Friendship Week


 

We're getting ready for Friendship Week 2012, 6 - 10 February.

Calling all schools, colleges and youth clubs! 

 

February marks Saint Valentine's Day when we celebrate love. What better time to incorporate the theme of friendship into your teaching practice and to show solidarity with others by selling friendship bracelets. Taking part in Friendship Week will also help to raise your pupil's awareness of justice and morality.

 

Friendship Week gives an opportunity for teachers to incorporate the themes of human rights, solidarity and friendship into their lesson plans. Some schools took part with just one lesson, some devoted a day or the whole week. We provide free resource packs full of information for teachers and students about human rights and how it relates to the lives of children of all ages, in all countries. The resource pack, most of which you can download below, includes:
  • Lesson plans, whole day event ideas and week-long activity plans
  • Real life stories and photos of people facing human right abuses
  • Fact sheets tailored to a range of classes, ages and subjects
 

If you're willing to participate in Friendship Week in February, or any time that suits you, your class and your school, we would be delighted to hear from you!

 

How to Take Part in Friendship Week

Order your resource pack and any number of Friendship Bracelets (sourced from the Guatemalan Street Children’s Project). You can sell these bracelets in your school or organisation as part of your Friendship Week for just €2. 
 
You can order in any of the following ways:
  • Callsave 01 863 8300
  • Email your full contact details and number of bracelets required to friendshipweek@amnesty.ie
  • Write to Amnesty International, Friendship Week, Seán MacBride House, 48 Fleet Street, FREEPOST, Dublin 2

 

You may also hold a Friendship Day or Week any time you’d like. By holding a Friendship Day in your school, college or club you will:
  • Promote friendship and tolerance among the young people you work with
  • Support Amnesty International’s work on behalf of victims of human rights abuse
  • Learn about how human rights can relate to students of any age group
  • Help the street children in Guatemala and other parts of Central America.

 

Classroom Resources
Following are some items you may find useful in any kind of Friendship activity or lesson:

 

About the street children
All our friendship bracelets are made by street children in Covenant House - a social service agency that provides food, shelter and medical services in Guatemala and other cities in Central America for some of the world’s 100,000,000 street children. Covenant House Guatemala had to close it’s doors to the children it cared for in early 2009. Thankfully, it re-opened recently and Amnesty International is delighted to be able to support that work by purchasing a large quantity of friendship bracelets for Friendship Week.

 

“Excellent week, a week that was inclusive of all children in the school, no matter what abilities, homelife or circumstance every child was involved. A real reflection of the message being delivered by Amnesty International. I will definitley participate again next year!" 

Laura Gannon, Samhthann NS, Co. Longford.

                                               

 

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