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Xevi Casademont |
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Anna Farjas |
| Latest news: |
Photo: Mentor pupils and student mentors in Banyoles (October 2007) |
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09-06-08 Local newspaper publish articles about the Nightingale project run by LM partner institutions the University of Girona and IES Garrotxa Detailed articles with pictures |
LANGUAGE AND SOCIAL COHESION PLAN
1. Introduction
Recently as a result of a continued globalisation new causes of exclusion and social breakdown have appeared. To achieve a better cohesion there needs to be a bigger input from the educational system.
As a result of increased immigration into Catalan society, more and more students from abroad are arriving in our schools. Therefore schools act as an entrance into our society.
These new students not only represent a new challenge but also the chance to achieve a better social and cultural spectrum. For this reason we need to pay special attention to what it represents to other students and therefore, special integration within the classroom.
In the last twenty years in spite of some difficulties, there have been consistent advances in relation to the normalization of the Catalan language. However there are still more advances to be made, especially with regards to the use of Catalan as a first language for all students. This is the reason why it is necessary to reinforce and consolidate the use of Catalan within the educational system.
Thus the task remains to create a social cohesion capable of illustrating the idea of citizenship above all other elements of identity. The two main objectives are a complete integration of all students regardless of their origin and social status and the consolidation of Catalan as the first language of education which enables the students to communicate successfully within the system. This can be achieved only with the collaboration of all related institutions and individuals.
2. The aim of the Plan and its accomplishment
The general objective of this Plan is to reinforce and consolidate social cohesion, intercultural education and the native language within a multilingual society.
The specific objectives are:
1. Consolidate the Catalan language
2. Enhance intercultural education, based on equality, solidarity and mutual respect
3. Promote equal opportunities to avoid marginalisation
How we can achieve these objectives:
1. The continual improvement of methods
2. The coordination and cooperation between different institutions
3. Decentralization of power
4. Participation and mutual responsibility
4. Organisation
As a result of the rising number of foreign students being incorporated in our schools the Department of Language and Social Cohesion has been created. To accomplish the Plan this Department is divided into two administrative bodies: the Office for Catalan teaching and the Office for Interculturality and Social Cohesion. In a coordinated way these Offices will put in place this Plan throughout Catalonia.
Responsibilities:
1. Training of professionals within the educational system
2. Supervision of resources within educational centres, specifically, those which deal with diversity within the student populace
3. Management of resources according to the needs of the educational centres
4. Collaboration with the local services and other local and county-wide institutions
5. Application of specific plans relating to integration
6. The spreading and adaptation of integration and intercultural experiences and also those related to the teaching of Catalan