Cows can fly

Last March 2024, the ZUR_EKIN project (which means “with you” in Basque) was presented in the auditorium of the Bilbao campus of the University of Deusto (UD). It is a mentoring program aimed at accompanying and developing gifted students in Secondary Education and Baccalaureate, in which professors from different faculties of the UD (Law, Engineering, Deusto Business School, Education and Sports, Social and Human Sciences) mentor the students.

It is run and managed by the Unit of Support for the Development of High Intellectual Abilities, which is part of the Faculty of Education and Sport of the UD, in collaboration with the Department of Education of the Basque Government. My “good luck” this year, among others, has been to have the privilege of being part of this Unit (in which we have worked, and a lot). Although I have not been in direct contact with the students and teachers of the project, as a Unit, we have developed several lines and tasks of research that we consider very necessary to provide a quality educational response to this type of students.

In this first edition of the pioneer project in the Basque Autonomous Community, around thirty students from different schools have participated. On June 12, 2024 they presented, in a closing session of this edition, the projects they have carried out accompanied by their mentors.

Unfortunately, I could not attend the first part of the event, but I was able to enjoy many of the presentations made by the students in the second part, as well as the round table in which students and teachers participated.

It is great that, finally, visibility is given and work is being done for and with this type of students!

We know that there are things to improve, because nobody is perfect, but today I want to focus on the positive aspects of the June 12 session (we will leave the improvements to work on them). This time, this post is for the gifted students. Their presentations have been very diverse, from projects based on cows that can fly or cows that listen to music to produce better quality milk, to entrepreneurial projects based on the interests of young people or companies that bet on social economy and integrated social value.

I would like to highlight some of the characteristics of this group of young people, who have had the courage to face an audience of students, teachers and families who are very proud of them and the opportunity they have seized:

  • Involvement
  • Effort
  • Collaboration
  • Peer learning
  • Listening
  • Trust
  • Very positive attitude
  • Appreciation
  • Desire for more (to know, to learn, to work, to learn about new topics)
  • Extra-curiosity
  • Enjoyment
  • Ability to communicate orally
  • Desire for freedom of expression and to ask questions to learn

The challenges they have worked on, besides satisfying many of their varied interests, have opened their minds even more, have allowed them to open up to new possibilities in an uncertain future for some of them, and have allowed them to demonstrate that they are very capable of solving problems in a creative way and even using totally unknown tools that, at the beginning, are used in very advanced educational courses compared to the ones they are in right now.

Congratulations for your achievements and thank you for teaching us. I am sure that what you showed us a few days ago is only the beginning of your path to success.

Enjoy July.

Fair saturday awards

I don’t know if you still haven’t met Jordi Albareda and Saioa Eibar… Have you? And if I mention Fair Saturday…, how about now? Good, because Jordi and Saioa are its founders, two great people and, in addition to that, entrepreneurs. Always willing and ready, and with a project that I wish was created before.

Last Saturday the 26th of September they called us again for an award event that was born in 2017. It’s really special. Through the awards, they recognize the initiatives of individuals and organizations that get to inspire and question us, that have demonstrated a social impact on different levels, and that are based on art and culture. Oh, and their mission is to generate more inclusive, fair, and sustainable growth (Fair Saturday’s own goal). If you don’t know about it yet, I encourage you to keep reading because the projects, and especially the people behind them, deserve it.

This year, I was especially excited to be at this awards show because I had the pleasure and honor of talking a little bit with Rana Dajani, one of the most influential scientists of the Islamic world, founder of We Love Reading, and whom I met in May of 2021 thanks, of course, to Fair Saturday. I admit that, while I was excited just by knowing about the project, being with her made me confirm that dreams, which sometimes feel impossible to fulfill (especially in some countries), are not that impossible, as long as we make an effort, are determined, put our heart on it and are brave. Thank you, Rana, for your proximity, but especially for what you’ve achieved: inspire hope, make us grow and believe, and empower many children, young women, and women from all over the world through reading. That’s what Rana has achieved, and I think it’s GREAT!!!!!

“Since 2006 it has expanded to more than 60 countries all around the world, founding more than 4400 libraries in a variety of communities, both rural and urban, as well as in refugee camps.”

This is not the only awarded project and person, so let me present you the rest of the winners:

Musicians without Borders, from Amsterdam (The Netherlands), Lindenbaum Festival Orchestra, from Seoul (South Korea), Apropa Cultura, in Barcelona, but with Basque roots, Playing for Change Foundation (Santa Monica, USA), Pabellón Número 6, award that was collected by Ramón Barea (Bilbao), Candoco Dance Company (London, UK), Garabide Elkartea (Aretxabaleta) and Nuccio Ordine as the honor award.

As I don’t want this post to get so long, I invite you to visit the Fair Saturday website to learn more about each project.

Thank you, Jordi and Saioa, for supporting the culture and art, but especially for getting us closer to the kind of people you introduce us to every year. Today this is for you.

Translated by María Ubierna Quintanilla and supervised by Arantza Arruti.