Project Connect
In spite of some initial passivity, both the Norwegian students and the ISFiT participants loosened up and got to talking during Project connect on Friday. Project Connect is an initiative aiming to connect students in the last year of middle school with ISFiT participants to give them an understanding of what happens in the workshops during the daylight hours of the festival as well as meeting students from all over the world.
Text: Tobias Viken
Photo: Martine Retting
Date: 2011-02-24
The day opened with a short ceremony. Her Royal Highness crown princess Mette-Marit opened the day with a speech. -What ISFiT does is fantastic, she said. That young people are also invited to join the festival is an initiative I can only applaud. After the short oration, Francis Elsafari gave a longer address on the important matters in life. -Appreciate your family and the people around you, he said. When all is said and done, that is all that matters.
At this point, the crowd separated into 8 mixed groups to participate in activities around the building. Most of the activities included non-verbal components which quickly breaked the ice within the groups.
Foto: Martine Retting
In the grand hall the topic was mental health with a focus on the positive aspects. Through music and dance, the group practiced letting themselves go and allow their thoughts, ideas and emotions flow freely. African drums were handed out to some as more and more people jumped to their feet and took to the dance floor where the dance moved in a circle led by an instructor and the infectious rhythms of the African drums. Everyone seemed to have a great time.
After lunch each group moved to the next post. The other posts covered topics surrounding sex, real-life stories, body and lifestyle, the Student Peace Prize, the creative process and art. -It's nice to meet Norwegian students even though they seem a bit afraid to open up, said Guillermo from Suriname with a genuine smile on his face. Of course, when we are in Norway, it's great to get to interact with some Norwegian people as well.
The project overall was a success with everyone involved. -It was exciting to meet people from the other side of the world, said an excited tenth-grader. And it was fun to let yourself go in the grand hall.
