The idea of the exchange program for elementary school students and teachers from the Czech Republic and Ladakh (Northern India) was born during the filming of a documentary film about Ladakhian schools in the summer of 2022. The goal of the program is to connect schools and people that support the self-development of young people and have a similar approach to education. The vision of the program is to connect schools on the basis of individual knowledge and the involvement of the entire community in an exchange stay so that a partnership and friendship between schools in the Czech Republic and Ladakh could start.
In 2023, the first brave people from the Labyrinth elementary school in Lhota near Opava and from the Hello Gymnasium in Ostrava traveled with me to Ladakh. To this day, I have great admiration not only for students and teachers, but also for parents who sent their children to the other side of the world with me and thus became part of a big dream.
In the summer of 2024, the teachers of ZŠ Labyrinth went to the Himalayas again. In Ladakh's Druk Padma Karpo School in the village of Shey, four teachers spent 14 days teaching children, this time also training teachers in the Montessori method, which the pedagogues there showed interest in.
Who will you help?
The funds raised will enable young people from North Indian Ladakh to meet new Czech friends and compare two different cultures. There are many organizations in the Czech Republic that travel with volunteers to Ladakh, help local communities build schools and pass on experience and education. Our wish is to enable the journey of young people from Ladakh to the Czech Republic and give them the same opportunity to get to know our country, people and culture.
How the money will be used
Funds from this collection will be used primarily for the purchase of plane tickets and visas for Ladakh students and teachers. We would like to invite 4 students and 1 teacher from both partnership schools, which would mean a total of 10 people. If more money could be collected as part of the collection, it would enable the arrival of more young people from Ladakh to the Czech Republic, either this year or next.
Traveling and exploring other cultures is an important part of life. It is a way to respect differences and understand humanity in all its breadth. Allowing young people from other cultures to explore our beautiful country can be an enriching and interesting experience for all involved on both sides of the world.