Introduction Rivers of the World is the flagship art and education project of the Thames Festival Trust delivered in partnership with the British Council. It provides opportunities and resources for teachers and students to learn about their local river and to compare this to other rivers in cities around the world. Led by Shona Watt and groups of inspirational local artists, the students follow up their river study with the creation of huge artworks for a public display beside their own river and those of all partner cities. Now in its ninth year, this extraordinary project has been welcomed in twenty countries around the world, encouraging young people there to explore and reflect on local and global issues, and by doing so, to gain an international outlook and build the skills they need for life and work in an increasingly inter-connected global society. This year sees the 500th artwork created as part of Rivers of the World. These artworks have been made by young people from London and the twenty two partner cities. www.riversoftheworld.org
Artwork on front is by pupils at Stepney Green College, London with artists Shona Watt and Mish Weaver, This artwork is the 500th piece commisioned by Thames Festival Trust since 2006
Rivers of the World is a Thames Festival Trust project delivered in partnership with the British Council
Rivers of the World Education Pack for Primary Schools This amazing artwork was created by Year 4 pupils from Witham St Hughs Academy in Lincoln. The pupils won first place in the Rivers of the World competition, which challenged schools to use resources from the Rivers of the World Education Pack to “Design a River Creature�. Schools around the world can now download and access the brand new Rivers of the World Education Pack. The pack contains high quality, river themed cross-curricular lesson ideas, activities and resources aimed at upper primary and lower secondary pupils. The Education Pack encourages young people to celebrate and share their local environment, learn about other cultures and engage with global issues through exploring river themes. The pack can be used as a stand-alone resource or collaboratively with a partner school overseas and can be used in many different curriculum areas including art, science, geography, history and English. www.riversoftheworld.org To download the pack, go to: https://schoolsonline.britishcouncil.org/classroom-resources/ rivers-of-the-world
Rivers of the World is a Thames Festival Trust project delivered in partnership with the British Council
Rio de la Plata Buenos Aires, Argentina
Escuela de Bellas Artes Rogelio Yrurtia, Caba with Mariano Ferrante ‘Rivers of the World was a complete process of researching, planning and creating artworks in which the students had a leading role. As a result, their self-esteem and sense of achievement were positively enhanced.’ Alejandra Fauguenbergue, Art Teacher, Buenos Aires
www.riversoftheworld.org Rivers of the World is a Thames Festival Trust project delivered in partnership with the British Council
River Surma Sylhet, Bangladesh
Siraj Uddin Ahmed Academy with Syed Rashad Iman ‘The students are learning something very new. They are getting a different perspective on what art is, and a genuine understanding of different ways of life.’ Syed Rashad Iman Tanmoy, Artist, Sylhet
www.riversoftheworld.org Rivers of the World is a Thames Festival Trust project delivered in partnership with the British Council
River Nile Cairo, Egypt
International School of Chouiefat with Irene Humber ‘We learned how to be more confident and helpful to each other and how to conceive our ideas. I hope I can join this magnificent project again!’ Doaa Aly, Pupil, Cairo
www.riversoftheworld.org Rivers of the World is a Thames Festival Trust project delivered in partnership with the British Council
River Liesbeek Cape Town, South Africa
Bokmakierie School with Craig Cupido ‘Being part of this arts project has taught us to become aware of the Liesbeek River. We now pay more attention to its surroundings and the significant role it has played in the history of our country. The experience has been very interesting, enriching and most of all enjoyable.’ Laura-Ashley Moses, Pupil, Cape Town
www.riversoftheworld.org Rivers of the World is a Thames Festival Trust project delivered in partnership with the British Council
River Yangtze Chongqing, China
Fulin No 5 Middle School with Su Fei
