How to reduce bigotry and divisiveness? How to lay foundations for safe, vibrant neighbourhoods? How to help children – and adults – bridge gaps in geography or lifestyle? We don’t have the answers at Merlin, but we do have a few good resources to build community cohesion and close the distance.
If young people feel wary of engaging with other groups, one of the best ways to dispel their fear and ignorance is to find common ground. Online interaction can be a great way of building trust and getting to know each other gradually – it offers a neutral environment and it’s less confronting than meeting face-to-face. Projects that are about shared learning and achievement can take the pressure off ‘cohesion’ and unite students around a common goal or interest.
With Merlin, your kids can meet and get to know each other in secure chat-rooms. They can work together with others, no matter where they are in the region or abroad. Thanks to Merlin, a Plymouth primary school got together with schools in Jiaxing, China. (Standard email and commercial blogging software had failed to deliver.) Students and teachers used blogs, wikis, discussion boards, picture libraries and news features to bring their project work to life and share cultural differences and similarities. Starting with children, and drawing in adults, the outcomes are happy: less tension and less anti-social behaviour within your school. And across the wider community. Maybe, even, across the world.
See how schools are closing the distance with Merlin
“Dear all at Nanhu Experimental School, We are very excited this new website is now working. We look forward to communicating with you and your students using it. We have added a number of photos for you to look at. We hope you enjoy them and are able to add photos of your own.” –Stuart Road Primary School, Plymouth