TOGETHER "The first European EPAS Magazine" | Magazine 2

Magazine 2 - January 2025

UNITED FOR SUSTAINABILITY

P E O P L E , P L A N E T , P R O S P E R I T Y , P E A C E A N D P A R T N E R S H I P

TOGETHER

“THE FIRST EUROPEAN EPAS MAGAZINE”

European Parliament Ambassador School Programme

countries

24

languages

United in

Diversity

9 MAY

Europe

Day

Together we are more

Together we can build a better

European future

TOGETHER

“THE FIRST EUROPEAN EPAS MAGAZINE”

Magazine's Coordinator

Isabel Baltazar (National Coordinator - Portugal - European Parliament

Ambassador School- EPAS)

Escola Europeia de Ensino Profissional (Braga -Portugal)

epasportugal@gmail.com / erasmus@escolaeuropeia.com

Magazine's Editors and Collaborators

Students and teachers of de EPAS

Magazine Periodicity - Biannual

Graphic Design

Escola Europeia de Ensino Profissinal (Braga, Portugal)

Cover

Alexandra Serra (Escola Europeia de Ensino Profissional students)

INSTAGRAM: @together_magazine_epas

Images that do not have a referenced source are free to use.

Created in 2024

Together Magazine seeks to maintain an image of respect for freedom of expression in its publications and the

impartiality. Published articles are the responsibility of their authors.

I N D E X

01

Editorial - United in Sustainability - Dra. Isabel Baltazar

04

What is The European Parliament Ambassador School Programme?

07

The First magazine

09

Schools participant of Together Magazine

16

Travel European Union

22

Human Rights

30

Opinion Articles

56

Art and Democracy

76

EPAS's Activities

Escola Europeia Ensino Profissional

90

European Parliament Ambassador Schools’s Activities

126

Erasmus Experience

136

Interviews

Paulo Cunha - Member of the European Parliament

João Maria Botelho - Jurist

EDITORIAL

TOGETHER

United in Sustainability

The 2030 Agenda is a broad and ambitious

agenda that addresses various dimensions of

sustainable development, such as social,

economic and environmental development, and

promotes peace, justice and effective

institutions.

It builds on the progress and lessons learnt from

the 8 Millennium Development Goals set between

2000 and 2015 and is the result of the work of

governments and citizens around the world (United

Nations, 2022).

Dra. Isabel Baltazar

National Coordinator Portugal -

European Parliament Ambassador School

In 2015, more than 190 UN member states

committed to the 2030 Agenda, an action plan for

countries, companies and society that is focused

on promoting sustainable development in all its

dimensions over 15 years.

This commitment

defined 17 global

goals, which are broken

down into 169 targets,

these are the SDGs

(United Nations, 2022).

TOGETHER MAGAZINE 2 EDITORIAL

The SDGs define the global priorities and

aspirations for 2030 and require global action by

governments, businesses and civil society to

eradicate poverty and create a life of dignity and

opportunity for all, within the limits of the planet.

They are to be implemented by all countries and

cover areas as diverse but interconnected as

equitable access to quality education and health

services, the creation of decent jobs, energy and

environmental sustainability, ocean conservation

and management, the promotion of effective

institutions and stable societies and the fight

against inequality at all levels.

It is therefore possible to identify broad general

areas. The People area, which refers to the

eradication of poverty and hunger, the promotion

of dignity and equality, the Planet area, which

focuses on sustainable consumption and

production, the fight against climate change and

the management of natural resources, the

Prosperity area, which refers to personal

fulfilment, economic and social progress, the area

of peace, which takes us towards fairer and more

inclusive societies, free from fear and violence,

and the area of partnerships, regarding

transversal integration, interconnection and joint

mobilisation in favour of the most vulnerable

(United Nations, 2022).

We can therefore conclude that the 2030 Agenda and

the Sustainable Development Goals, also recognised

by UNESCO as the ‘universal, transformative and

inclusive SDGs’, are an essential framework for

further action. However, the main focus is on

inequalities, i.e. the main objections to the

development of humanity.

The 2030 Agenda is the result of mutual work

between governments and citizens from different

parts of the world over more than two years, and

for this very reason it has a different and more

comprehensive strategic scenario than the

Millennium Development Goals, consisting of a

new universal paradigm aimed at ending poverty,

promoting prosperity and well-being for all,

preserving the environment and fighting climate

change.

New partnerships are needed, as well as

international solidarity, emphasising that we all

have a mission to fulfil and that human

development can only be achieved if there is a

shared responsibility on everyone's part. Also

recognised as an ‘action plan’ for people, the

planet and prosperity, the 2030 Agenda calls for

and strengthens universal peace with greater

freedom. It is made up of one hundred and sixtynine

goals and seventeen Sustainable

Development Goals (SDGs), which cover many

dimensions of Sustainable Development:

environmental, economic and social.

According to UNESCO, an essential feature of the

2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is its

universality and indivisibility, since the 2030

Agenda encompasses all countries, regardless of

their geographical location and demands that all

signatory countries guide their development

efforts in order to provide prosperity and

simultaneously safeguard the planet, with a view

to achieving sustainability, which emphasises that

all countries, with regard to the SDGs, can be

assumed to be ‘developing countries’ and with a

pressing need to take measures that cannot be

postponed.

TOGETHER MAGAZINE 3 EDITORIAL

W H A T I S T H E

E U R O P E A N

P A R L I A M E N T

A M B A S S A D O R

S C H O O L

P R O G R A M M E

(EPAS)


(EPAS) Programme; a network of secondary

and vocational schools and colleges across

the European Union and the United Kingdom

raising awareness of European parliamentary

democracy and European citizenship values

among students (14-18 years old), through

active engagement.

The European Parliament Ambassador School

Programme (EPAS) aims at increasing

students’ awareness of European

parliamentary democracy, the role of the

European Parliament and European values. It

also encourages them to actively participate in

EU democratic processes. It targets students

with diverse educational, social and

geographical backgrounds.

https://youth.europarl.europa.eu

Teachers and students are appointed as

Senior and Junior Ambassadors by the schools

selected to take part in the programme and are

put in charge of its implementation. Teachers

take care of the educational aspect, mainly

organising lessons on European parliamentary

democracy. Educators can use the European

Parliament interactive educational material that

includes general information and facts about

the EU, training on democratic skills and

participation, class role-play games and

quizzes. Teachers and students are asked to

carry out activities such as the creation of a EU

Info Point, the organisation of Europe Day

events or the creation of social media content.

At the end of each school year, the activities

carried out by schools are evaluated. On the

successful completion of the programme,

schools are certified as an Ambassador School,

while their Senior and Junior Ambassadors

receive certificates in ceremonies organised by

the local European Parliament Liaison Offices,

very often in the presence of Members of the

European Parliament, national and local

authorities and partners. Teachers and

students may also be given the possibility to

participate in Euroscola sessions in Strasbourg

or other events organised by the European

Parliament.

The European Parliament Ambassador

School (EPAS) gives students the

opportunity to understand their rights as

EU citizens and to learn about the role of

the European Parliament.

TOGETHER MAGAZINE 5 EPAS

THE

FIRST

MAGAZINE

EPAS

“WE ARE ALL

EUROPEAN”

TOGETHER

MAGAZINE

Welcome to the second edition of Together Magazine!

Together Magazine is an European project, intended in the scope of the

European Parliament Ambassador School Project that will reflect the work of

Ambassador Schools from different EU Member States.

The project is coordinated by Escola Europeia de Ensino Profissional (Braga -

Portugal) under the supervision of the National Manager of the European

Parliament Ambassador School (EPAS) Programme, Dra Isabel Baltazar.

Together Magazine is an European dream, which objective is to bring together

schools from different countries to cooperate, to debate, to reflect and share,

because in the end, as Fernando Pessoa states, “Man is the size of his dream”.

Together we will dream of Peace, Diversity, Interculturality, Biodiversity,

Tolerance, Liberdade, Equality, Human Rights and Human Dignity, together we

will dream of European Union on every page of Together.

One of the pillars of Escola Europeia de Ensino Profissional is to instill in its

students ethical and human values, which are fundamental to their day-to-day

lives. Between these values, we stand out: responsibility and integrity, excellence

and demand, citizenship and participation, freedom and diversity.

We train them to be professional, autonomous, responsible, dynamic and

competent technicians, confident in their abilities and innovative, creating an

academic environment of rigor, order, discipline and innovation.

Escola Europeia de Ensino Profissional's motto is to “create a school that

educates and transforms professional education”. We are an inclusive school,

committed to the values of citizenship, with rigor and quality. We do not give up

on any student and we always try to guide them, providing quality personalized

education, in a demanding, rigorous school, but which is guided by values of

understanding, help, humanity and kindness.

Escola Europeia de Ensino Profissional

Braga - Portugal

TOGETHER MAGAZINE 7 ESCOLA EUROPEIA DE ENSINO PROFISSIONAL

SECONDARY

AND

VOCATIONAL

SCHOOLS

PARTICIPANTS OF

“TOGETHER MAGAZINE ”

SECOND EDITION

PORTUGAL

Escola Europeia de Ensino Profissional - (Braga) -COORDINATOR

Escola Secundaria Padre Antonio Vieira - (Lisboa)

Colégio INED - (Porto)

Agrupamento de Escolas Francisco Simões - (Almada)

Escola Secundária Eça de Queirós - (Póvoa de Varzim)

Agrupamento de Escolas n° 2 de Serpa (Serpa)

Escola Básica e Secundária Mouzinho da Silveira - (Azores)

Agrupamento de Escola Básica e Secundária Quinta das Flores - (Coimbra)

Agrupamento de Escola de Ansião - (Ansião)

Colégio do Amor de Deus - (Cascais)

Escola de Hotelaria e Turismo do Oeste - (Caldas da Rainha)

Agrupamento de Escolas de Arouca - (Arouca)

Escola da APEL Funchal - (Madeira)

Colégio de Nossa Senhora do Rosário (Porto)

Escola Secundária Gaia Nascente (Vila Nova de Gaia)

SPAIN

IES Francisco García Pavón (Tomelloso - Ciudad Real)

Estudio 3 Afainas (Aravaca - Madrid)

IES El Carrascal (Arganda del Rey - Madrid)

Colegio Fundación Caldeiro - (Madrid)

IES Monelos - (A Coruña)

IES Sixto Marco de Elche - (Alicante)

GREECE

Evening High School of Mytilene with Lyceum Classes - (Mytilene)

Daily general Lyceum of Rio - (Patras)

SWEDEN

Riksgymnasiet - (Örebro)

TOGETHER MAGAZINE 9 SCHOOLS MAGAZINE TOGETHER

Some of the schools …

Estudio 3 – Afanias (Spain)

School for students with special educational needs

The special education school Estudio 3 – Afanias provides an educational

response to students with intellectual disabilities and other associated

disabilities, mental health and behavioral problems who, due to their individual

needs, choose not to be or cannot be in ordinary education centers and

receive appropriate educational attention in a comprehensive manner.

The school educates students from 3 to 21 years old, in the stages of Early

Childhood Education, Compulsory Basic Education (Primary and Secondary),

Training Workshops (aimed at students of legal age in order for them to acquire

pre-employment tools) and Professional Programs in Special Modality (aimed

at students over 16 years of age who have not completed their studies in

Compulsory Secondary Education in order for them to acquire work tools,

obtaining at the same time a qualification analogous to the Compulsory

Secondary Education degree).

The school is located in the Moncloa - Aravaca, in the municipality of Madrid

(Spain). Its population comes from various locations in the community.

The school was founded in 1974, and since then its main objectives have been

the social inclusion of the student and the development of personal

autonomy and the roles of full citizenship to the greatest extent possible.


IES EL CARRASCAL

Arganda del Rey

(MADRID - SPAIN)

Since the 2013-2014 academic year we have

been a center of preferential schooling for

students with ASD, both programs being the two

hallmarks of our school.

We develop a program called “Student

Assistant” in which they work on all the skills

they need to develop, in order to carry out a task

that promotes positive coexistence in the

school.

The I.E.S. ‘El Carrascal’ is the oldest Secondary

School in the town of Arganda del Rey. It was

inaugurated in the school year 1969/1970 under

the name of ‘Instituto de Bachillerato de

Arganda’, being a branch of the ‘Tirso de Molina’

Secondary School for the first three years and

the only one in the whole southeast region where

it was possible to study Baccalaureate and

C.O.U.

