Young people visiting Strasbourg got caught up in lively debate, writes MARY MINIHAN.
“WOW!” MUST be an international word. The 500 young people from 20 different countries filing into the European Parliament certainly seem impressed with the illuminated debating chamber known as the hemicycle. Among them are 25 Leaving Cert Applied students from across Ireland.
For seven of the Irish 16-19- year-olds, this is their first time on mainland Europe; four of them have never been outside Ireland before. The young people take the blue seats normally occupied by MEPs and put on headphones to listen to their host Philip Otmar, a German speaking perfect French being translated into English by a Scotsman.
The bravest of the bunch approach the central lectern, from where figures such as the pope and the Dalai Lama have addressed the parliament, to introduce themselves in a language that is not their mother tongue. The Irish delegation opts for a presentation in Portuguese, German and French.
A panel of European Parliament officials invites questions from the floor and a keen green arm shoots up.
Daniel Duggan from Waterford, who is wearing a tracksuit top featuring the word “Ireland”, says the Lisbon Treaty has been rejected by the Irish electorate. “If we were to vote Yes, what would be the advantages?” he asks.
An official replies along the lines that ratification would make the European Parliament’s decision-making process easier, and Daniel looks dissatisfied. He later says: “He didn’t give me enough detail in his answer. How are we supposed to vote Yes to it if we don’t know what it’s about?”
After the question-and-answer session, the students split into multilingual committees to debate various issues, but the Lisbon Treaty remains very much on the minds of the Irish delegates.
Laura Jane Feeney from Sligo later reported that other European students were critical of Ireland’s rejection of the treaty.
“They thought we were bad because we wouldn’t vote Yes,” she said. “They were basically saying that we should’ve said Yes. They said it would be better for our country. They said Ireland needed other European countries behind it to make it strong.”
There was no delegation from the Czech Republic, where President Vaclav Klaus has strongly opposed the treaty, so perhaps the Irish students were bearing the brunt of criticism.
However, despite the strong opinions of their European counterparts, just one of the 25 Irish students said he would vote Yes if given the opportunity to do so in a new referendum.
Most of the students admitted they did not know much about the treaty, although they offered a variety of reasons for opposing it. “They want us to give up our neutrality” was a common fear.
Others expressed concern about a perceived loss of independence. “I’d just be afraid that we wouldn’t be able to make our own decisions. The rest of Europe is very different to Ireland,” one girl said.
Another issue troubling the Irish students was their lack of linguistic skill compared to students from other countries.
Sarah Mahon from Dunboyne, Co Meath, said it made her feel self-conscious. “It felt real weird because they could all speak different languages and we could not. They were probably looking at us like we were disadvantaged. Even the ones from England could speak five languages.”
Andrew Shannon from Monaghan agreed it would “be handy” to know other European languages when debating with students from different member states. “They were trying their best to talk in English, but it was hard to understand.”
Meanwhile, Christopher Dillon from Laois complained that other European students could not understand his accent, while Eamon Breslin from Dunboyne said he was told he was talking too quickly. Others said participating in the parliamentary debate and committee discussions gave them something of an insight into how politics worked.
James Osborne from Kiltimagh, Co Mayo, said: “You always hear people giving out about what goes on in parliaments, but you see how difficult it is to come to an agreement with other countries.”
Nicola Churchill from Navan said she would definitely take more of an interest in current affairs in future. “You’d understand the news more now, what they’re talking about, but you’d have to learn more languages to sit in those seats again.”
Meanwhile, Irish teachers sparked debate at the round-table discussion between European educators, which was also chaired by Mr Otmar.
Michael Scully from St Peter’s College, Dunboyne, Co Meath, said the Irish students brought to Strasbourg by the Michael Sweetman Educational Trust came from schools, colleges and Youth Reach centres across the country.
His impression was that many of the young people from other states were highly academic, with the entire national group often coming from what appeared to be one elite school.
“That’s not your average European citizen,” Mr Scully said. He cautioned the Euroscola programme against forgetting the voice of “ordinary” Europeans.
Mr Otmar said he agreed that Europe “should not be limited to high intellect”.
A Scottish teacher working in England said her students were selected because of their linguistic abilities. “To us, any exposure to Europe is extremely necessary. I don’t think many more people in the UK think that, unfortunately. On our island, and you’re an island as well, we need much more exposure.”
Mr Scully also asked how other educators, particularly those on the periphery of the EU, went about teaching their young people how to “be European”. “Do you use books? Do you use videos? How do you do it?” A Greek teacher made some suggestions but said the young people she taught often felt they could not influence the decisions that were made at the centre of Europe.
“They feel it’s something far away from them,” she said.