In recent years different secondary schools have collaborated with the Solidarity Park project by carrying out various classroom activities for young people to learn about the Ciudad de Barcelona and the International Brigades . This dossier includes some of the educational experiences designed by teachers at two Catalan secondary schools – IE Lloret de Mar and the Institut Ramon Turró in Malgrat de Mar – in collaboration with Conny Dahmen, a teacher in Cologne (Germany) and a teacher in Australia who did similar activities with their students. (Click on STUDENT ART GALLERY above for examples of their work.)
With this teaching unit, students start by discovering the history of the Ciudad de Barcelona and, on the basis of that, find out what the International Brigades were, learn more about the role played by the different powers during the Spanish Civil War and look for similarities with present-day conflicts. At a time when fascism in its various guises is growing again around the world, thinking about the past and an ongoing dialogue about the present are more necessary than ever in the classroom.
If you use the dossier and do any of the activities (or your own) tell us about them, send some photos of student activities or their work – anything that might encourage other teachers to do the same. We hope you find it useful!
Solidarity Park 