Alice Soares, the Portuguese teacher that registered the school, says that her school joined the campaign because Spring Day events are an opportunity to “get to know other schools and share activities that may inspire their counterparts in Europe”. Organising a Spring Day event help classes to be open “to dialogue and therefore become tolerant citizens of tomorrow, by making a contribution to building a united Europe, from within our diversity”.

This year, Spring Day is dedicated to Intercultural Dialogue. Schools have been demonstrating all their creativity in exploring cultural diversity and communicating cultures. More than 200 schools had the opportunity to welcome a special guest to interact and debate on a large range of subjects: European institutions, cultures and integration. A number of key public figures among them Jan Figel’, Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Youth, Margot. Wallström, Vice President of the European Commission, in charge of Institutional Relations and Communication, Cavaco Silva, President of Portugal, and Valdas Adamkus, President of the Republic of Lithuania, have all recently met young people and answered their questions on European themes.

Other key European public figures, such as Dimitris Dimitriadis, President of the European Economic and Social Committee and Katerina Batzeli, European Parliament Chairwoman for the Committee on Culture and Education, have hosted online debates and answered questions that were posed by students from all corners of Europe. On 16 June, Commissioner Jan Figel’ will attend the online debate with the aim of encouraging young people to share their views and experiences on intercultural dialogue. The transcripts of the Spring Day online debates are published on the website to enable other classes to learn more about their contents.

The Spring Day online activities and competitions were very much enjoyed by pupils. The two competitions, My foreign friend and My springday.film, are now closed and being judged, while the other Spring Day activities remain open until 30 June. Another part of the Spring Day website, the blog, features an impressive number of contributions that showcase school activities dedicated mainly to Europe Day. Imagined as a shared diary, the blog testifies to the richness of contributions that make Spring Day such a successful initiative. The blog keeps track of schools’ events, through pictures and texts written in the mother tongue of the participants.

Related information

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