AIR BRIDGE FRANKFURT - COSTA RICA
Education connects continentsTransformation towards a sustainable world is a shared task – across continents
With the “Airlift Frankfurt – Costa Rica” project, we are taking our educational work to a new level: schools from Frankfurt and Costa Rica are entering into a creative, intercultural exchange. The aim is to promote mutual understanding and protect the rainforest in the long term. Through this exchange, children and young people become active shapers of change towards a just, solidary and sustainable world. This makes global learning a tangible experience – and rainforest protection a shared task across continents.
Rainforest protection starts in the classroom
Our educational mission is enshrined in our statutes – and comes to life here. Children and young people from both countries talk about their everyday lives: What does our breakfast look like? How do we get to school? What grows in our schoolyard? The topics are relevant to everyday life and the learning effect is great.
Global exchange enables young people to see the world from new perspectives and develop a deeper understanding of other cultures, ways of life and challenges. It promotes empathy, strengthens intercultural competence and shows that many global problems – such as climate change or the protection of the rainforest – can only be solved together. Personal encounters, whether direct or digital, motivate learning, create solidarity and raise awareness of global responsibility.
Real encounters – digital, creative & at eye level
Frankfurt school classes meet children and teachers from Costa Rica. The event kicked off with a rainforest show featuring impressive images and stories straight from the rainforest. This was followed by a discovery rally in the Palmengarten in Frankfurt, where the pupils explored where their food comes from and how it is connected to the rainforest. The exchange between the schools will take place via video diaries due to the time difference.
Educational work with a lasting impact
The children are enthusiastic – about the diversity of cultures, the unfamiliar everyday routines and the exciting similarities. For example, many Costa Rican students were surprised to learn how often cornflakes are on the breakfast table in Germany. In Frankfurt, they were amazed by gallo pinto, the traditional hot breakfast in Costa Rica made from rice and beans.
The airlift is growing
The “Airlift” is constantly evolving: new questions, new stories and new ideas emerge in every exchange. New formats emerge from the ideas of the participants, are tested together and flexibly adapted to the needs of the children, teachers and social change. In this way, the Airlift remains not just a project, but a growing network of global learning – with the aim of building bridges that last.
Do you want to be part of the project?
The pilot project “Airlift Frankfurt-Costa Rica” is a long-cherished dream project of the association. The environmental education work has made good progress thanks to good networks with partners there. Environmental education here in Frankfurt/Germany could be started in the pilot project “Airlift” thanks to the cooperation with Engagement Global and the financial support of the Federal Ministry for Cooperation. Two schools in Frankfurt were won over for this project. Together with the IGS Nordend and the Pestalozzi School, the rainforest from Costa Rica was brought into the classrooms of the two schools with the rainforest show by Dr. Stefan Rother (Faunity). With the cries of the howler monkeys in their ears and the knowledge of how the trees in the rainforest make their own rain, they went on an excursion to the “Rainforest in the Palm Garden”. The rally was further developed with the help of the pupils and can now be offered on Fridays for everyone from Year 1 upwards.
If you are interested, simply contact the information office and suggest a suitable Friday. This will then be discussed with the speaker.
Supported by ENGAGEMENT GLOBAL
with funds from the
Note: The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of Tropica Verde e.V. – Verein zum Schutz tropischer Lebensräume; the positions expressed herein do not reflect the views of ENGAGEMENT GLOBAL or the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
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