Dear HLT reader,

Welcome to a fresh new issue of your favourite journal!

Just when we were starting to claw ourselves out of a horrific pandemic that has disrupted everyone’s life for two years, we in Europe are being hit with another, and much worse, crisis. What you’d call a double whammy. We live through very turbulent times, we live in a state of what has been called ‘perma-crisis’. But make no mistake: the heinous war in Ukraine that has caused so many deaths and destruction, so much misery and suffering, is no worse than the multitude of other conflicts we have witnessed over the decades. The proximity of it, however, as well as the fact that smaller-scale tactical nuclear weapons could bring the great powers into a brutal, deadly and unprecedented conflict is truly terrifying. Our hope is that reason will prevail so that the war in Ukraine can be halted soonest.

As I’m writing this, our very first training week in Limerick has come to an end. Limerick has become Pilgrims’ new home: our summer school will take place on the stunning University of Limerick campus. (For more information on the formidable array of courses on offer, please go here: www.pilgrims.co.uk). Since Pilgrims has now become a de facto pan-European organisation, our Teacher Training courses will be delivered in Segovia and Paris as well. (Courses and dates to be announced shortly).

Our last online café was held March 5 and featured Jane Arnold and Scott Thornbury. Jane told us about the late Earl Stevick, the father of Humanistic teaching. Scott teased out the many analogies between cooking, one of his passions, and teaching. Both gave us much food for thought (pun intended).

Pilgrims will be attending the IATEFL Conference in May. Hania Kryszewska and yours truly will each be giving a workshop. Come chat with us, we would love to see you.

As ever, thanks for your support.

Be well.

Chaz Pugliese, Director of Education and Teacher Training, Pilgrims