The European Youth Parliament UK had invited a team of seven students to represent the College in the regional forum of the debate competition (a both daunting and rewarding experience).  Although having little prior experience of how the debate worked, the team quickly picked up on the systems in place to make the debate go smoothly and got involved in every round of discussion surrounding topics such as Security and Defence, Human Rights and Constitutional Affairs.

The motion we had been given to research and defend was, “How should the EU work alongside non-member states to combat the most extreme forms of discrimination against the LGBTQIA+ community?”  Although a challenging subject to address, this motion allowed for multiple rounds of strong debate, with each of the team members having to address and respond to points made by opposing committees quickly using the research we prepared in advance.  While this topic provoked strong reactions within the debate, the team dealt with opposing arguments in a succinct and direct manner, in line with the expectations of a national team.

Throughout the day, the jury encouraged all the committees to have fun, leading us to present our votes in creative ways (where we had the chance to demonstrate our multilingualism) and take part in songs and dances.  The experience of the European Youth Parliament, overall, was incredibly valuable and enjoyable, and I know that all of us would recommend it to anyone considering a future in politics.

Abbie Tweedle, Year 12