A number of King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls students took part in the Regional European Youth Parliament Sessions in early 2021. Three girls have since been chosen to represent their region in the national sessions, being held virtually in August of this year.
The European Youth Parliament offers participants a unique learning experience, with hundreds of young people joining in its activities each year, becoming part of a vibrant network across Europe. Since it was founded in 1987, many young people have taken part in national, regional and international EYP sessions, building friendships across borders and learning useful skills.
Casey Duncan, Huda Said and Sumaya Osman were each given a committee and a topic to debate, such as women's rights, gender equality and battery farming. After preparing arguments and motions, discussing varying points of view, they then debated these issues with other committees to get their motions passed.
"Each topic given was incredibly interesting, calling on us to use our academic research skills as well as our own opinions on the situation, leading to a lot of rewarding discussions" Casey commented.
Sumaya said of her experience: "It was really interesting to hear the arguments of others and it was a great learning experience, especially when people brought up points we hadn’t thought of, yet we quickly had to counter."
The organisation is one of the largest European platforms for political debate, intercultural encounters, European civic education and the exchange of ideas for young people in Europe. These three young women will now get the chance to hear different perspectives and alternative views, experiencing other cultures whilst also gaining useful skills along the way.
We look forward to learning about their experiences at the national sessions in August.
