International Day of the Educating City celebrated with commented cinema

Last week was celebrated the International Day of the Educating City, with this year’s motto being “Culture, a source of creation and learning in the Educating City”.

The Municipality of Porto invited the public to a special session of the Ciclo de Cinema Comentado “Olhares em Diálogo”, which too place at Cinema Batalha. The movie “Won’t Back Down”, a 2012 drama directed and written by Daniel Barnz was screened, featuring a debate hosted by José Matias Alves, professor at the Faculdade de Educação e Pscicologia da Universidade Católica – Porto.

During the month of November, the municipality promoted several activities within the city as place of access and democratization of culture, which assures the enjoyment of quality education.

On November 16th “Mosaico” was presented, an artistic show imagined, designed and experienced by the city’s professional and artistic schools, which created a moment of unity, innovation and cultural stimulation. The initiative involved more than 600 people and attracted a full house at the Coliseu Porto AGEAS.

On November the 24th, the councillor for Education, Fernando Paulo, gave a lecture at Escola Básica e Secundária Clara de Resende, which was attended by fifty young people. It was a moment of reflection on the importance of access to culture, the different cultural demonstrations present in the territory and quality education, which allows personal and collective development.

These celebrations were also commemorated with children from the primary education who created artistic works, using mostly recyclable materials, to represent the identity of their urban environment, as an inclusive and interactive space. Tutors and students of the Atividades de Enriquecimento Curricular (AEC) also presented several activities such as a Creative Dance choreography, related to the educational theme and social inclusion of children with Specific Educational Needs; the production of a video, based on the movie ““Aniki Bóbó” by Manoel de Oliveira; the creation of mosaics alluding to Fernão de Magalhães; the creation of sculptures and panels; among others. More than 400 children participated in these activities.

The International Day of the Educating Cities is a global event, celebrated annually on November 30th, the day on which the Charter of Educating Cities was proclaimed in 1990. Like other municipalities that are members of the International Association of educating Cities (IAEC), also Porto, a member of this Association since 1997, signs this day with activities dedicated to promoting the basic principles inscribed in the Charter of Educating Cities, namely, the importance of Education as a driver of well-being, coexistence, prosperity and social cohesion. At the beginning of 2023, the number of IAEC members reached around 500 cities in 35 countries spread across all continents.