Flying Carpet - Intercultural gatherings
Intercultural gatherings in nurseries, elementary schools, colleges, workplaces and other places.
With the The Flying Carpet the Reykjavik City Library takes part in promoting mutual respect and understanding between people in a concrete way and through different means of expressions. Everyone involved should be received with acknowledgement, and the cultural interaction should help you develop life-skills that foster the view that ethnic differences make us richer, rather than seeing them as a cause for conflict. Students, parents and staff members get an opportunity to introduce their culture and interests in a fun and lively way within an encouraging environment.
The gatherings often take place in schools, but can take place in libraries and all kinds of places. The gatherings are organized by the library's project manager of multicultural projects in cooperation with teachers, staff, children and others involved. If interested, please contact: kristin.r.vilhjalmsdottir@reykjavik.is
The emphasis is to not only work with aspects of national culture or backgrounds, but also individual interests and those things that matter the most in each and every person’s life.
Each individual is a participant and a spectator at the same time.
Comments from teachers who have worked with The Flying Carpet
Photos and videos from intercultural gatherings
The Flying Carpet should create:
Frames in which different cultures meet in mutual respect and understanding through different means of expression; interaction between all cultures and all languages. This includes the world languages, both spoken and non-verbal ones.
Enthusiasm and understanding of differences and similarities in our cultures.
A frame in which individual children can preserve their cultural identity when coming into contact with a new society.
Awareness of the value of own culture by introducing it to others.
The goals are also:
That people of all origin living in Iceland should feel proud of their own culture and share those feelings with others.
To evolve children’s ability to be active members in society and for them to realize the fact that different cultures can enrich their own.
Support a respectful integration.
Stimulate the children’s fantasy, curiosity and creativity.
During the development of The Flying Carpet project an effort is made to make everybody involved feel an ownership to the project, children as well as adults. The experience is that through this project parents participate during the process and teachers often meet new faces among the parents at the gathering itself. The project was, together with the other multicultural projects of Reykjavik City Library, nominated to the society price of "Fréttablaðið" in 2010 in the category "actions against prejudice".
The manager of multicultural projects at Reykjavik City Library created The Flying Carpet after many years of experience as a teacher in Denmark and brought it to Iceland at the beginning of 2008. An introduction to the intercultural gathering project can be booked and if requested the project manager is ready to guide and take part in the preparation of the project. Workplaces can also book intercultural gatherings – everyone can take part.
Til baka