One School One Country schools are getting ready to welcome their delegations

On 10 September, more than 6,000 students participating in the One School One Country (OSOC) programme in the Lyon area will welcome delegations of international Competitors with whom their school is paired. 52 schools are actively preparing a memorable day for more than 1,400 WorldSkills Competitors coming from nearly 70 delegations.

OSOC Day is an exceptional opportunity for students and Competitors to meet, and for students to learn about the culture of their paired delegation throughout the year. For several months now, the teaching teams at the schools participating in the programme have been working with their classes to devise specific activities that will represent French culture, facilitate discovery of the skills represented at WorldSkills Lyon 2024, and encourage the creation of links between students and Competitors on 10 September. 

Since the announcement of the pairings at the launch of the programme last January, schools have been incorporating the specific features of their delegations into their classes, in order to learn more about their culture and the skills they represent. To facilitate this work, teachers have been able to draw on resources developed by WorldSkills Lyon 2024 and the OSOC team, such as the WSC2024 teaching kit and its card game. Some schools also chose to highlight their pairing by proudly displaying their delegation’s colors and flag on their premises, as well as the work carried out by their students as part of the programme. For Christine Jourdier, classical literature teacher at Collège Martin Luther King, “the OSOC programme is an opportunity to show students the skills they have and for them to work on less “academic” subjects.  It is a chance for students with difficulties to find meaning in the activities carried out as part of the project”.

As the school year draws to a close, ideas for workshops and welcome activities are taking shape in the schools. Activities include school choirs rehearsing the national anthems of France and the paired delegations, typical sports tournaments, presentations and questions on skills… Many schools have also chosen to invite their delegations to lunch at their establishments, to introduce them to French and local culinary culture through typical Lyonnais menus. Christine Jourdier further adds, “the OSOC programme enables students to share their culture with that of another country far removed from their own, and that is a very rich experience. Especially for those who never travel, who are never confronted with otherness”. Local schools can also count on the support of their town councils, who get involved in the project and arrange for representatives of their town to be present on the day of the meeting with the delegations.

To ensure the day’s success, schools and delegations communicate regularly to get to know each other better and build together an unforgettable welcome for everyone. Thanks to exchanges of videos and photos of student presentations, as well as meetings by videoconference or at the consulate for those closest geographically, links are forged, and everyone’s impatience grows. After months of preparation, OSOC Day on 10 September 2024 promises to be rich in exchanges and emotions!