eTwinning Multilateral Seminar for Ambassadors 2025
Theme: Citizenship education: celebrating what unites us.
20-22 March 2025
I had the opportunity to represent the Cyprus eTwininng Ambassadors in Malta for the seminar. Me and me fellow Ambassador of Larnaka were very excited about the whole event.
Arriving in Malta the day before gave us the opportunity to do a bit of site seeing and enjoy a little bit of Malta. First, we visited the Silent city of Mdina and walked along the ancient roads. After we walked to Rabat and stumbled in the festival for Saint Joseph. Became one with the locals in the parade to honor the saint and enjoyed the music from the brass instruments. It was a treat to go to the cathedral dedicated to the saint and listen to the ceremony.
The following day we ventured to Popeyes village and take a
tour and have fun in the houses and set of the film.
We rushed to the hotel to freshen up and attend the seminar
for Ambassadors.
Day 1 Thursday, 20th March 2025
First had the registrations and received our gift bag and
name tags. Following the coffee and a little bit of time to meet the
Ambassadors and make first connections.
And the seminar began with the warm welcome speech by the
Maltese NSO Dr. Rose-Anne Camillieri and greetings from the Permanent Secretary
Mr. Mathew Vella.
We had the opportunity to hear the guest speaker: Professor
Richard Powers explaining in his own unique way the importance of us
Ambassadors and our role, through his speech with the title: United in
Action: The Power of eTwinning Ambassadors in Strengthening European Citizenship.
According to the professor Powers reminded us that eTwinning fosters meaningful collaboration,
builds European identity, and empowers educators to create lasting
partnerships. Through inspiring examples and a call to action, Professor
Powers highlighted the vital role of eTwinning Ambassadors in uniting
educators across borders.
Following
the above we got engaged in very well organized and exciting ice- breaking
activities. On our name tags we had a number dividing us into groups.
Our
team was a great match of resourceful and ready to participate in the
activities. Our team Jam and Ham, the name coming from using letters from our
names quickly connected and with speed, creativity and enthusiasm finished the
designed activities and added a bonus activity.
Day
2: Friday, 21st March 2025
The second day of the seminar was dedicated to two
workshops.
We then moved on to the second workshop: Ambassadors as
Pillars of the eTwinning Community by the Ambassadors from Estonia: Anne Krull/
Signe Reidla and Jelena Rattik. They started with a very good Ambassador Bingo
and following we worked in groups. My group had the task of creating a song
with AI to celebrate the benefits of eTwinning for newcomers.
We then moved with all the Ambassadors to the final workshop
by Profs. Richard Powers, Planning Effective eTwinning Professional
Development. Profs. Richard emphasized that a effective professional
development is structured, engaging and goal oriented. Planning is important
and ensures smooth delivery and impact.
Finally, we moved around the room to find our group of
Ambassadors with the same interests to create our proposal for professional
development. At first, we had decided to team up as kindergarten teachers, but
soon a Middle School teacher joined our group. We decided to create a survival
kit for eTwinners to assist them to discover their strengths and abilities to
their advantage.
The day was coming to an end. A cultural walk for us in the
Silent City of Mdina was next. We were very excited since we would have the
pleasure to have with us a very good guide, Michael, who with great humor and
knowledge , showed us the city and its landmarks.
The night closed with a Maltese Dinner at the hotel. Very
nice food, wine, and music were our treat. The surprise of the night, a
birthday cake to celebrate the 20 years of our beloved eTwinning. We danced all
together to celebrate what unites us the love for eTwinning !
Day 3: Saturday 22nd March 2025
The seminar was coming to an end. The final activity was a
discussion panel with the NSO’s from Malta, Slovakia, Spain, Estonia, Czech
Republic and Cyprus. They shared with us how grateful they are for us
Ambassadors to be a part of their team. They shared with us what each country
was doing with their ambassadors and some ideas for activities.
It was time to share with the whole group our ideas and
plans for Professional development. My group presented our survival kit plan
that could be used in face to face or webinars.
Finally, we were presented with our participation
certificates, photos to remember this great event. We said our goodbyes and
promised to continue the fantastic work and meet again someday.
