1. Education and technology
in Global Gincana
Our society is acquiring an The current level of globalization if they are to live, work and compete intercultural exchange Young people learn most from each in another country or another city,
increasingly international means that pupils must be prepared in today’s global knowledge econ- Intercultural exchange can be a other during direct contact. Hearing where despite the different values
character. This makes it for a place in society that extends omy. Against a backdrop of these physical activity, but thanks to new each other’s personal accounts gives and standards, similarities in every-
essential that today’s school beyond the Netherlands. But within motives, internationalisation has media it can also take place at a vir- them a better notion of a different day life can also be witnessed. This
pupils prepare themselves
the national borders too, society is been incorporated into education in tual level. The development of new culture. New media can facilitate direct dialogue and exchange form
for living, learning and
sharing in our global society. becoming increasingly multicultural. several ways: in the curriculum itself, media and the more permanent posi- and stimulate this direct dialogue, the central pivot of the Global Gin-
Internationalisation in The internationalisation of educa- in teaching material and by means tion it has adopted on the school by connecting young people via live- cana project, which Waag Society
education is therefore high tion provides handles for develop- of intercultural exchange projects. curriculum offer opportunities for streaming and by supporting their is developing in association with
on the political agenda. ing social skills within the context of Many institutes of education are international exchange, and throw dialogue with audiovisual input. Mobilefest from Sao Paulo, Brazil.
a global society. Learning about and now offering bilingual education open the literal and figurative bor- Mobile technology makes it possi- Global Gincana is studying ways of
dealing with cultural diversity across and have exchange programmes and ders of the classroom. Internation- ble to extend these global learning using new media and mobile tech-
the borders and within our multicul- school partnerships. Although the alisation does not only have benefits moments across the borders of the nology to draw young people from
Rinske Hordijk tural society is an important aspect European Platform plays an impor- for the pupils; international experi- classroom, giving young people a two different places in the world
of this; young people must learn to tant role here, smaller organisations ences can also be highly inspirational more direct picture of each other’s (Amsterdam and Sao Paulo) into a
appreciate the diversity of cultures and foundations are also setting up and motivating for teachers and living environments. In this way, joint creative process, even giving
and ethnic backgrounds. Knowledge interesting initiatives. allow schools to raise their external connected via diverse media, pupils them the tools they need to create
of international developments and profile. can swap experiences and tell each and visualise this exchange.
modern language skills are essential other about their individual lives
Photo: Alexandre Nascimento - street art in Sao Paulo

2. But why did we choose to connect ing to explore first-hand the impact guage, fashion, habits & rituals and
kids in Sao Paulo and Amsterdam? that multi-ethnic societies of Sao design & art and collect interesting Mix digital technology with good old materials
like clay or LEGO and you’ve got the perfect
The relationship between these two Paulo and Amsterdam have on the examples, expressions and stories.
combination to stimulate creativity ánd media
cities might not be as clear as the every-day life of young people living literacy.
relationship between Amsterdam in theses cities. How do they expe- brazilian gincana
and New York which is celebrated in rience their multi-ethnic societies The format of the game will be
this years Hudson 400 festival and in terms of cultural expressions and inspired by gincana, a traditional
The Island project. attitudes? What can we learn from Brazilian collective game, in which
As for Sao Paulo and Amsterdam, looking at a multicultural society on kids are divided into groups that
both cities are famous for their multi- the other side of the world and our compete against each other, usually
ethnic background and praised for own in a more profound way? in an open setting. Participants are Wietske Huisman, communication
their ‘open mind’ approach towards Global Gincana wishes to contribute challenged to undertake different
We cannot predict the society of the future. We
different cultures. In both cities, to the understanding and accept- tasks, which can involve finding spe-
need passionate, self-conscious and modern
the urban landscape is a clear visible ance of other cultures in the current cific objects or information, and also people with flexible, creative minds to shape this
statement of cultural expressions polarized society, where cultures sporting, cultural and artistic skills, future. Why don’t we educate them in this way?
that seem to be a mix of cultures. seems to have driven apart more in order to collect points.
The Brazilian multi-cultural society, and more, instead of coming closer The Dutch students will discover the
with their flexible mentality and together. old tradition of the Brazilian Gincana
ability to combine and mix rather in which collaboration and competi-
than exclude, serves as an example global gincana tive spirit are crucial to succeed. The
for other countries. Or, as one of During the Global Gincana project, Brazilian students are given access to
the workshop participants during high school students in Amsterdam technologies and learning methods
the pilot said: Brazil’s multi-cultural and Sao Paulo get engaged in a col- developed with and used by Dutch
society seems to work because peo- lective game quest on identity and schools, presuming that a hands-on
ple will adapt, rather than adopt. cultural heritage in their multi-cul- way of teaching and learning could
Amsterdam is also known for its tural urban society. Through loca- lead students to better understand
mixed population and tolerance; it tion-based (GPS) mobile technol- their past and present in a critical
is the most multicultural in the world ogy, they explore their cities on the manner. Marieke Hochstenbach, educational developer
consisting of 45% foreign citizens impact that the multi-ethnic socie-
with a total of 177 different ethnici- ties of Brazil and The Netherlands first pilot
ties. The immigrant culture has con- have had on urban culture. The project held its first pilot around
tributed to the tolerant attitude, The ultimate goal is to stimulate Paulista Avenue, Sao Paulo. A group Henk van Zeijts, programme manager Education
which has enhanced the economic thinking about transformation of of 11 to 18 year old students played
and cultural development of the cultural phenomena through ‘cul- two Gincana example games that
city. ture mash-up’. In both cities, con- we produced around the busiest
In respect to intercultural education nected teams of players investigate street of Sao Paulo’s working area:
and exchange, it would be interest- themes such as music & dance, lan- the Paulista Avenida. In the first
Kaja van Rhijn, educational support
Providing kids with tools to create a creative or
artistic experience, stimulate their fantasy and
make them proud or amazed by what they’ve
seen or done, is what the Creative Learning
programme is all about. Working towards the
Childrens Museum of New Media and Culture of
2011 now!
Our ever changing world demands flexible,
adaptive and creative knowledge workers. The
inevitable future depends on the development of
creative human networks and social innovation,
creative minds will rule the world!
Rinske Hordijk, head of programme Education
Keimpe de Heer, Creative Learning Lab manager
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