We are pleased to announce that we have been selected by the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB) with an Ibero-American project in front of Covid 19. The project presented by Iberarchivos is entitled “In the skin of our ancestors. Pedagogical resources for the knowledge of the fight against historical pandemics through archives and lessons for children in Ibero-America in the face of COVID-19”, which will be developed over a period of one year.
The project presented by Iberarchivos aims to contribute to the generation of inclusive, equitable and quality learning opportunities for children in Ibero-America through pedagogical resources based on archival documents that serve to learn how other historical pandemics were overcome in the past.
It is important to mention that, as a measure to address the devastation caused by COVID-19, UNESCO, in March 2020, launched the Global Coalition for Education COVID-19, whose recommendations aim to mobilise distance education resources, always seeking equitable solutions and universal access, since the implementation of online education measures in the early stages of the alarm did not guarantee access to them for all.
This crisis is causing not only alterations in learning but also significant changes in the lives of our children, especially in those who are most vulnerable in our Latin American countries, including a greater awareness of the danger of certain diseases, which can even lead to negative emotions, such as fear or anxiety about the future. While adults can deal with these emotions in a more rational way, children face completely new emotions (uncertainty, loss of freedom, fear and even the loss of loved ones) with resources that are not adapted to their cognitive development.
In this context and with the aim of generating inclusive learning opportunities for the children of Ibero-America during this period of sudden and unprecedented educational disruption, the Iberarchivos programme would like to make an innovative contribution to virtual education, based on the primary sources that we preserve in the archives of Ibero-America, since the archives contain the legacy of our ancestors, testimony of what we were and key to the understanding of what we are as and will be as humanity.
The initiative presented by Iberarchivos is aimed at developing a bilingual microsite (Spanish/Portuguese) with educational and didactic content, interactive and downloadable, which will provide knowledge of the fight against pandemics throughout history in Ibero-America through a selection of historical documents preserved in the different archives that make up the Iberarchivos network. The subject will be treated with a positive, inclusive and multicultural approach, highlighting the gender focus, as we want to clearly show the notorious role of women in the fight against these diseases. The resources will be adapted to the age group we have found most suitable to work with: 9-12 years old, with a multiplying effect on younger brothers or sisters and also on the adults around them. The work will also be channelled through the educators, so that these contents can be worked on both inside and outside the classroom.