The location of our Institute is in a privileged

place: in the Dehesa ‘El Carrascal’, a 131 hectares

forest mass.

The area belongs to the Regional Park of the

middle courses of the rivers Jarama and

Manzanares, approved in June 1994.

We participate in Classrooms, an activity aimed

at 3rd year ESO students in bilingual secondary

schools, in which a model United Nations

conference is held. The activity, organized by the

Regional Ministry of Education of the Community

of Madrid, aims to introduce young people to the

workings of the United Nations and is supported

by three other institutions: The Fulbright

Commission, the US Embassy and the British

Council.

And finally, of course we are part of the

European Parliament´s Ambassador School

Program, this is our second year as a Mentor

School 2024-2025, and we hope to continue for

a long time to come.

IES El Carrascal has been bilingual since 2012-

2013, being the first school in Arganda to

implement the Bilingual Program in the town.

Nowadays, qualified teachers collaborate with

the language assistants assigned by the

Community of Madrid in different subjects with

the objective to improve their level of English for

our almost 900 students.


Our school is located in the center of the city of

Mytilene, the capital of the island of Lesvos in the

Northern Aegean. It operates as an Evening

Gymnasium with Lyceum Classes. The number of

our students is sixty-two. Each gymnasium and

lyceum class constitutes a separate section. It also

has two Reception Classes for refugees and

immigrants since 2017.

The majority of the students are adults. These

are individuals who, for various economic or

social reasons, were unable to complete their

studies in the past, have families, and are

employed. Underage students are mandatory

to be over fourteen years old, either working or,

in the case of migrants, those who have applied

for asylum.

M y t i l e n e , G R E E C E

E V E N I N G H I G H S C H O O L O F M Y T I L E N E

W I T H L Y C E U M C L A S S E S

In our school, in addition to the lessons in Greek, we only have the teaching of English as a foreign

language. Our foreign students naturally speak their native language, and some of them also speak

French.

For the first time, our school is participating in the "Schools Ambassadors of the European

Parliament" network with six educators and a group of six students from the three high school classes.

Recently, there have been efforts by educators to keep up with new teaching methods and to

incorporate new practices into the educational process.

During the EPAS program, we carried out various activities aimed at helping our students, both Greek

and foreign, understand how important it is to live within the framework of the EU and to feel

protected, whether economically, politically, or socially. The goal was for them to comprehend the

value of European consciousness, which should be based on the awareness of shared goals and

challenges, intertwined with the future of democracy itself. Additionally, we wanted them to experience

European values in practice.


DAILY GENERAL

LYCEUM of Rio,

Patras - GREECE

GEL RIO EPAS GROUP

In the suburbs of Patras in Rio the educational

community works with a single goal: "not only

the wise child, but the happy child". And this

child can only be completed in an active and

extroverted school that provides standard

education in combination with innovative

programs

In order to achive our goal we encourage

creativity, inclusiveness, research and

introduce students to a range of experiences.

Raising awareness on environmental

protection and sustainable development

issues is a key axis of our actions, which is why

we organized a Seminar meeting on Climate

change ιn 2023 and the 1st Scientific Student

Conference entitled:

“WATER, IRREPLACEABLE COMPONENT OF LIFE

AND UNIVERSAL RIGHT in 2024”

The Student Conference was attended by 4

distinguished speakers, 63 teachers and 240

students from 32 schools in Western Greece

who presented their own perspective on the

importance and need for rational water

management through their student creations

(57 posters). It is worth noting that 273

participants registered and attended the

Student Conference.

We are already organizing the 2st Scientific

Student Conference on the subject of New

Technologies.

The plethora of research papers presented by

our students in student workshops,

international and national conferences,

document the existence of scientific interest

on their part as well as the relevant guidance

provided by the teachers, with the aim of

cultivating scientific literacy and familiarization

with scientific research.

We participate in several competitions, giving

our students the opportunity to distinguish

themselves and showcase their talents.

Our school has two classic clubs, literature and

history, a science team, men's and women's

champion football teams.

Last year GEL RIOU, joined the EPAS program,

which gives students the opportunity to

participate in democratic processes. In order

to enhance extroversion, we cooperate with

various institutions such as the University of

Patras, the British Council and the Europe

Direct Western Union.


The Colegio Fundación Caldeiro is in the centre

of Madrid, next to the famous Plaza de Toros de

las Ventas Bullring. The building is quite old, the

exterior of the building is made of brick and

stone, it also consists of two large exterior yards

and one more interior one.

HISTORY

At the beginning of the 20th century Manuel

Caldeiro was the owner of the land on which our

school was going to be built. When he died, he

donated those lands to the diocese of Madrid so

that they could build a building that should be a

shelter for needy children and a school. A

religious congregation should take charge of the

building and the education of the young people.

The school was inaugurated in 1914 and the

religious congregation of the Amigonianos took

charge of it. During the Spanish Civil War, it was

used as a prison and as a hospital for prisoners

of war and wounded. After the war it became a

school again, its current function.

EDUCATION

COLEGIO

FUNDACIÓN

CALDEIRO

(Madrid - Spain)

Written by Jorge Mas, Luis Molina & Agustín Taco

The school consists of kindergarten (1-3 years),

early childhood education (3-5 years), primary

education (5-12 years), ESO (12-16 years) and

high school (16-18 years). The school is chartered

for compulsory education, but it is private for

kindergarten and high school.

At school we are up to date with technology and

some courses work with electronic devices; We

also have some subjects such as digitalization

and technology that teach us how to use

technological devices correctly.


This magazine Together is written by

students and teachers from diferentes

countries participating in the European

Parliament Ambassador School Program.

TRAVEL

EUROPEAN

UNION

GREECE

PATRA

THE JOURNEY STARTS HERE

Patra is Greece's third-largest city and the

regional capital and largest city of Western

Greece, in the northern Peloponnese.

The city of Patras has an important history of

four thousand years. Patras has been inhabited

since the prehistoric age and constituted an

important centre of the Mycenean era. In

antiquity it was a leading member of the

Achaean League.

By the end of the 19th century, Patra had come

to be known as the second biggest city in

Greece, and it also grew as the chief center for

the export of agricultural produce in the

Peloponnese. A lot of foreigners came to Patra to

make money out of the trade and brought a new

cultural ambiance.

Nowadays, it is a bustling student city, a place where

entertainment, history and culture mingle together to

create a destination filled with wonderful discoveries.

It is known for “Art-walk” Street Art Festival. During

that period street artists, create the most beautiful

outdoor gallery. According to “carnivaland.net”,

Patra’s carnival is one of the top events worldwide.

SPAIN

ARGANDA DEL REY

In 1910, one of the most representative symbols

and of great historical value of the municipality

was inaugurated, the Arganda Bridge, essential

for crossing the river and which put an end to the

use of the old barges that hindered the progress

of trade and the transport of goods in the area.

Arganda del Rey is located in a strategic

territory as a crossroads and a link between the

plateau and the Mediterranean, which has

favoured, over the centuries, that numerous

events of historical relevance have taken place in

and around its lands, leaving numerous vestiges

worth visiting. As a communications hub, Arganda

was chosen for the installation of one of the first

Optical Telegraph Towers in Spain.

Next to the Telegraph Tower, another tourist

landmark is the famous Arganda Train,

immortalised forever in the proverb with a

popular saying known to all: ‘el tren de Arganda

que pita más que anda’ (the Arganda train that

whistles more than it walks).

The Arganda Bridge is much more than a notable

engineering work of the time, as it became a

stage and strategic point in the development of

the Spanish Civil War, as it was the target of the

Francoist and Republican armies during the

Battle of Jarama in February 1936.

The Civil War made Arganda a fundamental

enclave for both sides in the conflict, as

witnessed by the countless trenches, machine

gun nests and defensive points that dot the

outskirts of the town center.

The fierce conflict that took place in these lands

is illustrated to the visitor by the Historical Park

of the Battle of Jarama, created by the joint

This train was inaugurated on 30 July 1886 to

connect Arganda with Madrid, and extended as far

as the town of Alocén in Guadalajara. This line was

used, in addition to transporting goods, by

adventurous 19th century travellers who liked to go

along the cliffs on board the train, in order to

contemplate the exceptional beauty offered by the

Southeast Regional Park.

initiative of the municipalities of Arganda del Rey,

Morata de Tajuña, San Martín de la Vega and

Rivas Vaciamadrid.

This project seeks to disseminate this part of

Spain's history by enhancing the value of the

territory's heritage resources from a sociocultural

and environmental perspective.

TOGETHER MAGAZINE 19 TRAVEL EUROPEAN UNION

GREECE

LESVOS ISLAND AND MYTILENE

The island was named after the mythical legend of Lesvos, who came

over from Lapithes, Thessaly and married the daughter of the settler

King Makara in Mithymna.

Lesvos, alto known as Lesbos, in the North Aegean, is the third largest

Greek island; it is also famous as it is the birthplace of poets Sappho

and Alcaeus. The island is largely volcanic in the west, and numerous

thermal springs indicate the unstable subterranean structure that has

caused severe earthquakes throughout history.

Mytilene is one of Greece’s oldest city-states. It is

built over seven hills and is Lesvos capital. The

traditional houses and neoclassical structures, the

Byzantine churches and the ancient monuments are

well worth a walk around the town. Some examples

the Castle and the Ancient Theatre, the

Archaeological Museum, the Yeni Mosque, the Old

Ottoman Baths and the Dome of Agios Therapon.

The Petrified Forest of Lesvos. One of the

most important natural heritage monuments

in the world, the Petrified Forest of Lesvos, is

a unique testament to the ecosystem that

Cuisine of Lesvos. Lesvos fertile plains and valleys

produce grapes, cereals, as well as olives which is one

of the main exported products. Lesvos is also famous

for soap crafting from natural products and its

famous sardines, a delicious fish found in the waters

surrounding the island. Lesvos is very famous for the

Ouzo productions, a generally known Greek spirit

which is often combined with Meze – small dishes

served tapas style.

once existed in the Aegean region during the

Miocene Epoch.

The forest consists of hundreds of fossilized

trunks, standing or downed, coniferous or

fruit-bearing, which are scattered over an

area of 15,000 hectares in major

concentrations within the protected region

and at many other sites in the layers of

volcanic rocks.


Madrid is a municipality and the capital of Spain. Within its

municipal boundaries, it is the most populated city in Spain,

and the second most populated city in the European Union.

Its natural heritage makes it one of the greenest cities in the

world, its unique natural spaces, its extensive pedestrian

areas, its gastronomy, its local products and, above all, its

commitment to the environment place the city of Madrid at

the forefront of sustainable tourism.

MADRID

SPAIN

In addition, we highlight our traditional festivities, such as San

Isidro, where we show our customs, food and regional music.

One of the most sustainable landscapes and a UNESCO

World Heritage Site is the Paisaje de la Luz (Landscape of

Light), formed by Buen Retiro Park, the Paseo del Prado, that

is the first of Europe's urban promenades, and the stately

neighborhood of Los Jerónimos. It is also part of the

Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (PACES) project.

The Buen Retiro Park and Gardens were created by Felipe IV in the 17th century. At that time, it was a

recreational estate for the Kings of the House of Austria.

The Paseo del Prado has always been a promenade, to which different museums have recently been

added, such as the Thyssen, the Prado Museum... However, in the past, only royalty could walk along

this promenade.

Barrio de los Jerónimos is a neighborhood in the Retiro district of Madrid. It is home to the Retiro Park

and the church of Los Jerónimos, from which it takes its name. It was created on land that belonged to

the former Buen Retiro Palace and was sold to the State by Queen Isabel II for development. Today, it is

one of the most elegant and aristocratic neighborhoods in Madrid and its homes command the highest

prices per square meter in the capital.

This Paisaje de la Luz, is the first property to hold this

distinction in the city of Madrid, and the fifth in the

Community, along with the Monastery of El Escorial, the

historic center of Alcalá de Henares, the cultural landscape of

Aranjuez and the Montejo Beech Forest. This landscape

provides us with the first tree-lined promenade in a European

capital, created in the 16th century to offer the inhabitants of

Madrid a space for leisure and relaxation in a tree-lined

environment.


HUMAN

RIGHTS

HUMAN RIGHTS

Juan Esquivel e Samuel Esquivel

students of Escola Europeia de

Ensino Profissional (Portugal)

TOGETHER MAGAZINE 24 HUMAN RIGHTS

Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality,

ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status. Human rights include the right to life and

liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to

work and education, and many more. Everyone is entitled to these rights, without

discrimination.

