EUMIND VC 1 Report

EUMIND VC 1 Report
HFSI – LELY LYCEUM

On Thursday 26th of November, Hiranandani Foundation School International and Ir Lely Lyceum conducted their first EUMIND Video Conference. The event that began at 8:30 am Dutch time and 1 pm Indian time ran for 1 hour 15 minutes.

Founded in 1990 HFS is one of the top 10 schools of Mumbai. Ir Lely Lyceum established in 1865 is located in Amsterdam. The principals of both these renowned schools, Mrs Kalyani Patnaik and Mr Jeroen Rijlaarsdam were in attendance at the conference. Mrs Josephine Vaz, the chairperson of EUMIND also graced the event. She addressed the audience and spoke to them about the importance of this kind of cultural exchange to fulfil higher responsibilities of global citizenship. Later, she seemed to thoroughly enjoy the activities and stayed for a good while before taking her leave.

This video conference was conducted as part of the EUMIND Values project undertaken by both schools. This project aims to increase knowledge and respect among learners for different cultural values and to discuss issues with tolerance and respect. For the project, the students of both schools are divided into teams and are to research the topics of Family, Friendship, Weddings and Women’s empowerment. Throughout the process, they are to collaborate and share their research process and research findings.

The students participated in an icebreaker activity that made them rethink their understanding of various issues. This Agree-Disagree activity required a degree of physical engagement which the Dutch students enjoyed while HFSI students participated virtually with a show of hands and fingers. All students then engaged in discussions on the pandemic, Dutch, Indian and global values and its significance in each culture. The event itself was a huge success with lively discussions and engaging activities.

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