On Friday, 20 September, during the opening weekend of the Trenčín 2026 – European Capital of Culture project, 55 students from the Secondary Medical School of Celestína Šimurková in Trenčín participated in the Destination Europe workshop.
Through an interactive role-playing exercise, students stepped into the roles of minister, European commissioner, mayor, entrepreneur or NGO representative. During the decision-making process, they discussed different policy options, defended their positions and tried to get support for their proposals.
The Destination Europe learning tool helped students to better understand the complexity of migration decision-making. When adopting specific measures, students had to consider not only their own priorities, but also the impact of their decisions on different groups of migrants, EU Member States and local communities.
Throughout the workshop, they saw that every solution comes with both benefits and drawbacks, and that reaching a common agreement requires discussion, argumentation and cooperation. Students also gained practical experience in negotiation, as well as balancing topics such as solidarity and responsibility.
All photos © International Organization for Migration (IOM) 2026.