Human rights are standards that recognize and protect the dignity of all human beings.

Human rights govern how individual human beings live in society and with each other, as

well as their relationship with the State and the obligations that the State have towards

them.

HUMAN RIGHTS

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an international document adopted

by the United Nations General Assembly that enshrines the rights and freedoms of all

human beings.

Drafted by a UN committe chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt, it was accepted by the General

Assembly as Resolution 217 during its third session on 10 December 1948 at the Palais de

Chaillot in Paris, France. Of the 58 members of the United Nations, at the time, 48 voted in

favour, none against, eight abstained, and two did not vote.

HUMAN RIGHTS ARE UNIVERSAL,

INDIVISIBLE AND INTERDEPENDENT

Juan Esquivel, student of Escola Europeia de Ensino Profissional (Braga - Portugal)

Malala Yousafzai was born on July 12 1997 in

the city of Mingora, in the Swat Valley Pakistan.

From a very young age, she demonstrated a

great interest in education, influenced by her

father, Ziauddin Ypusafzai, who was a teacher

and a fervent defender of girls education in a

region marked by gender inequality and Taliban

opression. Her passion for studies and her

desire for social justice led her to become an

activist at a young age.

In 2009, at just 11 years old, Malala began

writing a blog for BBC Urdu under a pseudonym

reporting on the difficulties faced by girls in her

region, especially after Taliban had banned their

access to education. Her direct and

courageous reports drew international

attention, making her a well-known figure in the

fight for educational rights. However, this

notoriety also brought many dangers.

On October 9, 2012, at just 15 years old, Malala

was the victim of a brutal attack. Taliban

militants intercepted the school bus she was

on and shot her in the head, leaving her

seriously injured. After being transferred to the

United Kingdom, she underwent several

surgeries and managed to recover.

Even facing such adversity, Malala

did not give up her fight. After her

recovery, she and her family settled

in the United Kingdom, where she

continued her campaign for girls

education worldwide.

Biography

Malala Yousafzai

Written by Stephanie Fernandes

(Escola Europeia de Ensino Profissional - Portugal)

In 2013, she launched her autobiography,

“I Am Malala”, which quickly became a

bestseller. In the same year, she founded

the Malala Fund, an organization

dedicated to supporting educational

projects and expanding access to

education in developing countries.

The importance of education as a

fundamental right

In 2014, Malala was awarded the Nobel Peace

Prize, sharing the recognition with Indian

activist Kailash Satyarthi. At just 17 years old,

she became the youngest person ever to

receive the award, consolidating her position as

one of the most influential voices in the fight

for human rights and universal education.

In 2020, Malala completed her degree at the

University of Oxford, where she studied

Philosophy, Politics and Economics, and

continues to be an active voice in the fight

against educational inequalities.

Malala's courage and resilience have

transformed her into a symbol of the struggle

against oppression and an inspiration to

millions of people around the world, reaffirming

the importance of education as a

fundamental right.

TOGETHER MAGAZINE 27 HUMAN RIGHTS

“ I A m M a l a l a ”


“I want girls to realise that education is essential to change their view of the world and change their

stories. The classroom equipped me with the knowledge and tools I need to achieve my dream of

working with girls and young women in my community.” Malala Yousafzai

Stéphanie Fernandes, student of Escola Europeia de Ensino Profissional (Braga - Portugal)

Opinion

ARTICLES

EPAS

SPEECH:Water quality and Public Health

Water quality is inextricably linked to public

health.

In the European Union, there are strict laws and

policies aimed at maintaining the quality of water

sources, marine and freshwater ecosystems, as

well as ensuring the quality of drinking water and

bathing waters.

The European Union Water Framework

Directive establishes a legal framework for the

protection and restoration of clean water in the

European Union and for ensuring its sustainable

use in the long term.

Vantarakis Apostolos - Professor of Medicine at the University of

Patras - Prof. in Public Health - Director of Postgraduate Course

“Public Health” Public Health Laboratory Medical School

University of Patras, Greece

In Greece, the Ministry of Health monitors the

quality of drinking water and the functioning of

water systems, taking measures to protect

public health. In addition, there are risk

assessments and risk management of catchment

areas for water intake points, with the aim of

reducing the degree of treatment needed to

produce water for human consumption.

Improving the quality of drinking water is an

important issue and can be achieved through

various methods:

Control and monitoring: Frequent and rigorous

laboratory water quality checks to detect

pollutants and ensure compliance with

standards.

Modernization of Infrastructure: Upgrading

water systems and water treatment facilities to

remove pollutants and improve quality.

Use appropriate materials: Choose materials

that do not adversely affect water quality and do

not cause contamination.

It is important to note that water quality

depends on many factors, such as local

geology, human activities, and environmental

conditions. Continuous monitoring and

continuous improvement of practices is

crucial to maintain and enhance drinking

water quality.

Public Education: Informing and educating the

public about the importance of water quality and

practices that contribute to its protection.

Policies and Legislation: Adopt and implement

laws and policies that promote the protection

and improvement of water quality.

You can find the original speech here: https://

βιωσιμοτηταυδατινωνπορων.weebly.com/psietaphiiotaalphakappaa

lpha-pirhoalphakappatauiotakappaalpha.html

Translated by Sotiria Georgiadi, Daily General Lyceum of Rio student.

TOGETHER MAGAZINE 31 ARTICLES OPINION

E d u c a t i o n f o r G l o b a l a n d

S u s t a i n a b l e P e a c e :

a n e t h i c a l i m p e r a t i v e o f t h e

2 0 3 0 A g e n d a

Written by Isabel Baltazar

National Coordinator Portugal - EPAS

When we talk about Education for Peace, we

cannot fail to talk about Education for Global

Peace, as we live in this “global village”, in

which local conflicts have global effects,

making it impossible to isolate peace in a given

space, Just as we cannot isolate a war, always

with the consequences of a planetary

escalation.

On the other hand, any human or natural

conflict also has global consequences for the

sustainability of the planet. Therefore, Peace

is one of the Sustainable Development Goals

(SDGs), to take care of people and the planet.

The 2030 Agenda is underway and we cannot

wait any longer to Educate for this Global and

Sustainable Peace. It is Education for all,

although School is a fundamental foundation.

The great challenge of Education for Peace in

the 21st Century is Citizenship for Peace,

involving all states and people.

Education for Peace is a central theme of the

world in which we live, dominated by war,

conflicts and uncertainties arising from a

globalized world, in which we live in a village on

a planetary scale that, increasingly, escapes

the human control of a State, insofar as the

effects of the planetary war on one side are

felt throughout the world. If, on the one hand,

we are increasingly closer, on the other, we are

also increasingly interdependent.

How can we, then, promote Global and

Sustainable Peace Education? This is the

starting point of this text, framed within the

ethical imperative of the 2030 Agenda for

Sustainable Development, supported by the

16th Objective.

As a result of this objective, this Education is

transversal to society, although School

continues to be a fundamental pillar, but

understood as Education for all and

throughout life. In this sense, we will talk about

“Education for Global Peace” and how it must

be “Sustainable”, that is, with foundations that

remain beyond political, social and cultural

circumstances. This means that no person is

ever ready or definitively educated to be

peaceful, unless this Education for Peace has

been successful, through Education for Ethics

and Values. If this happened, then Peace

comes from the inside out, and becomes

Kantian Perpetual Peace. It is this Peace that

we want to deal with.

The word sustainable refers to what can be

sustained, what can be defended, what is

capable of being maintained or conserved.

Therefore, Sustainable Peace will be one that is

capable of being maintained, in people or

nations that fight for Peace.

Education for Peace is a

central theme of the world in

which we live.


Throughout history, particularly in

contemporary times, we have always had

pacifist men and women who, faced with the

reality of wars, organized themselves into

pacifist movements for Peace.

As the Brundtland Report states, “development

that meets the needs of the present without

compromising the capacity of future

generations to satisfy their own needs,

ensuring a balance between economic growth,

care for the environment and social wellbeing”.

The document adopted at the summit, to be in

force until 2030, is called “Transforming our

World”, the agenda for sustainable

development in 2030.

“Promote just, peaceful and

inclusive societies.

Peace, stability, human rights

and effective governance based

on the rule of law are important

conduits for sustainable

development.

Promoting peace and justice is

one of 17 Global Goals that make

up the 2030 Agenda for

Sustainable Development. An

integrated approach is crucial

for progress across the multiple

goals.”


I t i s n e c e s s a r y t o

e d u c a t e o n e q u a l i t y t o

r e d u c e v i o l e n c e

Educating in equality today is

the key to being equal people

tomorrow. And this is the reality

that we must build together.

Educating in equality means educating girls

and boys on equal terms, promoting values

such as respect, dialogue and tolerance.

Written by Raquel Rodríguez Lorenzo

Principal of Escola Europeia de Ensino Profissional

(Braga - Portugal)

This involves eliminating stereotypes and

preconceived roles about what “is for women or

for men,” providing the same resources so that

both develop capabilities and skills without

distinctions.

Equal opportunities are built in

classrooms and homes, through the

education that girls and boys receive.

The General Director of UNESCO,

Audrey Azoulay, considers that

“addressing and promoting gender

equality from educational centers, the

family environment and society, is

essential to eliminate sexist stereotypes,

prevent situations of discrimination,

gender violence and advance towards

full equality between men and women.”

Teachers and educational centers have a

fundamental role in contributing to gender

equality in all areas of society.

E D U C A T E I N

EQUALITY


H O W T O E D U C A T E I N

EQUALITY

From educational centers and homes we must adopt some measures that allow us

to contribute to equal education, especially from an early age.

End gender roles

Walk towards equality by raising boys

and girls free to be whatever they want

to be.

Treat boys and girls equally from

childhood

Not differentiating between tasks and

educating in equality

Do not allow sexist comments to be

expressed

We must make them understand that

these types of comments cause a lot of

damage.

“Families have the most influence

on how children internalize

gender norms and attitudes in

society as they grow up, and also

shape education and career

paths”, says UNESCO.

Students of Escola Europeia de Ensino Profissional

We, as adults, have to set an example

It is important to reinforce the idea of having

behaviors based on equality and respect from

home.

Fathers and mothers, let us educate in

equality

Teach them the behaviors that are not correct

and those that we, as a society, can change.

Establish comprehensive equality plans in

educational centers

It is necessary to develop projects and

initiatives to combat gender violence in schools.


W h y I t ’ s I m p o r t a n t

t o S u p p o r t E a c h O t h e r i n t h e E U

Today, I saw news about conflicts like the war between Israel and Lebanon, the ongoing situation in Ukraine,

and devastating natural disasters like Hurricane Helena, which has taken lives and homes. When world leaders

can’t get along, it impacts all of us—especially young people—making us feel unsafe and sometimes hopeless

about the future. This is why the European Union (EU) is more important than ever. The EU stands for peace,

collaboration, climate action, and hope for future generations!

Within the European Union, leaders must work

together to make tough decisions that can

lead to a better world. A single country might

Written by Saga Larsson, Juniorambassador for

the European Union at Riksgymnasiet in Örebro,

Sweden

miss the bigger picture, but the EU can

encourage nations to prioritize important

issues like the environment. After all, change

can feel easier when you’re not alone! It’s

essential for European citizens to have a

union that motivates every country to do the

right thing. Together, we are stronger!

For instance, during the devastating forest

fires in Sweden in 2018, our resources weren’t

enough to tackle the flames. However, thanks

to the EU’s shared resources, countries like

Italy, France, and Portugal provided waterbombing

aircraft, while firefighters from

Poland and Germany supported our

exhausted crews. Together, we managed to

save our forests and wildlife.

Similarly, during the challenging times of

the COVID-19 pandemic, the EU played a

crucial role in distributing vaccines and

sharing medical resources across

countries. This collaboration saved many

lives and made the pandemic less deadly.

Now, more than ever, the European

Union is vital for restoring hope

where it’s been taken away.


In Sweden, we face serious issues with gang

violence and rising murder rates. Knowing

that there’s a Europol to combat violent

crime and protect us from terrorism brings

a sense of relief and safety.

As a young person, being part of the EU

gives me confidence and security.

If I struggle to find a job in Sweden due to

mismatched qualifications, I know there are

opportunities in the other 26 EU countries.

This freedom to explore job and home

options without borders allows us to feel

less trapped.

