Page 21 - ArtforHealth

was to instill values: empathy, solidarity, hum-
Students at Escuela Argentina Modelo in Buenos Aires painted a
flag to be displayed at the World Children’s Festival.
see the videos from the event. “These people
are awesome. Some of them did not have
arms or legs. Some could not see, but they
performed their best! I feel ashamed. Because
I have everything in life. I am healthy, and I
don’t do my best at school. I should change
my attitude. I think that those people are
real artists.”
Classroom discussions about dis-
ability became a segue to a con-
versation about art and empathy.
Does empathy make one “simpático”, or is it
something more? It is to put yourself in another
person’s shoes. “But what does this have to
do with art?” a student asked.
The lesson plan’s most important aspect
19
ility. The three Olympic values—friendship,
respect, and excellence—along with the four
Paralympic values—determination, inspiration,
courage, and equality—underpin the Games as Jul–Sep 2020 | https://icaf.org/
a set of universal principles, but the teachers
helped the students realize that they can also be
applied to education and their daily lives.
The class also discussed the concepts of
what makes a positive or a negative leader.
The students later depicted these values in
their artwork.
Through this dialogic process, the students
incorporated their ideas into larger, multi-voiced
classroom narratives. They began creating
meaning out of their own culture and life exper-
iences. They become active in their learning.
The students painted the flag (on the left)
to be displayed at the World Children’s Festi-
val. They were glad to participate in the Arts
Olympiad, which raised awareness of other
people’s realities and conditions, led to collab-
orative artmaking, the sharing of experiences,
and a better understanding of each other
and their world.
María Clau-
dia Albini
ICAF board member
and representative
in Argentina