And that is exactly what happened on November 24 at Municipal Middle School No. 2 in Bolesławiec, where the students met Dr. Krzysztof Biegun of the Wrocław University of Economics and Tomasz Racławski. The topic was the European Union’s place in the world and its relations with countries outside the community.
The speakers were greeted by surprises from the very beginning. The middle school students decided to add variety to the meeting by organizing a kind of tournament: the classes prepared banners, costumes, and even slogans and poems demonstrating their interest in European integration. Although the decision as to which class had performed the task best was not made until the very end, the young people’s engagement created an extraordinary atmosphere in the room, and the entire meeting gained energy and plenty of color.
The substantive part was divided into three sections. The first was led by a representative of the local Europe Direct Information Centre in Wrocław. Next, Dr. Krzysztof Biegun introduced the participants to the most important issues related to the meeting’s main topic. Considerable attention was devoted to the assistance the European Union provides to less-developed countries and to the mechanisms involved in deciding its form. The most “media-covered” issues of recent months were also discussed, including the immigration crisis and controversies surrounding the CETA and TTIP trade agreements. The middle school students’ comments demonstrated their extensive knowledge in this area and their understanding of the causes of these phenomena.
The final section, conducted by Tomasz Racławski, invited the participants to take part in workshop activities. It began with young people discussing, in groups of seven, their ideas about the place the European Union should occupy in the international arena in the future. The students considered which issues the European community should focus on, what actions it should take and what attitude it should adopt, as well as what it might perhaps give up. The young people expressed all these reflections through slogans and drawings, creating large posters.
Euro-enthusiasm, an optimistic approach to the future vision of the European Union and a desire for greater integration prevailed in the young people’s views. The participants spoke at length about the need to gain experience and learn about other countries’ cultures through youth exchanges and easy travel. However, differing opinions also emerged, mostly focused on concerns related to the mass acceptance of immigrants from the Middle East.
The presentations prepared by the classes, mentioned earlier, brought the meeting to a close. This energetic finale was an excellent culmination of their work together. And class 3E won.