Four Students Participate in European Parliament Ambassador Schools Event in Brussels
By Mr Gallagher, EPAS Senior Ambassador
Four intrepid NHEHS students took part in an invitational European Parliament Ambassador School event in Brussels and Ypres, as one of 16 EPAS schools from the UK, Ireland, Belgium, and The Netherlands coming together to learn about Europe with the opportunity for cultural exchange with their European peers.
On Friday, NHEHS students participated in many activities with other European Parliament Ambassador Schools. They started the day with a coach tour of a few of the WW1 cemeteries in Flanders Field , where we learned about the history of the Ypres Salient through the eyes of the soldiers on the front. When we got back to Ypres we had a little time to shop for chocolates.
The afternoon was split into two main activities. The first one was a Q&A session with Estelle Ceulemans a Belgium MEP and Steve Clark the Director for European Parliament Liaison Offices. The second activity was presentations from each of the schools about their school and their involvement with the European Parliament Ambassador School programme. Our NHEHS students gave an excellent presentation and were impressed with all the activities and events other Ambassador schools have run and are running.
In the evening after our dinner, the whole group walked to the Menin Gate for the last post. Everyone was moved by the solemn event. Then there were team building activities and games to finish the evening with.
On the final day of our 3-day sojourn in Belgium the British students had to get up early to catch a bus and a train back to Brussels. It was sad to say goodbye to everyone and we hope to see our newly made friends in future events.
Once we arrived back in Brussels, we went on a bit of a lightning quick sightseeing tour of some of the attractions, with the obligatory stops for chocolate shopping! At one stop, everyone was treated to waffles, which we ate next to the little boy statue (dressed as a scientist) that Brussels is famous for.
Finally, it was time for us to catch the Eurostar back to London. Everyone was tired but happy and proud to have been a part of this special event! We will continue to stay in touch with the students and staff from the other Ambassador Schools so that we can keep the voice of cooperation and collaboration alive between the UK and Europe.
What a lovely trip it was! We would like to thank Anna and Eva from Europe House and the wonderful staff at the European Parliament Liaison Offices who made this experience possible.
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