Frag- away from the media images of
ments of images from film, music poverty and crime. These are the
and news give us partial views. vital, final missing pieces of the
From these fragments comes the 'global image' jigsaw.
average British sixteen-year-old's Ordinary lives and ordinary
image of the life of a sixteen-year- voices are essential to our under-
old South African: one ruled by standing of others, they provide a
poverty, street crime and racism. full picture of life in a community.
Greendown teacher Cathy Urquhart working with a class
Sadly, we rarely complete this pic- The next stage is for our students
at Moriteng Wa Tutu in February
ture by having the chance to listen at Greendown - inspired by the
to individual voices. Ordinary sional Development) Rebecca things that would show us who pictures and poems from Meriting
viewpoints are often ignored and Fitzgibbon, Cathy Urquhart, Janet they really are. students - to select their pictures
dismissed, they can't provide us Mason and I worked with teachers Usually, a photographer is an and write their poems of people
with a balanced perspective, but and students at Moriting to plan observer who takes and presents and places of importance to them.
they are an essential part of the and design a scheme of work to be pictures of people and places from These will be exchanged through
overall picture, the final pieces of used in both schools, to help stu- an outsider's viewpoint, often the scheme of work which focuses
the 'global image' jigsaw. dents get to know about and share without the knowledge or consent on the cultural differences and
The voice of the real person who aspects of each other's lives - the of the people. When the photogra- similarities in young people's lives
lives an ordinary life is the voice more individual and personal pher comes from within a commu- today. These pieces of the 'global
that Greendown is so keen to find, things that often don't feature in nity, the pictures are different - image' jigsaw will then be in place.
listen to and share, through our films and news. they present things the people Sometimes it takes looking at
global partnership. Following a series of workshops themselves have chosen to share other cultures to take a look at our
Earlier this year, during the Feb- led by Greendown teachers, small with others, things they think are own - that's what the partnership
ruary half-term break, four teach- groups of Grade 10 to 12 students important for others to know between Greendown and Moriting
ers from Greendown School made (15 to 18 year olds) were given about; the camera gives the indi- Wa Thuto School is all about.
a fourth visit to our partner school, disposable cameras. They were
Moriting Wa Thuto Senior Second- asked to take two or three pictures
ary School, in a township of Clarens each which they felt showed some-
in the Free State. Funded by TIPD thing about their lives: the people
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