Entering the Golden Portal: the inspiring field trip to Marymount School

Last week, we finally got to see the portals on our own and it really is amazing!

This project was founded by Shared_Studios and the aiming, as it is said on the website of Marymount School, is to inspire empathy and intercultural understanding. As portals are placed in dozens of cities across the world, this connection of people does generate communication, mutual understanding, and emotional bonds. The day we went to the portal, we were connected with Mexico City. Entering the golden inflated dark room, we saw Sam on the screen who is the staff of the project there. As the curator for the portal in Mexico City for a long time, Sam did bring some good stories. Meanwhile, thanks to the technology, it's like he's standing right in front of us when he narrated. 

The portal in Marymount School

The portal in Mexico City is placed in a park where protests happen occasionally. Sam was once asked to shut down the portal and leave the place by the police since it might get dangerous. Another time, a girl with instruments entered the portal and met other girls from the Middle East. The girl played music for them while was told later that women from that place are forbidden from playing instruments. Sam and the girl were astonished and same were we. While although this meeting was so transient, I got the idea of people who made the portals and are continually push them forward. We the adults and educators to be could learn so much from meeting and talking with people from different places, let along the curious students. And one common belief in here is that the more we communicate with each other, the more we care and the fewer misunderstandings and conflicts would there be. 

Inspired by Portals, we should also consider what could we design and make, with the resources, technologies, and knowledge we have to make the world, or at least the education better.