Twenty schools received funding in 2019/2020 to support their school exchange. Those 20 schools have made connections and relationships with 20 schools around the globe, from Tokyo, to Berlin, to Paris to Madrid.
Some students have been lucky enough to experience what life is like living in a different household in a different culture in a different country, however due to the coronavirus some exchanges have unfortunately had to be postponed, or even cancelled. Understandably this is incredibly frustrating for everyone involved, and we really hope that they get back on track, either on a personal level during the summer holidays, or through the school in the autumn term.
However, every student on those 20 exchanges, and all the other exchanges that take place in schools throughout the country, has been introduced to a partner student who they can talk to on social media and practice their language skills with. That partner student is likely to be in a very similar situation, temporarily experiencing home-schooling and feeling very frustrated, however the silver lining is that it creates a feeling of solidarity, which can create a bond, or at the very least gives students, both at home and abroad, a mutual topic of conversation.
We’d like to encourage all teachers and students to get in touch with their partners, it’s important to reach out to people in an international emergency, it keeps us all going.
