Opening Eyes

Our Ethos

‘I believe travel, like entrepreneurship, can be a powerful and immediate means of opening young people’s eyes and minds to new experiences and different cultures. It does so by challenging the way they view themselves and the world around them.'

Rod Aldridge, Chairman, The Aldridge Foundation

Aiming to inspire through new experiences, Opening Eyes will give our students the chance to think in a new way, as they make local, regional, national and international trips with diverse themes.  The aim of the programme is to broaden the horizons of our students and encourage them to look at their own circumstances in a different way.

Early elements within the UK have included a trip to a Foundation sponsored performance art initiative co-ordinated by The Old Vic and Banksy, Tunnel 228, which gave DACA students a private viewing and a chance to meet with Kevin Spacey.  The Foundation is now working with DACA to develop a programme of business visits, linking with the work relating to Inspiring Communities in Darwen.

In October 2009 19 sixth formers from Darwen Aldridge Community Academy (DACA), in Lancashire, embarked on a unique school visit to New York City - the first international visit of the programme.  With an inspiring and entrepreneurial culture, it offered opportunities to challenge perceptions of affluent America by visiting schools and social enterprises in
the Bronx.  In 2010, a group of students partnered with those from Jewish faith school King David's from Manchester to take part in the March of the Living in Auschwitz.

In addition, the Foundation is acting as the Cluster Co-ordinator for a three year partnership with schools in Zambia and Tanzania through the British Council's Connecting Classrooms programme.  We also maintain a private link with Kunyanja Community Secondary School in Nkhata Bay, Malawi, where students have received books from DACA and students from the two schools exchange letters.

The Foundation is currently looking to develop a fund that will allow Aldridge Academy students to make national and international trips together.  Our students will have opportunities to take part in volunteering projects while also learning new skills from young people in the host country.  On their return, students are expected to share these skills with other members of the Academy and the wider community, and to present on their findings to the sponsor, Governing Body and local residents.

If you are interested in contributing to the fund as an Eye Opener, please contact Elizabeth Anderson on 020 7925 7900.

United Kingdom

The first tier of the Opening Eyes programme will allow students to make trips within the UK. Many of our students have had limited opportunities to explore their own home country, and therefore we see this as a valuable first element.
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International

The core for Opening Eyes is international travel for our students. These trips are neither tourist nor adventure trips. Instead, they are designed to introduce our students to different cultures through exploring community projects, social enterprises, other overseas schools and universities, and key sites that have impacted on the culture or shaping of a given country.
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British Council: Connecting Classrooms

In March, the Foundation was delighted to be selected as the Co-ordinating Body for a new British Council led partnership between schools in the UK, Zambia and Tanzania. The Aldridge Foundation holds the role of co-ordinating a cluster of three schools within the UK, and working with matching clusters in these two Sub-Saharan nations.
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