On 28-30 March 2007, the Stedelijk Gymnasium in the Netherlands welcomed students and teachers from Whickham School, England. Three teachers and 16 students visited Breda to take part in the Dreams+Teams experience.
Prior to the visit the Young Leaders got to know each other online, having the opportunity to talk about activities on the run up to the event. The students and teachers spent Wednesday 28th and Thursday 29th in a holiday park near Breda getting to know each other further, before electing a leader and setting about organising activities for 125 First Year students at Stedelijk Gymnasium.
On Friday morning, all 125 First Years participated in a massive wake-up and shake-up. They were then divided into groups to perform the various activities that had been planned using classrooms, the gym, and the schoolyard. Among the activities were dancing, singing, painting, cricket, rapping, and playing the British anthem on various instruments. The Young Leaders turned out to be well-prepared for the job and helped each other out wherever they could. At 12.30, everyone got together in the assembly hall, and the winning team was awarded a prize. The Young Leaders then had lunch and gathered for a closing Powerpoint presentation by the teachers, which featured photographs of the past three days.
At 15.00, the guests from Whickham traveled back to the ferry, and a very successful D+T event ended. It was an experience that some students said had been life-changing. Everyone involved was convinced that the schools should get together for a third D+T event next year!
Thank you to the British Council and the Youth Sport Trust for their assistance and support!