Many young people in Sweden take pride

in being European citizens, recognizing the

responsibility that comes with being part of

27 EU nations.

We are committed to fighting for human

rights, tackling climate change together,

and embracing cultural exchanges. We

also love welcoming European visitors to

enjoy our Swedish “fika”!

Additionally, if a romantic relationship

doesn’t work out in our home country, the

EU opens up 26 other countries where we

might find our soulmate!

In conclusion, the European Union is a powerful force for unity and

hope, ensuring that together, we can face challenges and create a

brighter future for all.


Note: the following text follows the guidelines and

recommendations for the elaboration of cognitively

accesible documents of Inclusion Europe, Plena Inclusión

España and the UNE 153101:2018 EX standard.

Caring for the Environment in Schools:

Recovering what has been lost due to Forest Fires

Caring for the environment is very important for our life

and for the life of living beings and for the living beings around us.

One of the most serious problems are forest fires,

which destroy large areas of forest.

Schools can help to protect and restore these affected areas,

through awareness-raising activities

in which students will take an active role as members of society

to reduce the effects of forest fires,

by establishing partnerships with local associations.

What is the situation of forest fires in the European Union?

Forest fires have affected many areas.

Every year, thousands of hectares of forest burn,

destroying trees, plants and animals.

Comparing the 27 countries of the European Union,

countries such as Portugal, Spain, Greece, France and Italy

have been the most affected.

Other countries have suffered fewer fires,

but the problem is global.

How can schools help?

Schools have a very important role to play

in raising awareness

and helping environmental recovery.

Educational recommendations and laws emphasize

the importance of teaching environmental skills in schools,

in line with Sustainable Development Goal 15.

These standards include the European Green Pact

and the Education for Environmental Sustainability Action Plan.

As a metaphor,

the seed is planted in children

and grows and makes responsible adults.


Note: the following text follows the guidelines and

recommendations for the elaboration of cognitively

accesible documents of Inclusion Europe, Plena Inclusión

España and the UNE 153101:2018 EX standard.

How do we promote this recovery from our school?

Estudio 3 Afanias is a special education school in Madrid,

with pupils aged between 4 and 21 years old.

One of the pedagogical principles of the school

has always been environmental education,

working on it directly and participating in different programmes

with other schools in the neighborhood,

in which students develop projects based on service learning.

We also use digital tools,

for example, Copernicus.

What do we want to share with European youth?

In summer of 2022,

there was a huge forest fire

that affected more than 50,000 hectares in the province of Zamora,

specifically, the Sierra de la Culebra area.

This fire devastated an area larger than the entire metropolitan area of Madrid,

4 people died,

and it is believed that it will take more than 90 years to recover the area.

The school contacted the association La Culebra no se calla,

that was created to care those affected by the fire.

The association proposed schools the project

A forest can grow from a tree:

pupils would plant a seed of native trees

and these trees will be planted to reforest the burnt areas.

So that was our first step:

we got seeds of chestnut, oak and hazelnut trees

from villages next to the burnt area in Zamora.

We planted them

and took care of their growth.

Our next close step is bringing the trees to the burnt area

and continue the project,

not only by planting new trees,

but also by sharing the proposal

so that more schools can implement it.

In conclusion,

we encourage all schools to carry out small actions so that,

together, we can make a big change in the care of the environment.

Written by Jaime G.E., Ignacio G. A. , Sofía G. N., Álvaro M. G., José R. D. F. - Estudio 3 Afanias - Aravaca - Madrid (Spain)


Debate sessions

“YOUTH FOR DEMOCRACY”

In January 2023, Barcelona (Spain) was chosen

as the first European Capital of Democracy,

recognized for its excellence in democratic

innovation and citizenship participation. As part

of the activities marking this designation, which

have been celebrated in the above-mentioned

city from September 2023 through November

2024, Sant Gabriel School in Barcelona hosted

the first “Youth for Democracy” gathering.

Specifically, at the end of October 2024, from

the 28th to the 30th, a series of Debate Sessions

titled “Youth for Democracy” took place in

Barcelona.

The choice of venue is significant and far from

arbitrary. With Barcelona commemorating its

status as the European Capital of Democracy

throughout this year, the setting provided an

ideal context. Moreover, the host institution, the

Brothers of Saint Gabriel (better known in Spain

as the Gabrielists), brings extensive experience

not only in education but also within the


Programme (EPAS).

Notably, this year marks the school’s debut as a

Mentor School.

Participants.

During the sessions, five debates were held featuring representatives from various institutions.

Specifically, students from 3rd year of ESO to 2nd year of Baccalaureate participated, resulting in the

involvement of over 200 adolescents from across Spain:

- Colegio Diocesano Oratorio Festivo de San Miguel (Orihuela)

- IES Francico García Pavón (Tomelloso, Ciudad Real)

- IES Cairasco de Figueroa (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria)

- IES Severo Ochoa (Granada)

- IES Benalmádena (Benalmádena, Málaga)

- Institut Josep Lluís Sert (Castelldefels)

- Jesuïtes Sarrià – Sant Ignasi (Barcelona)

- Escola Pia Nostra Senyora (Barcelona)

- Col·legi Sant Gabriel (Sant Adrià de Besòs)

- Col·legi Sant Gabriel (Barcelona)

Written by Francisco Javier Sánchez-Verdejo Pérez

IES Francisco García Pavón (Spain)


Benefits of

school debates

Teamwork Development: In many debate

formats, students work in groups, enhancing

collaboration, leadership, and conflictresolution

skills within a team.

Enhanced Listening Skills: Students must

actively listen to opponents’ arguments to

respond effectively, improving their critical

School debates offer numerous advantages that

contribute to student development. Some of the

main benefits include:

Improvement in Oral Communication:

Students learn to express themselves clearly

and in a structured manner, enhancing their

public speaking skills and ability to articulate

ideas effectively.

Development of Critical Thinking: Debates

listening and comprehension abilities.

Development of Persuasion Skills: Debates

provide an excellent way to learn to convince

others with well-founded and fact-based

arguments.

Improvement in Logical Thinking: Students

learn to organize and structure their ideas

logically, ensuring their arguments are clear

and coherent, thus supporting logical

reasoning.

encourage the analysis of different

viewpoints, helping students evaluate

arguments and develop their capacity to

question and reflect on diverse topics.

Encouragement of Research Skills: To

defend and support their positions, students

must research and gather information,

strengthening their research skills and ability

to use credible sources.

Promotion of Empathy and Tolerance: By

considering and debating various

perspectives, students learn to understand

and respect opposing opinions, fostering

greater tolerance and negotiation skills.

Boost in Confidence and Self-Esteem:

Participating in debates and defending

arguments before an audience helps

students build confidence, improve selfesteem,

and reduce the fear of public

speaking.

During these sessions, there were no

winning or losing teams. The purpose of

the event was pedagogical, aimed at

developing students’ skills. It also

fostered promoting tolerant,

democratic, autonomous, and

responsible attitudes among the young

participants, as well as to develop their

skills in accessing and critically

analyzing information from the media.


To assign participants and positions for each

debate, a prior draw was conducted, giving

teams ample time to prepare their arguments

ahead of the event. It has been a comprehensive

project in which students had to develop

multiple skills, from researching accurate and

verified information to preparing debates,

crafting counterarguments, and presenting their

points orally to a packed audience. We have very

young adolescents who have performed

exceptionally well. How could one argue that a

woman cannot govern the United States? Or

that democracy has no future? For them, the

most challenging aspect is likely defending

positions they don’t believe in, but it’s also a very

important exercise.

Development

The sessions began on Monday, October 28th, in

the morning, with participants arriving at the

venue in stages and sharing a welcoming meal. In

the afternoon, the official inauguration of the

event took place, featuring Laura Ballarín, a

Member of the European Parliament. The session

was followed by a series of introductory

activities focused on knowledge about Europe

and European-themed games organized by

Europe Direct. The day concluded with a visit to

the city's waterfront.

On Tuesday, the debate sessions officially began

with a lecture titled Democracy and Young

People by Antoni Abat, Professor at the Faculty

of Law at the Autonomous University of

Barcelona.

The first debate revolved around the question of

whether democracy does or does not have a

future.

The second lecture addressed the sustainability

of our schools, delivered by Irma Ventayol,

Director of the Office for Climate Change and

Sustainability, which led to a debate on whether

youth movements do or do not impact

government policies.

The morning closed with a lecture on What Can

Young People Contribute to Politics? by Javi

Rodríguez Nuñez, Commissioner for Children,

Youth, and LGTBI Policies of the Barcelona City

Council.

This debate centered on whether lowering the

voting age to 16 would benefit democracy. In the

afternoon, participants enjoyed a tour of

modernist Barcelona.


On Wednesday, October 30th, the first lecture

covered the engaging topic of Women and

Politics, presented by Filo Cañete Carrillo, Mayor

of Sant Adrià. This debate examined the

possibility of a woman governing the United

States. The final lecture tackled the timely issue

of AI in Classrooms, presented by Carlos

Garnacho Cárcar, Head of Learning and

Knowledge Technologies at the Gabrielite

Brothers. The discussion hypothesized whether

AI would have a negative impact on the

education of future generations.

To enrich the debates, each was preceded by a

presentation from an expert who provided

context for the audience and enhanced the

arguments in the subsequent dialogue. After

each debate, Mireia Giralt, the Pedagogical

Coordinator of Gabrielite Schools, provided

feedback on students' contributions, skillfully

engaging the audience. The staging, along with

the elegance of the participants’ attire, lent the

exercise a sense of rigor and formality.

The event concluded with remarks from Teresa

Coutinho, Head of the Ambassador Schools

Program of the European Parliament in Spain.

Conclusions

The primary goal of the sessions was to support

the growth and maturation of the young

participants, encouraging the development of

their ethical and transcendent dimensions to

promote tolerant, democratic, autonomous,

and responsible attitudes, aligned with

European democratic ideals.

The sessions also pursued specific objectives,

which included:

- Stimulating knowledge of Europe and the

European parliamentary democracy among

young people.

- Raising awareness of the importance of the

democratic system.

- Increasing understanding of the

opportunities offered by European citizenship.

- Engaging in school debates on these and

related topics.

Through these sessions, the event fostered an

environment that nurtured both intellectual

engagement and active citizenship among young

people, empowering them to participate

thoughtfully in democratic life.

A d i g i t a l

S t o r y t e l l i n g

a b o u t t h e

D e s e r t i f i c a t i o n

Desertification affects the

livelihoods of millions of people.

Assessments of the extent of

desertification vary, but even by

conservative estimates it ranks

among today’s greatest

environmental challenges with

serious impacts. It is caused by a

combination of factors that change

over time and vary by location, like

population pressure, socioeconomic

and policy factors, and international

trade as well as direct factors such

as land use patterns and practices

and climate related processes.

Desertification is defined by the U.N.

Convention as “land degradation in arid,

Written by Evening General Senior High School,

Mytilene, Lesvos Island in Greece

semiarid and dry sub humid areas resulting

from various factors, including climatic

variations and human activities.”

First land degradation must be fought at the

local level with good conservation practices,

although it will be difficult to reverse the loss

of food and water provision services and the

supporting biodiversity.

So the Sustainable Development Goal 15

include and this: Fight desertification, restore

damaged soil and land, including land ravaged

by floods, drought and desertification.

In Greece, desertification is closely associated with fire, as well as with overgrazing. Grazing

activities on Lesvos Island (NE Aegean), especially its western part, have resulted in drastic

degradation of the landscape. Soil coverage is gradually becoming thinner, and the first signs

of erosion have begun to appear. The case of this island exemplifies the problems of

overcoming desertification due to overgrazing in Greece.


The students were concerned with the

following questions:

What is the role of the E.U. in times of

global environmental change?

Will it determine the future evolution of

successful environmental policies, or

rather horizontal diffusion processes

across member states, triggered by policy

innovation within nation states?

What is the policy of E.U. about the

desertification?

A research about the desertification and

the E.U. was conducted in the Evening

General Senior High School, in Mytilene,

Lesvos Island in Greece. The students

produced a digital storytelling because a

story inspires us! They used a variety of

free software. The Storyboard became

through the templates of WebGIS software,

the Story maps. Also the students used:

Screen Pal, Audacity, Any video converter,

Movie maker. The final product is no

interactive, it is a video.

The young people in Europe believe

that there is no planet B, nor plan B.

According to the new law, the E.U.

move from protecting and

conserving nature to restoring it.

The students propose an ethic

about to protect and respect the

land, which include that people have

the responsibility about this. They

want to redefine the relationship

between nature and human beings.