www.riversoftheworld.org Rivers of the World is a Thames Festival Trust project delivered in partnership with the British Council
Rio de la Plata Buenos Aires, Argentina
Ferences Gimnázium with Balázs Laár ‘During the project our small group got together, we used our creativity, we laughed a lot and without noticing we learnt a lot about our river, the Danube.’ Shelly Bucur, Pupil, Szentendre
www.riversoftheworld.org Rivers of the World is a Thames Festival Trust project delivered in partnership with the British Council
Bengawan Solo River Surakarta, Indonesia
SMP Muhammadiyah 7 Surakarta with Irwan Dwi Nuryadi and Flourish Sekarjati of Kampung Halaman collective ‘Having a partner school means I can learn to communicate with people in another language, English. I have new friends from overseas and we can exchange knowledge about our cultures.’ Abigail Kania Amanda, Pupil, Surakarta
www.riversoftheworld.org Rivers of the World is a Thames Festival Trust project delivered in partnership with the British Council
River Foyle Derry – Londonderry, Northern Ireland & Co. Donegal, Republic of Ireland
St Joseph’s Boys’ College with Debbie Malcomson ‘The work we created was fantastic. I was amazed at the completed artwork. I am incredibly proud of myself and my classmates.’ Aoife Browne, Pupil, Derry - Londonderry
www.riversoftheworld.org Rivers of the World is a Thames Festival Trust project delivered in partnership with the British Council
River Ganges Kolkata, India
Bidya Bharati Girls’ High School with Tandra Chanda and Pulak Ghosh ‘The river is so much a part of every Indian’s life that we take I for granted most of the time without realizing that it is our lifeline.’ Samprikta Sinha Roy, Pupil, Kolkata
www.riversoftheworld.org Rivers of the World is a Thames Festival Trust project delivered in partnership with the British Council
River Han Seoul, South Korea
Sinseo Middle School with Hyunjoo Seo ‘My favourite part of the project was learning very ordinary things through personal communication with our partner school, which cannot be learned through reading our text books.’ Jin-a Noh, Pupil, Seoul
www.riversoftheworld.org Rivers of the World is a Thames Festival Trust project delivered in partnership with the British Council
River Thames London, England
Ellen Wilkinson School with Shona Watt and Chloe Bonfield ‘The global links created through Rivers of the World continue to grow and art remains a source of inspiration, nourishing young people’s creativity. Art in this context is a medium for deeper understanding and respect for the rich history of the world and its diverse cultures. It allows not just the students but the many people who see the final exhibitions, to travel to countries in their imagination with children as guides, to places which they might not be able visit in person.’ Shona Watt, Lead Artist, London
www.riversoftheworld.org Rivers of the World is a Thames Festival Trust project delivered in partnership with the British Council
River Papaloapan State of Veracruz, Mexico
Héroes de Sotavento Secondary School with Candy Aguirre, Nora Hiriart and Pablo Rulfo ‘Our school is very proud to have taken part in Rivers of the World. It was a fantastic experience to work as a team developing our research on the Papaloapan.’ Valentin and Angel, Pupils, Tilapa
www.riversoftheworld.org Rivers of the World is a Thames Festival Trust project delivered in partnership with the British Council
Mississippi River New Orleans, USA
Héroes de Sotavento Secondary School with Candy Aguirre, Nora Hiriart and Pablo Rulfo “When posed with the challenge of telling a story about the Mississippi River, we decided to create a new story. We soon realized that every aspect of our city’s culture has some link to the river and it’s importance on trade and cultural economy in this region.” Philip Spence, Teacher, New Orleans
www.riversoftheworld.org Rivers of the World is a Thames Festival Trust project delivered in partnership with the British Council
Rio de la Plata Buenos Aires, Argentina
Government Girls’ High School No.2 with Ayesha Zulfiqar and Umar Hameed ‘Personally this experience has been exhilarating. The amount of positive energy and zeal the Rivers of the World project brought in their everyday classrooms was breath-taking. The students’ self-awareness about the river brought great pride in them being pioneers of placing Pakistan on the Rivers of the World map!’ Zaineb Siddiqui, Artist, Jhelum City
