On the initiative of the National Agency for EU Higher Education Cooperation at the DAAD, an event on the topic of "Europe" was held at HWG Ludwigshafen on October 17 on the occasion of the 2019 European elections, led by the local LEI group (Local Erasmus Initiative). The aim was to inform about Europe and to arouse interest in stays abroad within the framework of Erasmus+. However, the target group was not primarily the students of the university. They are informed in detail about the topic of a semester abroad and an internship abroad in the 1st semester as well as in the 3rd/4th semester; nevertheless, the number of outgoings is only slowly increasing. So the idea came up to inform and interest young people already in the final classes of secondary schools about the possibilities of the Erasmus program - no matter through which university (or apprenticeship) they would eventually go abroad.
Thus, 22 students of class BOS 2 (Berufsbildende Oberschule) at BBS Technik 1 (Berufsbildende Schule Technik 1), 15 incoming students and 7 former or future outgoings participated. The event lasted from 9 am - 2:30 pm and was held in English.
After short introductory lectures and a Europe quiz, the program foresaw the work in four groups on the following topics
1. the EU - structure and politics
2. What does Europe bring us?
3. prejudices/stereotypes in Europe quiz
4. Advantages and disadvantages of stays abroad
Finally, the results of the group work were presented, certificates of participation were awarded and a small giveaway was distributed.
The event:
Christine Schneider, Member of the European Parliament for Rhineland-Palatinate, and two former outgoings who had spent their semester abroad in Lithuania and South Korea, respectively, could be won for the three introductory lectures.
After the official welcome by Prof. Dr. Edith Rüger-Muck, Vice President for International Affairs and Diversity, and Kerstin Gallenstein, Head of the International Affairs Department, the students were particularly impressed by Christine Schneider, Member of the European Parliament, with her presentation. In addition to her everyday political life and her committee work as a new MEP, she very impressively described life between Strasbourg, Brussels and her constituency. During the following questions about the EU enlargement she informed openly and transparently about the plans for the next years. She also impressively pointed out the political dimension of a united Europe and how important the idea of peace is, which was the starting point for the foundation of the European Union.
The response was correspondingly good: "It was a very interesting and informative day. I had the opportunity to have a closer look at a daily work of a European Parliament member, the challenges and benefits of this job. Also, it was good to hear about the emotions of being chosen lately as a new member of the European Parliament", an incoming from Albania summed up. "Moreover, the speaker was answering all questions sincerely which was a nice attitude", added an international student from Turkey.
The composition of the subsequent working groups was mixed (students/incomings/outgoings) in order to promote mutual exchange and to counter any reservations or fears regarding language skills and foreign cultures. In view of the lively exchange in the working groups, this was also successful at one point or another, as can be seen from the feedback of some students from BOS 2:
"The foreign students were very sympathetic to me, they enjoyed it just as much as I did".
"I think it was a great experience with the foreign people from different countries. The group leader was very helpful. Overall it was fun."
"The day was very nice. I was able to meet a lot of new people and the limits of my English skills."
"... and all the people you got to meet were very nice and it was also interesting to learn about other cultures for a change."
The thematic content, getting to know the Erasmus program and the practical use of the English language were also positively evaluated.
Conclusion:
The LEI group, the two teachers of the BOS2 and the involved employees of the International Office of the HWG LU were unanimous in their opinion that such an event - regarding content, format and duration - should take place once a year. The focus should be on the intensive occupation with the topic of the EU. Especially Christine Schneider, an authentic and ardent advocate of the European idea, who is extraordinarily committed to informing students at schools in Rhineland-Palatinate, aroused a lasting interest in working on this topic.
During the final presentations in English, everyone had their say and thus had to present themselves in front of a larger group in a foreign language. In addition, the individual encounter with students from all over Europe hopefully also made a small contribution to European international understanding.
