On 15 May 2024, EMN Luxembourg participated in the “Europe Project Day” at the Gymnasium am Rothenbühl (GaR) high school in Saarbrücken, Germany.
The central aim of this project day, which was organized for the third time, was to create an understanding of how democracy and Europe are lived. European thoughts and values were passed on to the participating students, with one of the aims being to activate and motivate young people for the upcoming European elections in June. This is particularly important as 16-year-olds are eligible to vote in the European elections in Germany for the first time.
During this project day, students from grades 9 to 12 had the possibility to freely choose from and participate in a variety of workshops, including two Destination Europe sessions.
EMN Luxembourg started their workshop by presenting the work and the structure of the European Migration Network, this introduction was followed by a specific task on the European elections. Students were split up into 6 groups and were asked to analyze the positions on migration and asylum published in the electoral programs of political parties. Each group analyzed one of six strategies and was subsequently asked to assign the program to the matching political party. This task was followed by a general debate on migration in politics.
In the second part of the workshop, students tried out Destination Europe while taking up roles of different stakeholders on the EU, national and local level. The 31 participants had the possibility to either play the Northern, Western & Southern EU or the Central & Eastern EU edition of the tool. At the end of the 3.5-hour workshop, students’ feedback was collected and a concluding discussion was moderated.
Testimonial from a student about their experience with Destination Europe:
“This was a very interesting simulation game where you were able to put yourself in the shoes of politicians in migration policy. There were many different options that cover everything in the political spectrum. It was fun because you had the opportunity to have political discussions.”
If you want more opinions by students and teachers, please make sure to visit our dedicated “Testimonials” section.
The “Europe Project Day” was featured on German radio. Listen to the SR3 Saarlandwelle report by clicking here.