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Background
In 2005, Knowsley Metropolitan Borough signed a friendship
agreement with Nanning, the capital of Guanxi
Region in China. Nanning is a prosperous industrial
city with a population of almost 6.5 million. The friendship
agreement sets out the commitment of the two communities
to develop and maintain successful links in areas such
as education and economic development.
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recent reciprocal visits by members of Knowsley Metropolitan
Borough Council and Nanning City Council, the two parties
decided to further extend cultural exchanges
by arranging for a party of thirty Chinese high school
students (aged 16+) to visit Knowsley for two weeks from
20 July to 3 August 2006. |
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Nanning
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students will be hosted by schools in Knowsley. During
their stay they will attend English lessons and visit
a variety of local museums, cultural landmarks and tourist
attractions. The visit has been facilitated by the Lee
Kai Hung Foundation.
2006 Knowsley Summer School
In parallel with the exchange visit noted above, Knowsley
proposes to run a summer school for
its own children to learn about China and the city of
Nanning. The summer school will also allow the Chinese
exchange students to meet with Knowsley schoolchildren.
The summer school will run for the two weeks beginning
24 July and 31 July in the Huyton and Whiston City Learning
Centres. Three classes of 30 students will participate
(two located in Whiston and one in Huyton). The programme
will be repeated with new students in the second week.
The summer schools will link up via daily instant
messaging sessions with students from the Eden
English Language School in Nanning. The two groups will
exchange information about each other's cities and work
together on projects designed to be both educational
and great fun! The week's events and learning will be
recorded via a dedicated blog, online picture gallery
and this website.
In addition, the Chinese Arts Centre
will run workshops for the Knowsley students in calligraphy,
dance, music and other aspects of Chinese culture. Representatives
of the Chinese community in Liverpool have been invited
to the schools to tell their stories and those of their
ancestors.
Knowsley City Learning
Centres
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Knowsley
City Learning Centres (“CLCs”) have pioneered innovative
educational activities using information technology.
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In 2001, the first City Learning Centre collaborated with
an expedition that set out in search for Conan Doyle's
“Lost World”. The
explorers communicated with students in the area's summer
schools via a satellite phone and simple video-conferencing
technology. In addition, innovative SMS (text messaging)
techniques were used to relate progress and obtain information.
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CLC |
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In 2003, an expedition to Siberia in search of tigers
was also linked to summer schools via video-conferences.
In 2005, the CLCs led the hugely successful "Spirit
of the Jaguar" project. The project tracked
a group of explorers in their quest to find jaguars in
Brazil's Pantanal region. Communicating with the CLCs
via daily video-conferences, podcasts and text-messaging,
the explorers led the students on a fascinating trip of
discovery that covered conservation, environmental and
social issues.
Chinese Arts Centre
Established in 1986, the Chinese Arts Centre has a strong
history as a national agency for the development and promotion
of Chinese arts and culture in the UK.
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The Chinese Arts Centre is based in Manchester, a city
with the second largest Chinese community in the UK. Manchester
is a vibrant artistic city with a flourishing contemporary
art scene.
The Chinese Arts Centre aims to develop an infrastructure
to allow Chinese arts, and especially British Chinese
artists, to flourish. Their work covers four main areas;
exhibitions, education, agency work and advocacy – which
includes training, conferences and publications.
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In 2003, funded by the Arts Council of England’s Lottery
scheme, Chinese Arts Centre built a new flagship centre
for Chinese arts in Britain. The centre contains a gallery
which programmes the best of British and international
Chinese art, an artist residency studio and apartment,
an education suite, resource area, offices, shop and teahouse.
International awareness
In his foreword to the DFES policy document entitled “Putting
the World into World-Class Education”, the then Secretary
of State for Education, Charles Clarke, wrote:
"Developing and maintaining a world-class education system
begins with understanding the world in which we live:
the values and cultures of different societies; the ways
in which we are increasingly dependent upon one another;
and the ways in which we all, as global citizens, can
influence and shape the changes in the global economy,
environment and society of which we are part. One cannot
truly educate young people in this country without the
international dimension being a very significant and real
part of their learning experience."
This project will provide a fascinating insight for the
students into 21st century China - a land of enterprise
and opportunity where society is undergoing rapid development
and modernisation. With the involvement of the Manchester
Chinese Arts Centre, they will learn about Knowsley's
longstanding historical links with this society and gain
a better understanding of their own place in the global
community.
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The
Eden English School, Nanning
Eden English school was opened in 2003 in Nanning. It
is part of the Singapore Coleman Education Group. It is
the only international English school in Nanning where
all teachers are native speakers.
Since it was opened, thousands of students have passed
through the school. They focus on 4-16 year olds and have
gained a reputation as a professional provider with an
emphasis on excellent service. |
There is a full program of courses running in the
school, and with an average class size of 12 (max
16) it makes for a more relaxed atmosphere, and
rewarding experience. The school is in a great central
location and is bright and well equipped with a
friendly atmosphere. |
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