The space “Our Speaker's Corner”, an initiative of the 11th S Arts class of the Manuel Teixeira Gomes Secondary School, located in Portimão, is already in operation. It opened on November 18, as part of the World Day of Philosophy and Freedom of Expression, in an initiative that brought together the educational community.
The challenge was posed in a Philosophy class taught by Professor Carlos Café and began to take shape under the inspiration of the mythical “Speaker's Corner” by Londoner Hyde Park, with the aim of creating a space in the school's gardens that symbolizes free thought and encourages freedom of expression, the exercise of citizenship and the promotion of social inclusion.
Based on the values of the English capital's “Speaker's Corner”, where since 1872 Londoners have been able to freely express opinions and make criticisms, as long as they do not touch British soil, the space now created by the secondary school in Portimo it is designed for informal and spontaneous debates, outdoor classes or any other activities (educational, artistic or recreational) that members of the school community decide to undertake.
In addition, the garden area in which it is located becomes the “Canteiro das Artes”, which will be intervened with the plants, flowers and sculptures that the students and students of the Arts decide to place.
According to the young students who took up the initiative, this is the first of several outdoor facilities designed and built by the school community of the Secondary Manuel Teixeira Gomes, as a contribution to the redevelopment of the teaching establishment's gardens and to encourage the use of outdoor spaces in the pedagogical dynamics of the grouping.
For the young student Ana Tomé, one of the main enthusiasts from “Our Speaker's Corner”, «as students, we think that this is a very important project with a great impact on the school community, as it represents an extremely innovative way of 'getting rid' of traditional assessment methods, such as tests and oral presentations, and an excellent way. to promote not only freedom of expression, but also the sharing of information, ideas and the carrying out of various actions».
From his point of view, «we can leave our mark, as a class, at school, and bring all students together, expressing ourselves creatively and developing the capacity for mutual help and teamwork, which makes us realize that we can do amazing things , without being as complicated or distant as they seem».
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