Only students from Lower Silesian schools could enter the “European Union Today and Tomorrow” competition. Prizes were awarded in three age categories. Kajetan Borejko, Marcin Kwiatkowski and Grzegorz Mereszczowski won in the category for students from upper-secondary schools (lower-secondary school students and students from Lower Silesia could also take part in the competition). The high school students prepared a multimedia presentation showing the European Union through their eyes—the eyes of young people. In it, they presented the EU’s past, present and future. They did not limit themselves to demonstrating how the EU functions today, but also included proposals for change in their presentation: how they would like to see the Union in a few years.
Kajetan Borejko attributes the success to the fact that the presentation was not overloaded with information. For its creators, the idea was more important than the substantive issues. The presentation is dominated by a dialogue between two characters who speak in accessible language, easily understood by young people. “We did not want the work to be too sophisticated or academic,” Borejko admitted. The laureates do not associate their future with the European Union. They are more interested in linguistics, especially the English language. Therefore, the role of translators would suit them better than that of officials or politicians. Their prize for winning will be a four-day trip to Brussels, including, of course, a visit to the European Parliament.
The plans of third-year student Magdalena Hundz are also not necessarily connected with the EU. This year, the high school student took part in the Olympiad of Knowledge about the European Union, organized by the Aleksander Gieysztor Academy of Humanities in Pułtusk. As she said, it was a very valuable experience for her. Nevertheless, she intends to study law.
Anna Olejnik, a second-year student, became a laureate of the 11th edition of the nationwide Olympiad of Knowledge about the European Union. The competition is organized by the University of Szczecin. This year, 98 participants from across Poland qualified for the central stage. Anna Olejnik took 12th place. As she emphasized, she is one of five girls among the distinguished group of 22 Olympiad laureates. The winners are exempt from entrance examinations at many renowned Polish universities, such as the University of Wrocław and Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań.
The laureate’s interest in Europe began as early as primary school, where a European School Club operated. The students prepared presentations about EU countries and went on educational trips, including to Wałbrzych, the city where the first club of this kind was established in the 1990s. In lower-secondary school, Anna Olejnik took part in several district competitions. She prepared for the Szczecin stage of the Olympiad from December to March. It was not long, but—as she admitted—“intensive work brought results.” She, too, contrary to appearances, does not plan to study European studies. Her dream is to study international relations at the SGH Warsaw School of Economics. She is also considering pursuing Interfaculty Individual Humanities Studies at the University of Warsaw.
When asked about her role models, she immediately mentioned European Commission Vice-President Margot Wallström, a Swede who works, among other things, on cooperation with the media. “She is a woman who has achieved a great deal. She has very good contact with people. She is not merely an official,” Anna Olejnik added. The laureate also told us that if she were to work at the European Commission, she would like to deal with precisely the same matters as Wallström.
The organizers of the “European Union Today and Tomorrow” competition and the sponsors of the prizes are the EUROPE DIRECT Lower Silesian European Information Points in Milicz and Legnica, as well as the Office of Member of the European Parliament Konrad Szymański.
(GA information, MZ photos)