Italy's government wants to boost teens' cultural education

Topic:

          

This article is about a program in Italy which offers 18-year-olds money to spend on cultural activities.
         

The Colosseum in Rome

          

Before reading:

          

General Knowledge:

• Can you find the country of Italy on a map? What do you know about arts and culture in this country?
• Visiting a museum is one example of a cultural activity. What are some other examples?
• What does "highbrow" culture mean?

           

Speculate:

• The Italian government is sponsoring a program offering 18-year-olds money for cultural activities. What might be some goals of this program? In other words, what might the government be hoping to achieve from this?

          

            

Click on the embedded link below to read the article, see photos, and listen to or download the audio file on the NPR website. Word count: 648

           

After reading:

          

Review and discuss:

• Write a 3-4 sentence summary of this article. Begin your summary with "This article is about…".
• In order to receive the 500 Euros, 18-year-olds must "register online and download an app". Why do you think the government chose this method for reaching young people? Will this method prevent any young people from accessing the benefit?
• The article also mentions Italy's high youth unemployment rate (40%). Why do you think the government chose to spend money on cultural education, rather than on boosting employment? What does this choice suggest about the government's priorities?
• The government's program "doesn't distinguish between pop culture and highbrow culture". What do you think about this policy?
• Explain why Barak Mendelsohn doesn't think the Italian government's plan will work.
• One of the Italian government's goals for this program is that it will help young immigrants integrate into Italian culture and society. Besides this program, what are some other ways that integration might be accomplished?
• In your opinion, what was the most interesting thing mentioned in this article? Why?

           

Reflect and evaluate:

• If you had $500 to spend on cultural activities, how would you use it? Explain your choices.
• What do you think: is cultural education a good plan for fighting against extremism? Explain your position.
• Is your country very concerned about integrating immigrants into society? Why or why not?
• Is there anything else you'd like to know about this topic? Do you have any questions that weren't answered in the article?
• What vocabulary words were new to you in this article? Make a record of what you have learned.

             

Join the conversation: add your thoughts about this article in the comments section below. And don't forget to share this post with your friends!

Costa Rica becomes host country to thousands of migrants

Topic:

       

This article is about how the country of Costa Rica is handling the arrival of large numbers of migrants.

         
          

Before reading:

         

General Knowledge:

• Can you find the country of Costa Rica on a map? What do you know about this country?
• What have you heard about immigration in the news recently? Which countries are dealing with an influx of immigrants, and why? Which countries do large numbers of immigrants come from, and why?
• What does "deportation" mean?

           

Speculate:

• Costa Rica has recently become the host to tens of thousands of migrants from all around the world, but authorities are not focused on sending them back to their home countries. Why might deportation not be the solution they choose?

        

        

Click on the embedded link below to read the article, see photos, and listen to or download the audio file on the NPR website. Word count: 747

         

After reading:

          

Review and discuss:

• Write a 3-4 sentence summary of this article. Begin your summary with "This article is about…".
• Costa Rican authorities say that deporting the migrants back to their home countries is not the right decision "morally". Why might they feel this way?
• Some officials believe that many of the migrants who say they are from Congo may actually be Haitian. Why might Haitian people need to lie about the country they come from? Why might they say they are from Congo, specifically?
• Why might the US government be so eager to help Costa Rica?
• Choose a side, and write your opinion. Do you think A) Costa Rica should continue to support the migrants as they arrive, or B) the government should focus less on supporting the migrants and pay more attention to Costa Rican citizens who need help? Support your choice with 3 reasons.
• In your opinion, what was the most interesting thing mentioned in this article? Why?

          

Reflect and evaluate:

• Compare Costa Rica with your own country. Are attitudes about immigration similar or different? Explain. What could your country learn from Costa Rica's example?
• Immigration has been a hot—and sometimes controversial—topic in the US recently, and this article about immigration was posted on an American news website. Why might this article be meaningful to Americans now?
• Is there anything else you'd like to know about this topic? Do you have any questions that weren't answered in the article?
• What vocabulary words were new to you in this article? Make a record of what you have learned.

          

          

Join the conversation: add your thoughts about this article in the comments section below. And don't forget to share this post with your friends!

Follow-ups: new perspectives on previous posts

Today's post offers some selections for follow-up reading on two topics that have appeared recently on the blog. Did one of these topics interest you? Take a look at other perspectives on the problems or situations that have been covered in Lively Exchanges discussions.

   

Topic #1: Food waste

    

Original post: Denmark Shows the World How to Reduce Food Waste

     

Another perspective:

• How Colorado is Turning Food Waste into Electricity: "Consumers throw out a staggering amount of food every year: Knowing there's a machine to clean up their mess could relieve some guilt of throwing food away."

          

Topic #2: Refugees in Sweden

      

Original post: Refugees Make a New Life in Sweden

       

Other perspectives:

• As Sweden Absorbs Refugees, Some Warn the Welcome Won't Last: "Some 160,000 asylum seekers arrived in the country last year alone, stretching its resources."
• After Fleeing the Taliban, An Afghan Reinvents Himself in Sweden: "Hafiz says that in Sweden, he finally feels like a human being again."

       

Talk about these topics with others, or write about your reflections in a notebook. Have these new articles changed the way you think about something? How do they help you understand the topic better?

Refugees make a new life in Sweden

Click on the embedded link above to read the article, see photos, and listen to or download the audio file on the NPR website.

This article is about how Sweden is helping refugees adjust to life in a new country. Word count: 743

Before reading:

      

General Knowledge:

• Can you find Sweden on a map? How about Syria?
• What is a 'refugee'?
• Why has there been a lot of news and discussion about refugees recently? What have you heard?

            

Speculate:

• When a refugee arrives in a new country, what are some of the most important things they might need to learn first?
• This article describes some of the things the Swedish government is doing to help refugees integrate into society quickly. What do you think are the advantages of this? Why is this important?

       

After reading:

       

Review and discuss:

• Write a 3-4 sentence summary of this article. Begin your summary with "This article is about…".
• What are the advantages of having immigrants like Mohammad Abdualamir teach the classes for refugees? Could there be any disadvantages? What kind of person would make a good teacher for immigrants?
• The article says that Sweden is a "haven" for refugees and that last year it accepted "the most [refugees] per capita of any European country". What does this suggest about Swedish culture or values?
• The article also says that Sweden's anti-immigration party is gaining support because some people "see their country changing". What kind of changes might they be worried about?
• One of the problems mentioned in the article is that Swedish and refugee students don't seem to be mixing in the cafeteria. How do you think the school can encourage the students to get to know one another?
• In your opinion, what was the most interesting thing mentioned in this article? Why?

     

Reflect and evaluate:

• This article concentrates on ways that the government is helping refugees learn to live in Sweden, but what do you think the government could do to educate Swedish people about the refugees who are arriving?
• What are some ways that a country can change when it experiences an influx of immigrants?
• Is there anything else you'd like to know about this topic? Do you have any questions that weren't answered in the article?
• What vocabulary words were new to you in this article? Make a record of what you have learned.

      

Beyond the page

• Do some research to find out more about refugees in your part of the world. Are there many refugees living in your country? Where are they from? Does your country offer services for them?
• Follow this link to see some infographics illustrating the refugee crisis: Refugee Crisis in Europe Explained through Infographics.

       

Join the conversation: add your thoughts about this article in the comments section below!