An intercultural video exchange

Judith Geare, from the Goethe-Institut, and three Auckland school students were our guest speakers for a great start to the Auckland Goethe Society’s 2015 programme on 18 February. 

We heard about their recent project, an exchange between these Takapuna Grammar School students of German and students in Senegal, Mexico and Germany. The start of the project was an intensive week in 2013 with two visiting German sociologist film-makers, who taught the basics of film-making. The outcome was two short films about the teenagers’ lives – films which the students exchanged with students in Senegal and Mexico who then sent feed-back, questions and their own films to the Aucklanders.  

© Judith Geare

It was great to see excerpts from the films, and to hear from the students in person how this project had given real meaning to their study of German (German was the language of communication between the students from the countries) and also about the effect this cross-cultural project has had on their lives.

Many thanks to Judith Geare, teacher Elisabeth Avram and students Tina Price, Pip Charlett-Green and Holly Sharplin.

Wendy Thomson