The Movement On Own Feet - Centipede

It has not been even four weeks since we were offered to take part in the writing competition of the International Organisation for Human Rights. Essays in English language were about to be written with the topic “Over the past few decades, how have advances in human rights transformed your country and society?”
You will agree with me that countless offers like this can be found in our mailboxes. This one, however, was sent by Bìla Gran Jensen, the patron of the movement On Own Feet – Centipede. Our school has been cooperation with the Centipede since last two years and this was one of the reasons for getting together knowledge, ideas and observations of our students, so that they would be proud of their pieces of work and – in a great competition – aim at the highest goal.
And we succeeded!! Karolína Šedivcová, the student of the 7 class of the grammar school of Jiøí Orten in Kutná Hora won the whole competition and as the only student from the countries of formal Soviet block visited OSLO FREEDOM FORUM, during the days of April 26-28, 2010. Karolína was accompanied by Mrs. Bìla Gran Jensen and her class master, Ms. Lenka Píchová.
Over 180 personalities from all over the world took part in this international gathering where “freedom, human rights, slavery, terrorism, hope, hopelessness, chance, women, children, war” were the mostly pronounced words. Karolína met the journalists, political prisoners, human rights fighters… just to mention some of them: Rebiy Kadeer, Gary Kasparov, Samuel Kofi Woods, Alexander Kazulin, Lech Walesa. It was her first time at the conference where one personality follows another and where real names. She never met such a courage, determination and humbleness of a man to the man, to the world and to God at the same time.
Words about raping, robbing, kidnapping, poverty, hunger, and new-age slavery were accompanied by pictures of hungry children, degraded and tortured women, unjustly imprisoned men and countries torn by wars.
Introducing Karolína to the Duchess of York by Thor Halvorssen, the president of the International Organisation for Human Rights, at the gala dinner in Grand hotel Oslo will certainly remain an unforgettable memory for both of us.
At that moment, there were tear in my eyes too.

At this moment, I realised what freedom really is about…

Freedom is like morning
Some people wait for it, sleeping
The other walk the whole night
In order to reach it.
Guadalupe Lori
Oslo, 28.4.2010

I would like to with all our children, not only to Karolína, so that we would wake up again and keep on walking, in order to reach the morning.
Our thanks go to Thor Halvorssen, the president of the International Organisation for Human Rights, for once-in-a-lifetime chance for our students, the members of the organising committee 2010 OSLO FREEDOM FORUM for wonderful receiving and to Mrs. Bìla Gran Jensen for her time, help with the translation and lessons of diplomacy.

Lenka Píchová