Maps for a Better World
C.P. Juan Ramón Jiménez LHI, Cruces (Barakaldo)
C.P. Juan Ramón Jiménez LHI, Cruces (Barakaldo)
22 students, 3rd grade
Teacher: Ziortza Landa
Artist: Nerea Lekuona
In this class, the students learned how art can be a tool for social activism. Focusing on their everyday affairs at first, they moved on to broader social issues afterwards: poverty, racism and discrimination, gender inequality, climate change… The goal was to help the children see themselves as agents of change who are able to express their ideas, values, and feelings, and to decide what aspects of their community or the world they want to act upon.
The students were asked to trace their family history, which led to a discussion of cultural diversity within the group. Then they broke an atlas down into its individual maps and chose a part of the world to associate with relevant words, colors, and ideas. These intervened cartographies were brought together in an Atlas of Good Wishes for the World, a collective work gathering the children’s hopes for a better world. In the process, they learned how emotions can be expressed through color, they tried a variety of mixes and worked with letters, and bound the atlas to make an artist’s book. Finally, they shot a video introducing their ideas for social change.
The activities were aimed at the development of collaboration and communication skills, as well as the promotion of values such as solidarity and social responsibility. In addition, the students discovered their potential for awareness raising, critical thinking, and social transformation.