Pupils from County Durham Sixth Forms recently travelled to Strasbourg to take part in a special day at the European parliament. Here is the feedback from the pupils at Consett Academy

I was one of the lucky students to win the trip to the European parliament in Strasbourg. I really enjoyed the experience, it was formal yet fun at the same time. My favourite part was debating the issues that the EU is currently facing, it was very interesting to hear other students, from other countries point of view. We (Consett Academy) were given the topic of the ‘environment and renewable energy’ to discuss in a bigger, more diverse group, consisting of students from; Cyprus, Greece, Ireland, Malta and more. Many ideas were brought forward in our discussion and I learned that there are many ways to tackle the issues surrounding the environment. Personally the thing I will take away with me is the thrill of speaking in the European Parliament and debating my opinion, as well as building on my communication and team-work skills. Moreover I will certainly be mentioning the experience on my CV or in future interviews as it is a great involvement to have for future education and working life.

 

Jack Dobson

 

The Strasbourg 2018 trip was a great insight into the European Parliament, how it works and how the politics influence different peoples daily lives. It was a great trip which involved lots of local food and trains but well worth the wait to get to the overwhelming building of the European Parliament. Overall, it was a great trip which widened my view on the politics of the European Union. 

 

Matthew Smith

 

The thing I enjoyed most about the trip was the ability to experience and learn about how the EU parliament works, I learned that it is a very difficult task to coordinate so many people from different nations and accommodate their political and cultural beliefs. I think this allows me to take an understanding away with me as to how people can work together. It can help me in the future in many aspects as to developing communication and relation skills. Advice for future winners: make friends and cease every opportunity!

 

Adam Davison

 

The thing I enjoyed the most about the trip was meeting people from other EU member nations. I also liked learning about the issues and current affairs in and around the EU, this widened my knowledge on a large scale, given I had barely heard of any of these issues before this. In my opinion, this trip will provide useful experiences for my future. Mainly regarding the skills I developed whilst being here, such as communication and teamwork. Developed more because of the language barriers which were put into place. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone who has the opportunity, I would advise to have a good knowledge of the given topic, ours was ‘the environment and renewable energy’, to be able to participate in debates. There was also a question and answer session, so if you would like to ask any questions, ensure these are prepared beforehand.

 

Adam Murray