LABOUR CO-OP Lead for Children & Young People, Councillor Marsh, has written to the Green Council urging them to help the city build influential links abroad, with developing and emerging countries, by twinning local schools.

The call comes on annual International Youth Day and Brighton & Hove Labour & Co-operative Councillors think the council should begin promoting the idea with schools ahead of the new term.

Twinning schools has many benefits; notably teaching local children about other cultures and using real life examples of how people live across the globe. Twinned schools could visit each other and work together on school projects, utilising modern technology such as video links.

Brighton & Hove Labour & Co-operative Lead for Children & Young People, Councillor Mo Marsh, said:

”Brighton & Hove has a great history of welcoming other cultures, so twinning with schools in developing countries would not only be a great way for the city to mark International Youth Day, it would be an opportunity to co-operate with other schools across the world and broaden the minds of our children.

“I have written to the Green Council explaining that school twinning can be mutually beneficial, sharing resources, working on shared curriculum projects and visiting each others schools. Twinned schools may be from different cultures, but I’m sure this would provide pupils with plenty of opportunities to learn new things about different cultures and about the wider world we live in.

“Who knows, the experience may change young people’s perception of our world, and change the way they look at things. It may also make some pupils realise how they take certain things in Britain for granted and pave the way for further charity or voluntary work.”