On 11 April, 2024, a group of 24 first year students attending Junior College were competitively selected to partake in the The Euroscola Programme. The Euroscola Programme brings together young and adolescent students from all 27 member countries, applicants, and former member states of the European Union to discuss, debate, and negotiate complex current socio-political issues.
The programme was first launched in 1990 with diverse themes throughout its inception; this current edition focused on the theme of Equal Opportunities, Women’s Rights, and Gender Equality. A cohort of around 500 students conglomerated in the esteemed Hemicycle in Strasbourg, where Member of the European Parliament convene for plenary sessions. Other students across the European Union followed and participated by means of online streaming. The amicable environment fostered European integration and promoted intercultural awareness.
As the dust settled from the initial frenetic bustling, the assembly was first welcomed by means of a televised greeting from Dr Roberta Metsola, a Maltese member of Parliament and the current President of the European Parliament. Subsequently, questions were taken by the current vice-president of the Parliament of the European Union, Dimitrios Papadimoulis, who currently chairs the responsibility of gender and equality as part of his duties.
After a collective lunch, the second session commenced with engaging and rigorous debates on various topics including: abortion, women’s role in politics, and equal opportunities of the workforce. The Secretariat of the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality of the European Parliament, Henry Alex Wasung, addressed and responded to students’ questions, interventions, and rebuttals.
In the final session, the students were segmented into smaller clusters to participate in a simulation exercise and discuss specific elements of gender inequality. The laudable level of critical thinking, the collaboration with diverse perspectives, and meaningful exchange exemplified the elements of communicative action and European belongingness. This event served as an opportunity for students to fit into the shoes of top-tier delegates who vote on European laws at the pinnacle institution of the European Union.
It is worth noting that, while the Euroscola programme was being held in Strasbourg, the Members of the European Parliament met in plenary at the main parliamentary hemicycle in Brussels to discuss two highly contentious legal reforms regarding immigration and abortion.
In this respect, the insistence for young citizens to exercise their right to vote was boisterously reiterated throughout the entirety of the event. At the cusp of a European election amidst the milieu of controversies and uncertainties, the vote reinforces the power of democracy and active citizenship of the people.
A number of students will share their experience on the Radio Programme mill-Kulleġġ dedicated to the subject L- Studenti lil hinn mill- klassi, broadcasted on Campus 103.7, on Monday 27 May, 2024, at 12:00. A repetition of the programme will follow on Friday 31 May, at 13.30.
