This was the sixth visit to the European Parliament by a group of French language students from a number of schools in the South West, organised by Devonport High School for Girls. Sixth formers win a place on the visit through a speaking competition where they have to discuss a European issue in French which they have researched themselves. This year the standard of entries was very high with more applicants than there were places, but finally a group of 24 was chosen from:
Devonport High School for Girls, Notre Dame Catholic School, Hele’s School, Ivybridge Community College, Plymstock School, Devonport High School for Boys, Torquay Girls Grammar School and Plymouth High School for Girls
The students’ commitment was reflected in their attendance at two preparatory workshops where they held discussions on European issues and were able to debate with two well-informed members of the European Movement.
Excitement was high as the group flew from Exeter to Paris, and then took the TGV on to Strasbourg. The next day was Euroscola Day and here again the students’ enthusiasm and determination to take part were in complete contrast to the perceived British attitude towards Europe: three out of the six ‘rapporteurs’ came from the South West group, so a 50% representation of the debating groups when our students’ presence at the event reflected 5% of the total 500 participants on the day. Another student acted as president of his group and several others were able to ask questions in the plenary session.
The following day, the students descended on the cathedral square and interviewed passers-by about their views on Europe, with some interesting results, not least the comments that UK needed to decide between Europe and the USA!! Our students, who have gained tremendously in knowledge about Europe and European institutions and were beginning to form their own opinions, were surprised at the commonly-held view that Brits are reluctant Europeans – food for thought!
Here are some of the comments the students made on the day itself and on the experience they gained personally.
“I am thoroughly culturally enriched because of it. It was a brilliant opportunity and I would not have missed it for the world.
“The actual Euroscola day was really well organised, there was enough time to do everything and nothing felt rushed. There was enough time for questions and talking in smaller groups.
“Brilliant, can’t recommend it highly enough.
“Such a good experience, not only just the experience of being in the building itself and understanding more about how the European Union works, but talking with people from other countries and working with them in small teams was really fun and a great opportunity to try and use other languages.
“I really enjoyed Euroscola day. Meeting and working with people from so many different countries and cultural backgrounds was a great experience, and I really learnt a lot, particularly about the EU itself. Discussing our given issues was really interesting because of all the different ideas that people had, and of course trying to think in another language.
“I also really enjoyed the Eurogame at lunch time, because it encouraged us to interact with others from all over Europe and to speak other languages [even though I had gone to primarily speak French, I also got the opportunity to speak a little German too whilst playing this game]
“I met loads of brilliant people and I thought the diversity was incredible. It felt very well prepared and I didn’t feel at anytime lost or not knowing what to do. I thought the catering was excellent, and I especially liked the Eurogame, as this was when I felt it was less serious and you could interact with everyone.
“It was amazing! Nothing like how I expected, I was voted a ‘rapporteur’, it is one of the single most terrifying but enjoyable days of my life! The whole day was planned well and I met people I would never have had the chance to meet otherwise plus I learnt so much about other cultures and the European Union too.”
Experience gained:
(I gained) .. massive boost in confidence in my languages, an interest in European Parliament/politics, and I enjoyed meeting people from other countries/ cultures.
I learned much more about how the European Union works, but also I found it really interesting to see how so many languages come together but yet people can still communicate easily and work together, made me think about how I want to use my languages in the future.
It is a well known fact that we are lazy when it comes to learning languages. I really realized how important young people coming from small countries consider learning English to be which really made me want to improve my own language skills. The best part was just talking, not even necessarily about the EU but just about their lives. I also made loads of friends which is really nice.
I gained an insight into the workings of the EU, I also gained the chance, as team leader/minuter in our small groups, to learn how to communicate with people in a variety of languages (French, English & German) which gave me more confidence in spontaneously talking in another language. In terms of the sondage, I also gained a lot of confidence with approaching members of the public and conversing in French.
I’ve felt my language skills have improved, along with my conversational skills and my knowledge of the EU in general. I do have a renewed sense of respect for the work of the EU. I felt very privileged to be there, and am very glad I’ve met so many people from different parts of Europe.