So they have used a Nikos

Kazantzakis’s

philosophical

expression, from the Saviors of God:

"Say, it is my duty, and mine alone,

to save the earth. If it is not saved,

then I alone am to blame."

You can watch the story through QR code:


The World Health Organisation (WHO)

defines obesity as the excessive

accumulation of fat that can be detrimental

to health. In short, obesity is a disease in

which psychological and social factors that

have a negative impact on the individual must

be taken into account, together with, for

example, resulting cardiovascular problems.

Although this problem does not affect certain

age ranges, it is often rooted in childhood,

either because of lack of education or due to

easy access to ultra-processed products.

When analysing data on childhood obesity

and overweight, the increase experienced

after the COVID-19 pandemic stands out, as it

stood at 16% (the percentage of children

between seven and nine years of age who had

one of these conditions) and is currently

around 39%. Spain also stands out above the

European average in an alarming way, as the

percentage of overweight children in Europe

is 29%, while the percentage of obese

children is 12%. Although these figures are

somewhat lower, Europe should not be

unconcerned either, as it is still an

increasingly accentuated global problem.

This increase in childhood obesity and

overweight may have occurred in the

aftermath of the pandemic due to

confinement, which in many cases led to

the abandonment of physical activity.

O B E S I T Y I N T H E

S P O T L I G H T

Written by Lucas Eiroa IES MONELOS

A Coruña (Spain)

A recent European-wide study found that

47% of children spent less than two hours a

week doing some form of physical exercise.

This is less worrying for Spain, where two out

of three children spend at least two hours a

week doing physical exercise. Similarly,

active short-distance travel is important and

is being progressively lost. Sedentary

lifestyles are one of the major risk factors to

be taken into account and have increased

alarmingly in recent years.

Closely related to this is the consumption of

vegetables, which is very unpromising for

Spain, as only 13% of children eat them every

day. Also, this figure sharply contrasts with

the European average of 34%. In line with the

above is the consumption of fruit, which is so

important for maintaining a balanced and

varied diet. In Spain, the sixth worst European

country in this section, 37% of children eat

fruit daily, while in Europe the percentage is

around 43%. To conclude the section on

food, we should highlight the consumption of

soft drinks, the composition of which is

totally harmful to the individual due to their

high sugar content and low energy intake.

Spain stands out for its low intake, with only

4% of children consuming them more than

three times a week.


Leaving aside the causes of the increase in

childhood obesity, it is necessary to look at the

socio-economic level. According to a recent

report (PASOS 2019 study), children and

adolescents who grow up in a favourable

environment are 72% less likely to develop

obesity. This basically means that their

economic, cultural and educational backgrounds

has a direct influence on the development of

dietary diseases. This reflects the difficulty that

arises when it comes to buying food because

with a precarious salary it is difficult to access

the healthiest and, at the same time, most

expensive products. In short, a person with little

money cannot maintain the same quality of food

as someone wealthier.

On the other hand, a

fundamental factor to consider

is the nutrition of youngsters,

and food education is a key

aspect in a panorama of

constant deterioration in the

nutrition sector.

Some healthy practices to tackle or prevent this

type of disease would be, for example, to

emphasise the variety of meals or to reduce the

intake of animal fats, the consumption of ultraprocessed

foods or foods containing a high

amount of sugars. On the other hand, good

nutrition should be complemented by

appropriate habits, i.e. physical exercise is

encouraged on a daily basis in order to put an

end to the sedentary lifestyle that is so

prevalent today.

Obesity is a disease influenced by social and

psychological factors, usually developing in

childhood. Following the pandemic, Spain

In conclusion, the percentage of obese children

is alarming in much of Europe, but these rates

are especially skyrocketing in Spain. This is not

surprising when analysing the habits of young

Spaniards, whose practices could be said to

have become Americanised in the wake of the

COVID-19 pandemic. In order to redress this

situation, proper education on these issues is

needed, but above all a good influence in the

home.

experienced an alarming increase in childhood

obesity, reaching 39%. Sedentary lifestyles, poor

eating habits and low consumption of

vegetables and fruit are worrying. It is also

argued that the unfavourable economic

situation increases the risk of obesity.

Fundamentally, nutrition education and

promotion of healthy habits are needed to

address this growing crisis in Spain and

Europe.


E L E C T R I C C A R S

I N E U R O P E

Written by Inés Jaspe Rodríguez, IES Monelos -

A Coruña (Spain)

People may sometimes wonder what the EU is

aiming at and what the advantages of belonging

to it might be. It is possible that the words that

resonate the most in the vast majority of EU

citizens’ heads are progress, education, health or

cooperation. But does "We are going to impose

tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles because we

are afraid" ring a bell to any of you?

On the one hand, the French government is not

capable of sustaining a good relationship with

Tavaris, president of Groupe PSA, who is

threatening to move production to a location

where its costs can be reduced and vehicles of

equal quality can be sold at a lower price, this

being is the trump card to be played by one of

the world's largest car manufacturers.

What he advocates are protectionist measures,

which have already proven to be very useful

when 30 years ago the United States

implemented them with Toyota, which is

nowadays one of the biggest car sellers in that

country.

Before getting into the topic of electric vehicles

and how it affects us, I would like to quickly

address how the EU economic competition

policies work. These are based on the promotion

of a competition similar to the perfect

competition, that is, products of the best

possible quality at the lowest possible price, thus

banning any kind of practice that may affect the

development of the above-mentioned

theoretical market structure.

The UE has recently tried to block the

entrance of electric cars of Chinese origin.

You may not know why, but it is because this

is making it difficult for European companies

to sell their vehicles being the Chinese ones

much cheaper.

Now let us go back to the issue in question. Last

September German Ursula Von der Leyer,

current President of the European Commission,

stated that an investigation would be opened on

"cheap Chinese” cars. The fact that China

currently controls a large part of the market of

electric cars and batteries makes that the

countries that used to have this power in Europe,

mainly Germany and France, are not able to keep

up with this economic powerhouse. But how are

these two countries facing this economic

challenge?

The countries that are more affected by this

(Germany and France) are stilll discusing

how to face best this economic challenge.

They defend two very different solutions

but one thing that clear, it is key to raise

awareness among European citizens that

cheap is not always the same as good.

The future lies in the EU


The German government has two positions, one leaning more towards the French view (Leyer) and

another similar to that supported by Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer. The latter claims that the European

Union would end up losing, because even if a price war is possible, the batteries used by European

companies are of Chinese origin, which would close the door to innovation and progress.

People might not understand how it is that these cars are produced, exported and sold at such cheap

prices in China. Among other factors, it is mostly due to a lack of regulation of working hours and

wages. Consequently it would be hypocritical for the EU to enter into agreements with a market that

breaks every single economic basis mentioned above. Moreover, depending on the agreement, it is

quite possible that it would lead to a cartel of European and Chinese car companies.

It is possible that, at this point, if carefully reflecting on all this, you may see a bleak future for European

cars, but dear reader, let me tell you, the future is not grim. As long as the EU refrains from making

agreements that are detrimental to both countries, promotes trade and innovation, and supports and

dedicates part of its money to technological research in Europe, all is not lost. The crux of the matter is

not to limit China, but to drive Europe forward.


Animal testing is a process aimed at using

animals for scientific experiments. Around 41

countries from all over the world have enacted

laws banning the usage of animals for tests with

cosmetic purposes.

The European Union is a pioneer in banning

animal testing. Cosmetics testing has been

prohibited since 2004, ingredient testing since

2009 and the sale of any products tested on

animals was finally banned in 2013. EU member

states, including Germany, Spain, Belgium or

France, have formulated strict regulations to

ensure the safety of cosmetics and to protect

human health, while guarding the environment

and animal welfare.

Despite increasing bans on animal testing, it is

estimated that more than 500,000 animals are

still used in laboratories, and even countries that

ban animal testing sometimes allow exemptions

that do not prevent animal testing of certain

ingredients employed in cosmetics.

It should be noted that current European

legislation allows testing on monkeys, dogs, cats,

rabbits, mice and rats for scientific purposes.

According to European Commission records, a

total of 8 million animals have been used in

invasive experiments in the EU since 2018.

However, MEPs are calling for an EU-wide

action plan that sets ambitious and

achievable targets and deadlines for phasing

out the use of animals in research and testing.

Animal testing is still used in many different

areas of committee responsibility.

ANIMAL TESTING

IN THE EUROPEAN

UNION

The measure aims to force the commission to

cease animal testing and work with researchers

to do so. And, in a historic event, the ultimate

goal is for the EU to abandon animal testing

altogether.

It has been shown that today there are

effective alternatives, which in most cases are

even more reliable in predicting human

responses, and which do not claim any animal's

life.

Written by Lucía Morandeira - IES MONELOS - A

The "cruelty-free" label indicates that the

product and its ingredients have not been

tested on animals.

However, the presence of these labels does not

always guarantee that a product is 100%

cruelty-free. In addition to looking for seals of

approval from reputable organisations such as

PETA and “Te Protejo”, it is also important to

research the product and the company that

manufactures it.

Coruña (Spain)

Therefore, a consistent approach without animal testing is crucial to achieve safety and

sustainability.

"We need to use science, not animals," said MEP Anja Hazekamp.


D R I K I N G

W A T E R

D I R E C T I V E

The importance and the use

of water in our lives

Written by Daily General Lyceum of Rio - GREECE

Water is a commodity of sustainable

importance and it is used in multiple ways.

One of these uses is, of course, the most

common: drinking it.

According to scientific studies, the

maximum time a person can survive

without drinking water is about a week.

The Benefits of Drinking Water

More specifically, George Washington

University professor of biology, Randall K.

Packer, emphasizes that this time limit is

based on observations of people at the end

of their lives, when they stopped taking

water. He points out that a week's time is a

rough estimate, the most typical is three to

four days.

Improving access to water intended for

human consumption for all.

Claude Plantadosi, a professor at Duke

University, commented that “we can go

about a hundred hours without drinking

water in average conditions. If it's cool, we

can survive a little longer. If we are exposed

to the sun, it's even less”.

High quality, safe and sufficient drinking

water is essential for public health and

well-being. Besides consumption, we also

use it for many other purposes, such as

washing, cleaning, hygiene, or watering our

plants.

Most people living in the EU already enjoy

very good access to high quality drinking

water, thanks in part to over 30 years of EU

policy on drinking water quality. This policy

ensures that water intended for human

consumption can be consumed safely,

Image: https://medium.com/

leading to a high level of health protection.


NEW EU DIRECTIVE

FOR HIGH DRINKING WATER STANDARS

Objectives

The main pillars of EU drinking water policy are to:

protect human health by ensuring the quality of water intended for human consumption

ensure that drinking water quality is controlled through standards based on the latest

scientific evidence

secure efficient and effective monitoring, assessment and enforcement of drinking water

quality

provide Europeans with adequate, timely and appropriately information and to improve

access to water intended for human consumption

Europeans can be sure of its quality improvement drinking water and their access to it, as well

as its new requirements of the revised Drinking Water Directive are the norm throughout the

EU.

The new rules ensure one of the highest standards in the world for the drinking water, in

accordance with the ambition for zero pollution which announced in the European Green Deal.

These rules also correspond to the first successful European Citizens' initiative "Right2Water"

in favor of improving access to safe drinking water for all Europeans, which gatnered 1.6 million

signatures.

For the price of a bottle of mineral water you would

receive almost 700 litres of water from the tap.

Christophe Hansen (EPP, Luxembourg)

Lead MEP on the Drinking Water Directive


For more information about the EU’s main law on drinking water (DWD), including the minimum

hygiene requirements for materials that come into contact with water intended for human

consumption.

Click here: https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/water/drinking-water_en


Drinking water in the EU:

better quality and access

The European Parliament approved new rules to further improve quality and access to

drinking water and reduce plastic waste from water bottles.

Tap water is eco-friendly

Drinking tap water is not only cheap but also environmentally friendly: Consumers can save

money by drinking tap water and lower consumption of bottled water reduces CO2-emissions

and plastic waste. According to the European Commission, access to better quality water

could reduce the consumption of bottled water by 17%.

click here:

Drinking water in the EU: better quality and access | Topics | European Parliament

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nisi sit amet, efficitur risus.

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magna mauris, placerat quis

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How to save water by simply

changing some habits

1. Make sure the dishwasher or washing machine is full before starting It.

2. Watch out for faucets or cisterns that may have some leakage and fix it immediately to

avoid wasting more water.

