Description of activities
In Hungary, three schools wholeheartedly participated in the “Gift a Poem” international campaign on March 21, 2024 – World Poetry Day. Students and teachers from Budapest’s Szilágyi Erzsébet High School, Szeged’s Krúdy Gyula Vocational School, and Eger’s Kemény Ferenc Sport School embraced the initiative by sharing poetry within their communities and beyond, exemplifying the spirit of cultural exchange and community involvement. At Szilágyi Erzsébet High School in Budapest, 11th-grade students hosted a German class from Hamburg at the end of April 2024 and introduced them to Hungarian culture by presenting poems from renowned Hungarian poets like Attila József, Miklós Radnóti, Sándor Petőfi, Sándor Weöres, Ágnes Nemes Nagy, and others. The German teachers visiting on March 21 were deeply moved by this gesture, eagerly passing on the gifts to their students with enthusiasm. Heartwarming moments from this exchange were captured in photographs. The Krúdy Gyula Vocational School in Szeged also joined the “Gift a Poem” program, with nearly every class contributing hand-copied, illustrated poems (almost 50), which were delivered to the Szeged Autumn Elderly Care Home. The students also performed a show for the nursing home residents, leaving a touching impact on both young and old. At Kemény Ferenc Sports School Primary School in Eger, many classes participated in the campaign with great success. They engaged with people at retirement homes and on the streets, with many asking not only for the copy of the poems but also for it to be read by the children. For example, the 5th graders visited a nearby Care Centre, explaining the initiative, reading poems, and presenting them to the elderly and staff. The 8th graders shared poems with people in a nearby park. In class 4.a, students explored the inspiration behind the program through Z. Herbert’s work and discussed its aims. The pupils delighted in selecting their favourite poems, adding illustrations, and sealing them in envelopes, embodying the quote: “It is good to receive, but it is wonderful to give!”
Schools involved
- Szegedi Szakképzési Centrum Krúdy Gyula Szakképző Iskola Egri
- Kemény Ferenc Sportiskolai Általános Iskola Budapest
- I. Kerületi Szilágyi Erzsébet Gimnázium