www.riversoftheworld.org Rivers of the World is a Thames Festival Trust project delivered in partnership with the British Council
River Seine Paris, France
Collège Claude Chappe with Shona Watt and Pete Gomes ‘The artists were humorous and very enthralling. During the work they asked us about colour and the laying out of drawings. We were all amazed by the results obtained in only two days. Everybody was happy, excited, glad and above all proud of this work.’ Mamadou, Pupil, Paris
www.riversoftheworld.org Rivers of the World is a Thames Festival Trust project delivered in partnership with the British Council
River Capibaribe Recife, Brazil
Colegio Damas with Diogo Todé and Ghustavo Távora ‘The Rivers of the World project has taught me that the river is a source of life to all of us. To transform rubbish into art is to be an artist, but to transform the river is our duty as citizens.’ Bruno Nunes de Oliveria, Pupil, Recife
www.riversoftheworld.org Rivers of the World is a Thames Festival Trust project delivered in partnership with the British Council
19B
River Tietê São Paulo, Brazil
Escola Carandá with Paulo Portalle Filho and Renata Abelin ‘‘The Rivers of the World project provided us with culture and knowledge. Through it we could learn more about the River Tietê and work together in a group. We were all very much involved; we acquired and developed new skills.’ Julia Wass, Pupil, São Paulo
www.riversoftheworld.org Rivers of the World is a Thames Festival Trust project delivered in partnership with the British Council
River Huangpu & Suzhou Creek Shanghai, China
No.2 Secondary School attached to Tongji University with Robert Davis and Peng Zhenyu ‘It’s no exaggeration to say that participating in Rivers of the World has changed my career as a fine art teacher. Now in my daily teaching I always think about how I can learn from its teaching methodology, how I can embed and international dimension in my students’ learning and how to realise a wider arts education.’ Zhao Baocang, Teacher, Shanghai
www.riversoftheworld.org Rivers of the World is a Thames Festival Trust project delivered in partnership with the British Council
Tamsui River Taipei, Taiwan
TM Long Men Junior High School with Chiaci Yu and Lili Chen I really appreciate being part of the project. It enlarges students’ creativity as well as imagination. We not only learn more about the tradition and culture of our Tamsui River but also understand a variety of cross-cultural values at the same time. This programme is definitely an unforgettable and meaningful learning experience. Yi-Ling TSAI, Teacher, Taipei
www.riversoftheworld.org Rivers of the World is a Thames Festival Trust project delivered in partnership with the British Council
River Chao Phraya Bangkok, Thailand
Yothinburana School with Arthit Mulsarn, Chalit Kangvaravoot and Thanom Chapakdee ‘The Rivers of the World project helps to remind people to do more to conserve our rivers and the environment. In my painting, I presented Thailand’s way of life and how we are interconnected with rivers.’ Nuttawan Na Nongkhai, Pupil, Bangkok
www.riversoftheworld.org Rivers of the World is a Thames Festival Trust project delivered in partnership with the British Council
The Bosphorus Istanbul, Turkey
Eyüp Rami with Bariş Karayazgan ‘Through Rivers of the World I learned what we could achieve as a team. I learned to trust the members of my team and to act as a single body.’ Zeynep Naz Akyokuş
www.riversoftheworld.org Rivers of the World is a Thames Festival Trust project delivered in partnership with the British Council
Dubai Creek Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Umm Suqeim School for Girls with Maie Atabani and Khalid Mezaina ‘The Rivers of the World art workshops have been an eye-opener for my students. They helped to develop their creative thinking, team working, problem solving and independent working skills.’ Ms Zainab Ahmad, Teacher, Dubai
www.riversoftheworld.org Rivers of the World is a Thames Festival Trust project delivered in partnership with the British Council
River Anacostia Washington DC, USA
Bell Multicultural School with Abigail and Dylan Byrd ‘I never thought rivers were so important to their community’s well-being. They are true lifelines to all the people that live near them and survive because of them.’ Kaylan Smith, Pupil, Washington DC
www.riversoftheworld.org Rivers of the World is a Thames Festival Trust project delivered in partnership with the British Council