Overcoming conflict with debate
Event Overview
- Prize Category: Community Collaboration
- Format: Immersive performance
- Country: Columbia
- Languages: Streamed live in English with automated captions in Arabic, English, French, Filipino, Hindi, Japanese, Malay, Portuguese, Serbian, and Spanish.
- Learn more about the Top Ten Shortlisted Schools in the Community Collaboration category on the World’s Best School Prizes website.
Watch on-demand
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About the school
I.E.D. Instituto Técnico Comercial José de San Martín, a K-12 public school in Tabio, serves vulnerable children with complex backgrounds or disabilities. Most of this school’s students come from poor families and many have been displaced by violence. Believing that they have the power to build peace and a different reality for themselves, their communities and the country; the school created the Annual Social Science Congress to teach them that they can contribute to a better society through debate and mutual respect.
The Social Science Congress, an initiative that has entered its 10th year, is a forum to stimulate critical thinking, research, innovation, and social transformation. Being involved in the Congress has allowed students to strengthen their communication skills on multiple subjects, including questions that reflect some of the biggest issues that the country faces. All students participate with papers and debates and write about their research about the annual theme. An important component of social inclusion consists of adapting these activities to promote the participation of students with special needs.
All students are invited to participate in the “Sanmartinian Artists” contest, where they draw a piece that identifies the annual theme of the Congress, which seeks to encourage their artistic expressions. The gallery of drawings is presented at the event and the winning drawing becomes the logo of the Congress.
The Congress continued during the height of COVID, with the event transferred online; students and teachers were connected through Facebook, WhatsApp, and Google Classroom. In order to ensure access to all students and their families, the event was also broadcasted on the local radio station for those who have limited internet access. During the pandemic, the theme of the Congress enabled students to analyse the confinement that they and the country were experiencing. The digital Congress earned the recognition of the Ministry of Interior, which gave the school a National Award in the category of ‘Children, Youth and Adolescence’.
This school is supported by the Fundación Alquería Cavelier, as part of its flagship education program “Programa de mejoramiento de la calidad educativa”, in partnership with the Education Department of Cundinamarca.
Join Jose de San Martin Commercial Technical IED public school panel discussion on building peace through debate and mutual respect.
Speakers
Moderator: Indira Cortes Rojas
Bachelor Cum Laude in Anthropology and Sociology from the University of Vermont, with complementary studies in Education and German Language; Master in Public Administration from Harvard University. During his experience, he has been a councilman of the municipality of Cajicá, and representative to the Chamber of Deputies, among other important political positions. In 2007 he was appointed as High Counselor for Education by the Government of Cundinamarca. He is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Fundación Empresarios por la Educación at a national level. With Fundación Alquería Cavelier, he has co-educated 350 young people from low-income rural areas.
Speaker 1: Dr. Nubia Isabel Rojas Carillo
Bachelor of Education, Master and Doctor, besides, eight years as researcher and 16 years as a principal. In these years I have had prizes such as: Winner of Share Inspiring Teachers award: “The Principal and his Institution 2020”, Colombia Participa Award from the Ministry of the Interior: “Participation of Children and Youth in 2020”, The Night of the Best Award: “Inclusive Institution in 2020”, selected by UNESCO as an example in Education based on Technology and Disability and Seven nominations for the World’s Best School Prizes 2022. All recognitions for the teamwork of teachers of the I.E.D. José de San Martín.
Speaker 2: Emilly Ospina Aristizabal
Student since elementary school at the I.E.D. José de San Martín, she has created her Life Project with the institution, it is an example of life because she has had to go through many situations where the school has been her constant support. Emilly is currently in her last school year, the pandemic affected her emotionally and her participation in the congress was one of her supports to get out of this situation, making her feel important and training her as a speaker since she was eight years old.
Speaker 3: Nicolas Garcia Bustos
A lawyer with advanced studies in International Public Law at the Panthéon – Assas University of Paris and a specialization in Government and Public Policy at the Universidad de Los Andes. He has been governor since 2020 and has held other important positions in Cundinamarca. Among his political achievements are the structural transformations in housing, education, public services and access roads in vulnerable areas of the department. He has promoted the educational infrastructure with the construction and remodelling of 6 educational institutions; the construction and execution of social impact projects and integral development centres for early childhood, among other projects.