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Teachers and pupils at 14 schools in Swansea and Zambia have teamed up to tackle plastic waste, thanks to a partnership set up by Discovery, the Swansea University student volunteering charity.
Twelve teachers from Siavonga in Zambia have arrived in Swansea to visit their partner schools, funded through the British Council Connecting Classrooms programme.
The theme for their collaborative project is Zero Plastic, and pupils and teachers from secondary, primary and additional needs schools have been discussing ways to raise awareness of the issues around single use plastics.
In July 2019 teachers from seven Swansea schools went out to their link schools in Siavonga. They started their week with a litter pick. Over the following days the pupils created a multitude of art work, songs, bracelets and other income-generating artefacts from the waste plastic.
The return visit by the Zambian group to Swansea will now build on this initiative, with the Zambian teachers working with Swansea pupils on putting ideas into practice. They will be discussing landfill policies and ways that they can influence policy and procedures in both Swansea and Siavonga.
Besides the classroom activities, the week will be an opportunity to learn about different cultures and get inspiration about the way forward.
Sue Philippart from St Joseph's Primary School in Swansea said of her visit to Siavonga:
"It was a life changing experience and we are confident that our Zambian colleagues will benefit in a similar way"
The Swansea and Siavonga schools involved in this 2019 cluster are:
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School / Kulishoma Catholic Primary school
- Dunvant Primary School / Katalumba Primary School
- Pentrehafod Secondary School / Siavonga Secondary School
- Hafod Primary School / Kabila Primary School
- Morriston Secondary School / Kariba Combined School
- Llwynderw Primary School / Siavonga Primary School
- Ysgol Crug Glas Special Education School / Siavonga Special Education Unit
The visits have grown out of the Swansea Siavonga Partnership, a formal partnership between Discovery Student Volunteering Swansea and The Siavonga Nutrition Group, founded in 2010 by Christine Watson MBE.
Pentrehafod Secondary school led the way as the first school link and the partnership continues to support the cluster which is funded by the British Council Connecting Classrooms programme (@BritishCouncil #ConnectingClassrooms )
Pentrehafod School recently hosted a day of showcasing and celebrating the dynamic work carried out in the 14 schools and further cement the relationships for future years. There was a party in the evening at the Hyst, High Street, Swansea, featuring Milz the Teacher from Siavonga Secondary School.
Find out more about Discovery, the Swansea University student volunteering charity