A school exchange programme between Edinburgh and South African pupils is one of the latest projects to be funded through the Celebrate programme.
Ten Scottish groups are sharing in £75,052, thanks to the latest awards announced. It means that 50 Celebrate projects across Scotland are now preparing for a range of arts, heritage, sports and local community celebrations in the run up to the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Amongst the recent successful groups is Wester Hailes Education Centre in Edinburgh which receives £8,690 to send three pupils to the Northern Cape, South Africa to visit their twin school, Barkley West High School. During the visit they will learn Tswana dancing and teach the South African children Scottish country dancing. This will be followed by a return exchange visit where primary school children from feeder primary schools will attend workshops in Tswana dancing. The project will culminate in a final celebration of Indian dancing and South African food.
The Digital Sentinel met up with Samantha, Michaela and Katie who are the lucky pupils chosen for the trip along with teacher Michelle Gordon who is supervising them during the visit.
The trio leave Edinburgh on 13 February for 10 days, passing through Dubai on the way.
When they get to Barkley High School they hope to teach the pupils there the Strip the Willow and other Scottish country dances. They are also going to travel a little in South Africa including a visit to the Kimberley mine
All of the pupils are excited about the trip. Katie said:-“I am looking forward to the experience and think that it will do wonders for my confidence. I have met some of the pupils from Barkley when they were here and I am really looking forward to seeing them in their home country.”
All three have something tartan to wear while they are in South Africa.
Both schools have had exchange visits over the years. The pupils will be staying in a bed and breakfast during their trip. In May there will be an event held at WHEC when some South African pupils come to Scotland.
Celebrate has been developed by the Scottish Lottery Distributors Forum (SLDF) which is made up of all four Scottish Lottery Distributors, Big Lottery Fund, Creative Scotland, Heritage Lottery Fund and sportscotland. It is open to applications until the end of 2014 for celebrations of the people, places and culture of the Commonwealth and of the Games themselves.
- Celebrate is a £4 million joint awards programme from the four Scottish Lottery distributors: Big Lottery Fund, Creative Scotland Heritage Lottery Fund and sportscotland
- Celebrate will allow communities across Scotland to apply for up to £10,000 organise events that celebrate the 2014 Commonwealth Games through arts, heritage, sports, community and local celebrations or events that celebrate the people places and culture of the commonwealth.
- Celebrate was launched in April 2013 and the last grants will be awarded in December 2014.