3. Always make sure you turn off the running water from the sink when washing dishes.

4. Proper care and proper maintenance of devices can prevent possible leaks and wasted

energy.

5. When we clean the porches or sidewalks, we first pick them up leaves

with the broom and then use a hose. We cannot expect to do all the work with the water

pressure.

6. Also when we wash our car, we save a lot using a bucket rather than the hose.

7. You can lower the float in the cistern lower so that you use less water.

8. Do not leave the faucet running, while having a bath, while brushing teeth or shaving.

9. Water your plants less at night

Based on Poster DRINKING WATER (ΠΟΣΙΜΟ ΝΕΡΟ)

POSTER LINK ΕΜΦΙΑΛΩΣΗ ΠΟΣΙΜΟΥ ΝΕΡΟΥ

Translated by

Papadogianni Joanna, Daily General Lyceum of Rio student.

Andriopoulos Nikolaos, Daily General Lyceum of Rio student.

Andriopoulou Andromahi, Daily General Lyceum of Rio Supervisor

PEOPLE

PLANET

PROSPERITY

PEACE

PARTNERSHIP

ART

and

CREATIVITY

Dear reader,

What do you usually do when there is a doodle on your desk? Normally

you would erase it or ignore it, but the illustrator of this story saw the

figure of a mermaid and the writer a name for her, Malissa. From here

they started to create a story for this mermaid, adding more characters

like Orion, Dimitri and.…. Me!

The best, of course.

Even before my creation, both artists decided to split both the writing

and the drawing in half, but for reasons that not even our super smart

Dimitri knows, in the end all the writing was for Rubén and all the art for

Rosa. They both had a lot of fun creating our story, so they didn't

hesitate to accept the job of writing a story even for a second. With all

this said, be good like Orion, smart like Dimitri, determined like Malissa

and above all brave like me, the great adventurer.

This is a goodbye until the tide brings us together again, dear reader.

With a big and warm hug,

Emma

Written by Rosa M° González López

IES Francisco García Pavón (Spain)

TOGETHER MAGAZINE 57 ART AND CREATIVITY

SDGs

Recycling

Social

Problems

The world survives

The day begins,

The sun shines,

The water flows,

The planet cries.

The world continues,

People pass by.

The cycle restarts,

The planet dies.

The clock is ticking,

The time is coming.

A new day is rising,

It’s time for apologizing.

Our action starts,

Our hands rise.

Life continues,

The world survives.

BY Mariana Oliveira Pereira - Escola Secundaria Padre Antonio Vieira, Lisboa - Portugal

TOGETHER MAGAZINE 67 ART AND CREATIVITY



Students of IES Francisco García Pavón (Spain)

TOGETHER

Escola Europeia

equality

save the ocean

education

sustainability

human rights

Érica Pinto

Ana Dionizio

Isabelle Candido & Melissa Santos

Stéphanie Fernandes

Devid Coelho Daniela Nsingi Rebeca Barbosa

For the Competition on European School Radio "Make It Heard 2024" one of our students wrote the

poem:

friendship

Friendship is like a fire that warms the heart

It rekindles human relationships.

Friendship is tender like a beautiful flower

It blooms in the soul, and life feels like a graceful song.

Friendship is a warm sun that disperses the clouds

And when the sky lights up, it defeats fears and sorrows.

Friendship is sweet like honey

It sweetens the bitterness of life.

A friend is the one who wipes away tears

Supporting us in difficult times.

A friend is the person who, with strong hands,

Keeps us standing when the soul is faint.

ACTIVITIES

EUROPEAN

PARLIAMENT

AMBASSADOR

SCHOOLS

ESCOLA

EUROPEIA

AMBASSADORS

JUNIOR’S ACTION !

TOGETHER MAGAZINE 77 ACTIVITIES EPAS

The Euroscola Programme in Strasbourg

ESCOLA EUROPEIA

DE ENSINO PROFISSIONAL

Braga - Portugal

Students and teachers at the European Parliament in Strasbourg

About EUROSCOLA

The Euroscola programme in Strasbourg brings

together students with ages of at least 14 years old,

from all 27 EU Member States, applicant countries

and former Member States to debate, take sides,

negotiate, amend, vote and finally adopt

resolutions on real European issues.

The students get an opportunity to

familiarize themselves with the workings

of the European institutions, to discuss

democracy, fundamental rights,

European values and to express their

personal opinions on the decisions taken

at an European Union level.

Students were accompanied by two

teachers.

The European Parliament set up the

Euroscola project in 1990, thus allowing

hundreds of thousands of high-school

students to participate in a simulation

exercise of the work of MEPs.

ESCOLA EUROPEIA

DE ENSINO PROFISSIONAL

As part of the Euroscolas programme, and in

recognition of the work carried out by our

school as an European Parliament

Ambassador School (EPAS) during the

2023/2024 academic year, we were honoured

to participate in a EUROSCOLA session at the

European Parliament in Strasbourg. This

opportunity, experienced for the second time

in our history, reinforces the commitment and

dedication of our students/ teachers to

promote European values, human rights and

solidarity.

The delegation of the School, was composed by

20 students and two teachers of our School,

and represented not only our educational

community, but also the vision of an

Educational Project that values active

citizenship and cultural diversity.

The central theme of this session was

"Protection of Human Rights and Solidarity:

Euroscola programme

STRASBOURG

The Ambition of the European Union for a

World of Freedom, Security and Justice".

During the activities, our students had the

opportunity to dialogue with young people

from different countries, discuss topics of

global relevance and understand more deeply

the role of the European Union in building a

fairer and more inclusive society. The students

actively participated in debates of great

relevance, as they also had the opportunity to

experience the cultural and historical magic of

this unique city, known as the heart of Europe.

Written by Susana Silva and Daniela Valente

Escola Europeia de Ensino Profissional (Braga -Portugal)

Students and teachers of Escola Europeia

TOGETHER MAGAZINE 81 ACTIVITIES EPAS - EEEP

This experience is fully integrated into the mission of our educational project, which focuses on forming

global citizens who are aware and active, capable of contributing to a better world.

Participating in the Euroscola programme reaffirms our commitment to prepare future generations for

the challenges of the 21st century, always based on the fundamental values of the European Union.

It was inspiring to see them stand up with

Within the European Parliament, our

students have shone, in each discussion

and intervention, that they are ready to

demonstrate not only the depth of their

ideas but also a rare and necessary

empathy to face today’s global challenges.

In dialogues that crossed linguistic and

cultural boundaries, they gave voice to the

hope of a generation that believes that

solidarity is not only a value, but an

indispensable practice.

conviction that human rights are not

abstract, but the essential fabric that

underpins the dignity of all people. Their

participation was a testimony that the future

of Europe is in good hands - young, creative

hands committed on building a better world.

In a universe of 39 nationalities, from the

European School of Vocational Education, a

total of 7 voices were heard echoed in

different languages, in an analogy of what is

the richness and cultural diversity we live in

our School.


However, Strasbourg provided more than “just”

debates in the Parliament. The city, with its

history of reconciliation and union, offered

students the opportunity to immerse

themselves in its unique culture. And, in one of

the most charming moments of the trip, we

visited the iconic Christmas markets.

These markets, known worldwide for their

welcoming atmosphere and celebration of

diversity, were an invitation to reflect on the

traditions that unite us as human beings.

Among the bright lights, the aromas of spices

and the music that echoed through the streets,

students experienced the magic of

coexistence, where different cultures meet and

celebrate in harmony. It was an experience that

reinforced the message of the trip: even in

differences, there is always something that

unites us.

This reflection is also echoed in the

mission of TOGETHER MAGAZINE,

which aims to be a space for sharing,

inspiration and union among

educational agents. Through the stories

and experiences presented, Together

Magazine promotes values of

inclusion, empathy and cooperation,

showing that together we can achieve

a positive and transformative impact

on society. Our trip to Strasbourg is

further proof that collaborative work

and dialogue are powerful tools for

building a common future.

We thank the European Parliament,

the EUROSCOLA programme, the

EPAS programme and, in particular,

we thank Dra. Isabel Baltazar, for the

recognition of our work and the trust

placed in our school to participate in

initiatives of this magnitude.

We also recognize the role of

PESSOAS 2030 project, which, by

sharing the vision of a

transformative and people-centered

education, contributes to consolidate

the values of solidarity and empathy

that we lived in this trip.


Strasbourg will be a milestone for all of us. A

memory not only of debates and learning, but of

an experience that united reason and emotion,

politics and coexistence. Our young people

returned inspired, determined to continue

building the European dream - a dream where

freedom, security and justice are pillars

supported by solidarity and commitment to

reach out to others.

Strasbourg has taught us something profound:

that human progress lies not only in the great

institutions or formal debates, but also in small

interactions - in mutual respect, sharing and

empathy. Our students returned home with

more than knowledge; they came back with

memories of lived solidarity, both in the halls of

the Parliament and in the streets lit by the

Christmas markets.

EUROSCOLA

“If the European Union is a dream in construction, Strasbourg has shown that

this dream is realized at the junction between reason and emotion, between

political debate and human experiences.

Our students, with their energy, creativity and sensitivity, have shown that they

are the true guardians of this dream”.


TESTIMONY OF THE STUDENTS… EUROSCOLA

The trip to Strasbourg was an unforgettable experience and

difficult to explain in a few words. I have to say that it was an

adventure, a wonderful experience, which made us live and learn

so much.

The day at the European Parliament was the most exciting one,

from the time we had to wake up early to get ready until we got

there and talked. Everything was a mix of emotions, but

something that will be in memory forever. I admire my courage,

as well as the one of my colleagues and teachers, to speak before

so many people, to face our fears and shame and having “killed

it”. I believe these are moments that should be enjoyed and

never forgotten. They are unique memories that make us reflect

on who we are and who we want to be.

This experience, in addition to helping us face fears, also allowed

us to meet new people and improve our knowledge of English

language.

I truly thank the opportunity to Escola Europeia de Ensino

Profissional, to the European Parliament, to Dra Raquel, principal

of the school, to Dra Susana, to Dra Daniela and also to our

former teacher, Professor Sara. They are amazing people who do

not let us give up, who help us to fight for our dreams and make

them come true. For this, a very special thanks.

This experience will be remembered forever, not only by the

experience itself, but also by the people who accompanied me."

Érica Freitas - 3rd year of the Assistant Health Technician

Course (Escola Europeia de Ensino Profissional - Portugal)

I had the incredible opportunity to visit the

European Parliament in Strasbourg with my school,

Escola Europeia de Ensino Profissional. It was two

intense days that marked me deeply.

Being in the Parliament was exciting. Walking

through that space, where such important

decisions are made, made me feel the weight and

beauty of democracy. Sitting in the chamber,

where great debates take place, was an unique

experience."

Rodrigo Neves - 2nd year of the Assistant Health

Technician Course (Escola Europeia de Ensino

Profissional - Portugal)



For the first time, I had the opportunity to participate in the

Euroscola session in Strasbourg.

For me, it was an amazing and unforgettable experience, every

second has a story to tell, I showed various emotions during 3

days that I haven’t felt in a long time, it was all very intense from

the beginning to the end, especially on the European Parliament

day where I got out of my comfort zone and so I recognized

hidden values.

Allowed to create beautiful connections with those who I would

not imagine and lose me in sincere laughter, no doubt the

diversity of personalities is contagious and challenging.

Could not let pass and thank for the patience and persistence of

Dra Daniela and Dra Susana that had with me and all of us,

hysterical with everything that was yet to come.

Thank you also to Escola Europeia de Ensino Profissonal for

providing, once again, phenomenal experiences like this, forever

grateful, THANK YOU!"

Mariana Guimarães - 2nd year of the Dental Prosthesis

Assistant Technician Course (Escola Europeia de Ensino

Profissional)

"I would like to express my gratitude to Escola Europeia de

Ensino Profissional, for providing me another incredible

opportunity to live such a remarkable experience. During

these three days, I was able not only to feel valued, but also

to understand the great importance of dialogue and

exchange of ideas, something that I will carry for life.

In addition, I had the chance to make new friendships, live

unforgettable experiences and adventures and explore

places full of stories that further enriched this journey.

I want to thank our former teacher Sara, Dra Daniela and Dra

Susana, who made this experience possible. They were there

for us at all times, offering support, encouragement and

guidance, which made all the difference.

Thank you for believing in us and for providing such

meaningful moments!"

