The activity “Everything has already been invented” aims to break the stereotypes and prejudices linked to different countries and nationalities. It also attempts to make known the contributions that have been made in some fields by the people from the mentioned countries. We propose this activity to be collective and we want the whole educational center to participate in it. This way all the students will collaborate in a final wall in which their work will be reflected.

At the beginning, the teacher will discuss the stereotypes or prejudices that we all have regarding other nationalities, ethnic groups, religions, different races and also regarding our own classmates: “He is a nerd, he is a snob”, without trying to understand anyone.

Later, we will focus on stereotypes for countries. For middle school and high school courses the next article may be useful:

https://www.geografiainfinita.com/2016/02/el-mundo-y-sus-paises-vistos-desde-los-mapas-de-estereotipos/

In that reduction of the world provoked by the stereotypes there are many details remaining, concepts that get lost in a labyrinth of simplified ideas. Other times people tend to underestimate and despise these characteristics easily. The article makes a criticism in a funny way about how we fall for unfounded and generalist prejudices.

Then, we will encourage our students to turn around this perception, searching contribution examples which have been made from different countries: inventions, advances, people who have achieve something in the different social atmospheres. In class and in groups, students will have to look for positive examples of contributions from a country or countries and present them to the rest of the class. The groups of students will decide which country´s contribution is the most useful for the world.

We suggest the next division in case of performing this activity by the whole educational center:

• Primary: Europe
• Lower secondary education: America
• Higher secondary education: Africa
• Eleventh & Twelfth Grade: Asia

A different country for each group may be assigned to avoid similar results. After, each contribution will be placed on a collective map (we suggest a Peters map, to make it available in the school) which will be put in a visible place of the schoolyard. An arrow and a square will emerge from each investigated country with the following information:

• Name of the Center:
• Contribution
• Person
• QR with more information about the contribution.
• Photo (if possible)

This way, we will turn around the viewpoint of the world and the nationalities and we will look for the positive things of each one of them amongst all of us. We will facilitate the rest of the students, teachers, HSP and families to take it into account.

This activity is part of the 21-22 Solidarity Campaign.