The European Union has a significant effect on the lives of all
Europeans. Young people in particular need information on how
the European Union and its institutions will affect their
future.
It was to reach out to these young people that the European
Parliament launched the EUROSCOLA programme. The aim of the
programme is to bring together secondary school students from the
25 European Union countries and enable them to gain an insight into
the workings of the European Parliament while learning about the
lives, views and expectations of young people from other EU
countries.
A group of about 500 students from all over the European Union
is invited to spend a day in Strasbourg discussing together the
effects that European integration will have on their future. The
majority of Euroscola days are for students aged 16-18 but a few
days each year are set aside for the younger, 14-16 age
group.
Coming from different cultures and countries, and speaking a
variety of languages, the students divide into multilingual working
parties of about 100 members. Each working party chooses a
spokesperson to present the conclusions of its discussions to all
500 participants at the end of the afternoon. The participants then
vote on these conclusions.
As working groups consist of students from several member
states it is essential that participants have at least a basic
knowledge of one of the other European Union languages. By
using their languages to communicate with other participants,
students come to see foreign languages not as a barrier but rather
as a way of understanding the problems, opinions and expectations
of young people from other European countries. The day is generally
more successful when the students have prepared for the meeting and
considered some of the themes in advance.
At the end of the day, each participant
receives a certificate of attendance signed by the President of the
European Parliament.
The European Parliament offers a small subsidy toward the
costs of the journey to Strasbourg based on distance
travelled. The subsidy is doubled if the group is made up of
winners of a competition organised by an official body, such as the
local education authority.
Applications (giving brief details of size of group (maximum
31 students), academic background of students and which months
would be possible) should be made, in the first instance, to Pamela
Powers in the UK Office of the European Parliament, 2 Queen Anne's
Gate, London SW1H 9AA. Telephone 020 7227 4300, fax 020 7227
4302. E-mail:
pamela.powers@europarl.europa.eu
Paul Middleton accompanied a group of 32
students from schools in Glasgow to a EUROSCOLA day in 2004. You
can read about their experiences and the impact that the day had on
participants here.