Melissa Santos - 3rd year of the Dental Prosthesis

Assistant Technician Course (Escola Europeia de Ensino

Profissional)



Going to Strasbourg was a dream!

I will never forget everything I saw, felt and lived. If I had to choose a

word to define this trip, it would be “fullness”. It’s hard to speak of just

one day because they were all amazing. Right in the first, we went to

explore Strasbourg and its wonderful Christmas markets. It was, with

no doubt, the most beautiful I have ever seen. That Christmas

atmosphere will always stay with me.

The visit to the European Parliament was another highlight of the trip.

There I met people from countries like Afghanistan, Lithuania and

Romania, which was fantastic to practice my English. During the

debate, I gained courage and raised my hand to ask a question. I did

not have the opportunity to speak, because there were many young

people trying to, but I was proud of myself for having overcome

nerves and shyness. I was also very happy with my colleagues, who

spoke so well and represented our school and Portugal brilliantly.

These experiences are unique and help us to grow, both personally

and professionally. I want to thank Escola Europeia de Ensino

Profissional and to Dra Raquel, Dra Susana and Dra Daniela, who

supported us throughout the process and were essential in getting us

here. A very special thanks to my former teacher Sara, who was the

one who encouraged me to participate in these projects.

Finally, thank you to the European Parliament for the incredible

opportunities it offers young people. Thank you! Or, as they say in

France, merci beaucoup!!

Juan Esquivel - 2nd year of the Dental Prosthesis Assistant

Technician Course (Escola Europeia de Ensino Profissional)

I would like to thank you for the opportunity to participate

in the trip. I have not been able to contribute much, but

still has a long way to go.

During the trip, in addition to the magnificent landscapes,

environments, multicultural and a hectic environment, it

was very pleasant, both the stay and the city itself.

Finally, and most importantly, it was an excellent

experience within the parliament as a “MEP for a day”.

Afonso Timane - 2nd year of the Electronics,

Automation and Computers Technical Course (Escola

Europeia de Ensino Profissional)


Students, Improve your english!

Escola Europeia de

Ensino Profissional

“STUDENTS, IMPROVE YOUR ENGLISH!” is a

project that will be developed during

2024/2025, for the second year, in Escola

Europeia de Ensino Profissional (Braga -

Portugal), together with Braga Red Cross and

the Braga Youth Center.

Six international volunteers participate in this

project.

This project consists of providing students with

English speaking sessions, taking into account

that English is a universal language and

therefore it is essential to learn to speak it.

For the execution of the project, Escola Europeia de Ensino Profissional will count on INTERNATIONAL

VOLUNTEERS of other nationalities (Italy, Georgia, Wales and Slovenia).


Three students from Escola Europeia de Ensino

Profissional (Braga - Portugal) have reached

third place in Empreender@Braga programme,

thanks to their innovative project "Entre

Mundos". This is a project that arises from the

personal experiences of students as immigrants,

transforming the challenges of integration

familiar lived by them into opportunities to help

others.

Juan Esquivel, Priscila Coelho and Bruna

Rodrigues, students of the courses of Dental

Technician and Health Technician, took

advantage of their experience as immigrants

from Costa Rica and Brazil to develop "Entre

Mundos". With determination, creativity and a

lot of work, they developed this project that

aims to promote social inclusion, combat

misinformation, celebrate cultural diversity and

make Braga an increasingly welcoming and

multicultural city.

Students from Escola

Europeia de Ensino

Profissional stand out in the

Empreender@Braga

programme

The success of these students is the testimony

of another creative and innovative practice

carried out in the context of vocational

education, which stimulates practical

experience and entrepreneurship while

contributing significantly to personal growth,

social and professional, of young people.

This achievement also reflects the support and

dedication of teachers and school staff, who are

tireless in accompanying students.

Empreender@Braga is a training program for entrepreneurs and youth associations that promotes the

development of new businesses and strengthens youth organizations in Braga, in an inclusive and

dynamic environment based on knowledge exchange.


INTERNATIONALIZATION

ACTIVITIES

EUROPEIAN

PARLIAMENT

AMBASSADOR

SCHOOLS

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

AMBASSADOR SCHOOLS


E U R O S C O L A A T

S T R A S B O U R G

Colegio Fundación

Caldeiro

(Madrid - Spain)

By Alicia Martín, Gabriela Nieto, Irene Jiménez & Marta

Abades - Colegio Fundación Caldeiro - Madrid (Spain)

Hello, we are Irene and Alicia, and we are going to

tell you about our experience at Euroscola at

the European Parliament in Strasbourg from

December 14-16.

When they told us we were going we were overly

excited, and we prepared for the trip.

The main objective of the trip was to visit the

European Parliament and interact with students

from other schools and countries and learn their

ideas and practice languages.

We arrived in the evening at Strasbourg airport,

where we were picked up by a bus that took us

to our hostel for the next 3 days.

We left our things there and walked across the

border with Germany where we arrived at a small

town called Kehl where we had dinner and

walked all night. To get there we crossed a bridge

that went over the Rhine River.

The next morning, we got up and went down to

the buffet, although we did not eat much

because that day we were going to Parliament,

and they gave us breakfast there.

We spent the whole morning

debating with our group in parliament

on the topic protection of human

rights and solidarity EUS ambition

towards a word of freedom, security,

and justice.

We spent the afternoon walking through the

beautiful city of Strasbourg, seeing the

Christmas markets, enjoying the gastronomy,

the cathedral, the lights, and the different

decorations. It being December and Christmas,

everything was very nice and decorated. After

having an amazing time, we had dinner there and

headed back to the hostel.

The next morning, we had breakfast at the hostel,

went to the market again to do the last bit of

shopping and then took the bus to go to the

airport.

When we arrived, we took the plane and arrived

at night in Madrid very happy and having spent

some incredible days. We loved this trip, and we

highly recommend them, it was an incredible and

very enriching experience.


EXCHANGE TO

GERMANY AND IRELAND

SECUNDARY STUDENT

By Alicia Martín, Gabriela Nieto, Irene Jiménez & Marta

Abades - Colegio Fundación Caldeiro - Madrid (Spain)

On the exchange trip to Germany, she adapted

very easily and without any problems with the

family that welcomed her, watching games and

spending time together.

To get around it was necessary to use the car or

the train with a ticket and after passing a few

stops he arrived at school and all his classmates

from Spain were in the class, so it was easier,

although they also interacted with some

classmates from there.

At lunch time it was a little more confusing since

the schedules were quite different, so it was

difficult to adapt, f.e. that the food was scarce

unlike ours and dinner was at a very early hour.

In their house there was a great concern for the

environment, for example outside they had three

large buckets as soon as they left and in the bars

they had the used plastic bottles in boxes and

after they ran out they washed and reused them

and in the streets you could see continuous bins

and buckets Likewise, the streets and parks were

very clean, it was very unusual to find waste on

the ground and there were several signs

indicating the prohibition of throwing waste in

places other than those indicated. In the food

stalls, environmental awareness could also be

observed, for example when buying food, in this

case pizza was delivered with cardboard

wrappers to avoid the use of plastic.

We recommend taking this exchange trip to

Germany because it was a great experience in

which you get to learn many things such as the

history, culture, language or characteristics of

the inhabitants of said country. And when you do

it with your friends it is somewhat more bearable

than having to do it alone and it leads you to

enjoy the experience of the trip more.

During her exchange to Ireland, Lucía has

adapted very well, although the first few days

were a little strange, but she quickly got used to

everything. They take care of the environment

but there are no containers on the streets and at

home they throw everything in the same trash.

The landscape there is very green.

In supermarkets almost all things are packaged in

plastic. And there they eat a lot of food

preheated or made in the air fryer. A very curious

thing about Ireland is that in the streets,

supermarkets and restaurants there is a machine

that is used to recycle plastic bottles and

depending on the size and metal of the bottle

you receive rewards in the form of money.


INED went to Matosinhos Beach

The 8th-grade class and their 11th-grade mentors

rolled up their sleeves to make Matosinhos Beach

cleaner and more sustainable in an activity with

educational and environmental purposes.

Colégio INED

(Porto - Portugal)

On October 3rd, as part of the #EUbeachcleanup

project and the internal Mentorship project

“MentorSphere”, not even the rain could stop the

sense of mission of the 11th-grade students.

Accompanying their younger peers from the 8th

grade, they, along with their teachers, went to

Matosinhos Beach (located close to the school)

with the purpose of conducting a beach cleanup

activity. Carefully planned to take place outside of

the bathing season, the activity sought to raise

awareness among students and the school

community about the concerning and almost

permanent abundance of waste on our beaches,

promoting not only environmental awareness but

also care for the coastal ecosystem.

Authors: Isabella Bennett and Mariana Prata

8th-grade class

Students and teachers spread out along the beach with the goal of collecting as much trash as

possible. Two hours later, the various bags filled by each group were gathered together. Among the

collected debris, the most common items were plastic bottles, cigarette butts, food and drink

packaging, lighters, and even construction rubble and a piece of clothing! Sixty kilograms: that was the

total weight of all the waste collected by the students.

After returning everything to its proper place –

the bins – the students went back with a sense

of duty fulfilled. The activity was immensely

beneficial for both the students and the planet,

reminding everyone that it’s not only during the

bathing season that we should pay attention to

keeping our coastline clean.

Authors: Carolina Pereira, Francisca Bastos and

Rafaela Almeida 8th-grade class


Agrupamento de Escolas Francisco Simões

(Almada - Portugal)

Another Coastal Cleanup session took place on

September 28th as part of the international event with the

same name and in conjunction with the European

Parliament's Ambassador School Project. “morto.vivo”, an

informal group based in the “Agrupamento de Escolas

Francisco Simões”, once again promoted this moment of

awareness and empathy and for an hour, on a beach of

Costa da Caparica, more than seventy friends of the

Ocean contributed to leaving the beach a little better than

they found it.

For one hour, 67,550 kilos of rubbish, one thousand and

eight hundred cigarette butts were collected, with the very

serious problem of plastics and microplastics continuing to

increase.

Below there are some photos from the event, as well as the

link of the video done by our Junior Ambassador of the

EPAS Project, Tomás Laranjeira.

https://youtu.be/mlW1YjLcZQE


Sixto Marco High

School, a veteran of

Consumópolis

IES Sixto Marco de

Elche

(Alicante) España

Sixto Marco High School is located in Elche, Spain,

and we have been participating in the

Consumópolis school competition for 14

consecutive years, and in all of our participations

we have won a prize in the regional phase.

Consumópolis is a competition that aims to teach

young people and teenagers the importance of

responsible consumption in all areas of their lives:

leisure, energy, Internet and social networks, fair

trade, consumers' rights, etc. It aims to promote

sustainability as an essential value in today's

society. Since Sixto Marco High School is part of

the European Parliament's Ambassador Schools

programme, we link these values with those of the

European Union, thus working on sustainability

from a pro-European point of view.

The competition is organised by the National

Institute of Consumption, an entity that

belongs to the Ministry of Consumption.

Consumópolis is also a meeting point that

favours the exchange of opinions and

experiences among all those who consider

consumer education to be fundamental.

The objective of Consumópolis is to offer the

school community a practical and dynamic

tool that contributes to the integral

development of current and future consumers.

Consumópolis favours the learning of

concepts, procedures and attitudes that make

it possible to build a consumer society that is

increasingly fairer, more caring and

responsible.


This academic year 2024/2025 marks the 20th anniversary of this competition, and our school, Sixto

Marco, has been participating since the 6th edition. In all these editions we have learned a lot of things,

such as the rights that we have as consumers, the importance of using energy in a sustainable way, not

to be fooled by misleading advertising, how to handle social networks properly, and how to recycle

correctly.

The students learn all these concepts in a fun way, as the first phase of the competition consists of a

series of online mini-games about responsible consumption. The second phase of the competition is

different in each edition. In some editions the proposal was to make a poster to promote the values of

the competition among young people, in other cases this second phase consisted of making a video

on the theme of the competition, we have even made a music video, as in last year's edition.

Our students have always enjoyed participating in this competition, and from the school we are very

happy that such interesting initiatives are promoted for our young people, to reinforce values as

important and urgent as sustainability.


Arganda del Rey

is European City

of Sport 2024

IES El Carrascal

(Arganda del Rey -

Spain)

The association ACES Europe has officially

declared that Arganda del Rey is European City

of Sport 2024, as has been communicated in

writing by the president of ACES, Gian

Francesco Lupattelli, to the mayor of Arganda

del Rey.

