During May Taherzadeh’s visit in 2019 for the screening of the short-film“Mercy’s Blessing”, many teachers and parents from the International School of Luxembourg (ISL) were touched by the film and stressed the importance of using it as an awareness-raising tool in their school.

A few months later, on January 6, 2020, Mercy’s Blessings was screened at ISL in front of an audience of more than 260 students aged 11 to 14, and their teachers. The screening was followed by a dynamic discussion where students had the opportunity to ask questions about the film. On the same day, 11 teachers were trained to facilitate workshops around the short film. During the 10 days following the screening of the film, 2 facilitators from Unity Foundation joined the ISL teachers during their class hours to facilitate a total of 15 workshops.

Nicolas Tesch from Unity Foundation

Inspired by the characters from the movie, the young participants reflected on the themes addressed, such as privilege or justice, and the implication of these in their own lives. The students demonstrated a depth of thought and maturity that impressed their teachers. Many expressed a willingness to reach out to students who are being harassed or excluded. They recognized that small actions can trigger positive change.

“Most people think that the only way to help is to give money or donations, but even giving time can have a huge impact on people’s lives.“

“You just have to be brave and start changing because it can have a big impact.”

“I could make a positive change at school by giving some of my privileges to others, such as people sitting alone. I could help them or make friends.“

As a result of these workshops, some teachers expressed their desire to provide more spaces to their students to reflect about their role as protagonists of positive change. Spaces, which in their opinion are not very present in school education, but which are nonetheless very important. This was an extremely enriching experience that was made possible thanks to the support of the school and some dedicated teachers and parents.

From now on, Unity Foundation will offer a series of workshops, to enable young people to truly take ownership of the concepts. In addition to reflecting on meaningful themes, students will be encouraged to express their understanding of the concepts discussed in the form of artistic expressions, such as drama, song, poetry and to design and plan a service project.

A total of 260 students watched the Mercy’s Blessing and participated in 15 workshops led by their teachers and a facilitator of Unity Foundation.