310326 Podcast EN VERSION ORIGINAL
This morning, UMH Radio became a bridge between Elche, Spain, and Wipperfürth, Germany. We sat down with students and teachers from IES El Cabo de la Huerta (with professor Iván Poza) and Gymnasium Wipperfürth (with Frau Sachinidou and Frau Slach) to discuss their Erasmus+ journey. Their mission? To dig through the difficult history of the 20th century to understand why democracy is so precious today.
Two Countries, One Shared Mission
The students didn’t just read history books, they lived them:
From Germany: The students visited the City Museum of Bonn. They reminded us that democracy isn’t a «reset button» you press after a war—it’s a long, painful process of admitting the truth. They introduced us to Erinnerungskultur (the Culture of Remembrance), which is now a pillar of German identity.From Spain: Our local students took the group into the cold, quiet Civil War bunkers in Elche. They explored the «mechanisms of repression» under the dictatorship and discussed how silence can be the greatest enemy of a free society.One of the highlights was the description of the project’s Mural of Values. The students used art to show the contrast:
Democracy: Bright, interlocking colors representing diversity and movement.Totalitarianism: Gray, rigid cages representing censorship and fear.During our «Keyword Challenge,» the students left us with some powerful reflections:
«Freedom is something we treat as ‘normal’ until we see the scars of those who lived without it.» — Hanna (DE)
«Censorship isn’t just being told ‘no,’ it’s when you stop thinking for yourself.» — Victoria (ES)
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