Skype hypes UNHCR's 'interactive penpals' project

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Monday, 20 June 2011 14:31

Your IT - Home IT

Billed as a 'global first', an Aussie school is forming a 'unique partnership' with a Ugandan refugee school, letting school kids 'in both countries to learn about each other's lives, as part of their geography lessons' - courtesy of Skype and the UNHCR's Australian division.

Skype lets you see and talk to people here, there and everywhere, as long as they have an Internet connection and Skype on a compatible client.

Taking this ability in a slightly different direction is 'Australia for UNHCR', the UN's 'Refugee Charity' in Australia, which has 'partnered with Skype to offer a world-first educational opportunity to an Australian school' in a program called 'Here & There'.

This program teams an Aussie school with a Ugandan one at the Nakivale refugee settlement, with that Ugandan school funded by Australia.

Here, both sets of children involved will be 'given the chance to work together on a creative project to learn more about each other's lives.'

The 'Here & There' program describes itself as being 'aimed at raising awareness around issues facing refugees among Australian schoolchildren, their parents and the wider population.

'It is purpose-designed to dovetail with the Australian geography curriculum, ensuring participating children attain maximum educational benefit while undertaking this life-changing opportunity to share their thoughts and experiences with children who have very different lives.'

Noami Steer, the National Director for 'Australia for UNHCR' said: 'Many of the children in Nakivale have spent nearly their whole lives in refugee situations, so the opportunity to meet kids on the other side of the world is very exciting.

'Our donors have also really embraced opportunities for deeper connection with refugees.  On previous visits to Nakivale, we have carried written messages of support from our Australian donors to share with the children and their families.  They have been very enthusiastic about this exchange, asking for other ways they could interact.  The partnership with Skype gives us the tools to make this a reality.

'After four years of Australian support for Nakivale refugee settlement, we are delighted to be able to foster direct links between the children of Nakivale and their Australian counterparts. Our Australian donors have funded many areas of Nakivale such as shelter, water, health and education facilities, including building the first ever secondary school.

'We want to celebrate and recognise this special connection by developing closer links between Australia and the refugee settlement,' concluded Ms Steer.

Skype says the projector 'builds on its existing partnership with UNHCR and commitment to breaking down barriers to communication', with Skype Corporate Social Responsibility Manager, Jacqueline Botterill stating that: 'As part of Skype's dedication to connecting everyone on the planet, the use of real-time video will offer the selected Australian school and students from Nakivale refugee settlement an immediate way to interact with new cultures, languages and ideas, all without leaving the classroom."

Back in the 80s, when I was still in primary school, I remember a text-based chat hook up that took place between the class I was in, and some school somewhere in America.

Way back then, the idea of a video-hook up was more science fiction than easily affordable science-fact, but today, Skype makes such things easy.

I hope the project helps both sets of children better understand the world we live in, and helps to improve the world, even if the world's 'world-improvers' often fall far short of that mark.

Still, a Skype video conferencing session between two classrooms is no longer an act of mind-blowing amazingness, but simply now yet another standard thing that anyone can do.

Details of the "Here & There" program are on page two, please read on!