The evaluation commission visited our

municipality on 19 and 20 April, where they were

able to see the sports facilities and the sports

programmes being carried out. In the

confirmation letter, Lupattelli highlights that

‘Arganda is really a good example of sport for all

as an instrument of health, integration,

education and respect, which are the main

objectives of ACES Europe’. ‘It has also

developed an exemplary sports policy with

programmes and activities and is therefore

welcome to join the ACES Europe family.

Written by Yara Rodríguez Tornero

IES El Carrascal, Arganda del Rey (Madrid - España)

Continuing with the theme of sport, each ESO

class, from 1st to 4th grade (27 groups) worked

on sport in each of the European countries,

dedicating a page in the giant book that resulted

from the joint work of all the classes.

Each group investigated about the most

important sport in their countries, famous

sportmen and women, European Champions and

Olympic Games in which they have participated.

Twelve athletes have represented Arganda as

ambassadors during the year 2024 in which the

municipality holds the title of European City of

Sport. The City Council has created a calendar in

which each of the athletes has been assigned to

a different month. Some of them had been

students in the IES El Carrascal.

Our students investigate about them and

elaborate Canvas presentation with their

biographies and sporting achievements.


During the Celebration of the Europe´s Day 9th

May, students had the opportunity to debate

about Sports and European values.

They tried to answer several questions: What is

the role of the EU in the field of Sport? What are

the European Values EU has to promote? How

does the EU promote European Values in Sport?

Other initiatives in the field of Sport

Analysing the results, our students have learnt

that sport has an enormous power to integrate

people regardless race, religion, gender, culture

or socio-economic status. Sports and its values

need more visibility and action in the EU.

Students concluded that there are many

challenges facing sport, such as corruption, the

fight against match-fixing, doping or

discrimination. Another challenge is to move

towards a sustainable and innovative future.

In summary, cooperation is the key to promoting

a model of sport in Europe that is open to all,

based on diversity, solidarity, justice, neutrality

and fair treatment.

Currently, our giant European sports book will be

on display in the library, so that all our students

have access to it.


Keep moving

for Values

In the first term of the 2017/18 academic year, a

group of students and teachers of our School

(Escola Secundária Eça de Queirós, at Olivais,

Lisboa, Portugal) went again to Strasbourg, to

the European Parliament, following another

school victory in the annual Euroscola

competition, in the previous academic year.

Since this trip onwards, we were no longer able

to count with the fingers of only one hand the

number of times students and teachers went to

Strasbourg, directly following school successful

endeavors at Euroscola contest — and that time

wouldn’t be also the last time we would go back

to Strasbourg Parliament for Euroscola annual

meeting.

Ever since the Eça’s School first successful

endeavor in 2010 (repeated in 2012, 2014, 2016,

and 2017, on the way back from Strasbourg, the

coordinators joined the students that

participated in the European Parliament

adventure, together with their parents, teachers

and some guests, at a celebratory dinner.

Escola

Secundária

Eça de Queirós

Olivais - Lisboa

(Portugal)

Written by Carlos Marques, Fernando Pinto

Renato Pernadas - Escola Secundária Eça de Queirós

This dinner allowed us to talk about the serious

and the funny matters, particularly, the amusing

facts and episodes of the trip, all along an

exchange of photos; thereby, celebrating the

school’s achievement in a joyful and supportive

interaction. Above all, through this learning and

personal enrichment gathering, the school

community gained a better sense of the national

citizenship, the European citizenship, and also

heightened the feeling of local citizenship in the

community of belonging. Besides, the dinner

turned out a tradition in our school.

In 2017, the diner took place on October 26, two

weeks after the presence in the European

Parliament, in Strasbourg). At the dinner, a

student, at the request of his mother, who was

unable to attend, handed over three books to

each of the three teachers responsible for

accompanying the class of 2017 to Strasbourg.

Euroscola

The European Parliament, Strasbourg


The book entitled "Move-te por Valores,

Testemunhos e exemplos do Desporto”[1] was

an edition of Edições Afrontamento, and its

authors were Esmeralda Gonçalinho, Amílcar

Antunes, Humberto Ricardo, André Carvalho

and José Lima. The edition was from 2017.In

fact, the book had recently been released. The

initiative to publish the book was from the

Portuguese Institute of Sports and Youth (IPDJ)

and its department National Sports Ethics Plan

(PNED).

One of the author’s team collaborators was

Lídia Praça, a member of the IPDJ council.

Indeed, Lídia Praça was precisely the mother,

who entrusted her son (one of the Eça’s

students who had gone to Strasbourg that

year) to offer the three copies of the book to

the coordinators of that year’s representation

to the European Parliament

Fernando Pinto, one of the teachers on the

journey to Strasbourg immediately leafed

through the book and that same night, after

arriving home, he didn't rest until he read it

completely! The book was full of notable

examples of sportsmanship, 'fair play' and other

values in which the practice of sport, whether

competitive or not, is very rich

Figure 1 The book "Move-te por Valores".

He addressed the Eça’s fellows and curricula

coordinators about creating an exhibition.

Agreeing to move forward, Fernando consulted

with the student’s mother, who gave him the

best suggestion at the moment: «Go to PNED,

talk to José Lima». As soon as she said it, so

they soon did it.

Fernando kept his head buzzing during the

following days, the perspective of the values of

Sport and the perspective of the values of

European citizenship were, in its essence, the

reason for the students' trips to Strasbourg.

This idea kept reasoning in his mind.

Figure 2 At the dinner, first reading of the book.

[1] It means “Keep moving for values” testimonies and examples from sport”


The Eça’s School team was very cordially

welcomed by Dr. José Lima at PNED. Going

straightly to the purpose of the meeting the

Eça’s team decided to present the proposal in

figurative and rather informal manner, asking

for José Lima’s opinion about the idea of

‘marrying’ the values of sport and the values of

European Citizenship.

The what of marriage proposal was exactly

framed: »What if we combined the Values of

Sport with the Values of European

Citizenship?» The proposal was accepted by

José Lima, quicker than a blink. On April 20,

Figure 3 The ceremony of the 20th April 2018, at the local press.

2018, this primordial “wedding” took place at

Eça de Queirós Secondary School.

From that day onwards, the "Movete

por Valores" Exhibition has been

adding editions, counting up

examples of Sports and Citizenship

Values, reaching thousands of

students and young athletes across

the country. Finally, it crossed to

Spain, Mérida, where it has already

found a place to join the relay of the

Exhibition.

But let's go slower, otherwise we risk tripping.

In November 2017, the communication and

correspondence between José Lima (national

chief coordinator of PNED) and Fernando Pinto

is very intense. The objective was very clear at

that time: to create an itinerary exhibition,

which would tour schools and youth sports

associations in the country.

The participating schools were asked/invited

to created panels inspired on the cases

presented in the book "Keep moving for

Values/Move-te por Valores". Thus, each

school would add one more panel to the

assemblage. As such, every original panel, is to

be considered as showing a new

personal/idiosyncratic example of the value

portrayed by the school or sports association.

In the myriad of values, most represented ones

are among the following:


Examples of Values in Sports: respect, honesty, courage, justice, helpfulness,

determination, impartiality, cooperativa, truth.

Examples of Citizenship Values in European Union: respect for human dignity,

freedom, democracy, equality, rule of law, respect for human rights, solidarity;

and Peace, and Tolerance, and Fraternity.

Eça de Queirós Secondary School, out of the

sixteen national schools invited to participate

in a European educational program, initiated,

in the 2016/17 academic year: the European

Parliament Ambassador School program.

Indeed, the school community was in a

privileged position to take the Itinerary

Exhibition to other ambassador’s schools and

thus, little by little, the Values of European

Citizenship would grow alongside the Values

of Sport of the Exhibition.

At Eça school, the Exhibition was perceived as

a success, acknowledged, among others,

bringing together, among others, by its partner

institutions PNED (José Lima), IPDJ (Lídia

Praça), but also by political representatives at

the European Parliament, namely the

Portuguese European deputy Marisa Matias

and the former European deputy José Ribeiro

e Castro, representatives of local authorities,

and some Portuguese ambassadors of Ethics

in Sport.

The Exhibition, in its original format, was

composed of 20 panels, each adding to the

exhibition set of 20 cases, many resulting from

individual stories based on the book "Keep

moving for Values/Move-te por Valores". The

Eça School took the responsibility of putting

together the first European Citizenship Values’

panel

Figure 5 Marisa Matias, Portuguese European deputy with Fábio

Fernandes, the ex-student of school Eça de Queirós, who was

celebrated in the panel added by the school.

Figure 4 Two official ambassadors of

opening ceremony of the Exhibition.

Ethics in Sports in the


The Exhibition was opened to the school

community of the Eça School for two weeks.

From there, the exhibition went on to Escola

Secundária Eduardo Gageiro, at Sacavém (a

neighbor locality of Lisboa).

At the second school, the arrival of the

exhibition was honored by the presence of

Eduardo Gageiro, the patron of the school, and

one of the greatest Portuguese photographers

alive. Since that time to present days, the

“Keep moving for Values/Move-te por Valores”

Itinerary Exhibition continued its journey, in the

format of a relay race, from European

Ambassador School to the next European

Ambassador School, progressing until now

without interruptions.

At that moment in time, the metaphor of an

athletics relay race seemed useful to

represent the mode of passage of the itinerary

exhibition. For this, it was regarded as needed

to use the traditional rod-like object, called the

‘baton’, which is, simultaneously, a concrete

object to hold on, and a symbolic artifact of

the common testimony among all the relay’s

participants. Indeed, the Itinerary Exhibition will

progress from school or sport association to

the very last one, which will serve as its anchor.

Figure 6 The 'palos' (Mirandese), or 'batons'. Eça de Queirós’

school received them on the 20th March, 2018. They were made

and given by Miranda do Douro’s secondary school.

“Keep moving for Values/Move-te por Valores”

In the enthusiastic and creative environment in

which we were moving on, emerged the idea of

inviting the Miranda do Douro Secondary

School (in the very north-eastern part of the

country) to join the group of European

Parliament Ambassador School program and

welcome the itinerary exhibition. The Miranda

do Douro Secondary School was seen as an

added value to the Itinerary Exhibition and

everything it represented.

To this aim, the excellent exchange

relationship that the Eça School maintained

with Miranda do Douro School supported the

new partnership. Moreover, the Eça School had

for some years already cultivated a very

special interest in the region of Portugal’

second language, Mirandese; on the other

hand, Miranda do Douro school had also

reached the group of EPAS — as we said

before, we invited our colleagues to join the

project of EPAS and they accepted.

Figure 7 April Captain (1974) Rodrigo Sousa e Castro came to

Escola Secundária Eça de Queirós for wishing good luck to the

Exhibition relay race.

In this context, what if we took advantage of

the Exhibition and took knowledge of the

Mirandese Language to other schools in the

country, throughout the country?

It was in realm of this collaborative and

inclusive spirit that we asked our colleagues

from Miranda do Douro to make and send us

pairs of 'palos'

The ‘palos’ from he Pauliteiros de

Miranda[3] became the new batons of the

Itinerary Exhibition. Such 'palos' served as

the testimonies of the athletics relay race.

Just like in the athletics relay

competitions, the athletes pass the baton

from one hand to the next hand, the pair of

‘palos’ became the testimony.

Figure 8 “Move-te por Valores”, from 2018 to 2023. The Exhibition is still moving, by the leadership of PNED, and the collaboration of the

Portuguese coordination of EPAS program.

Still, another added value would be brought to this passage. The school holding the Itinerary

Exhibition attached a ribbon identifying the school to the base of one of the 'palos. Successively, the

procedure was repeated for every school by adding a colored ribbon to the ‘palos’, identifying its

participation in the Itinerary Exhibition.

After the Itinerary Exhibition passage through 20 schools, each 'palo' counts 10 ribbons. Likewise, a

beautiful bouquet slowly forming, the Itinerary Exhibition’s landmarks are increasingly more colorful!...

(see figure 8) The Itinerary Exhibition that began with 20 panels at the end of first edition could

reach 40!

[3] The “Pauliteiros de Miranda” is a singular dance from Miranda do Douro Lands, previously called “dance of swords.” Without certainties

about the its category, the dance of Pauliteiros can identify elements warriors, religious and dance rituals.

E s c o l a B á s i c a e

S e c u n d á r i a M o u z i n h o

d a S i l v e i r a

( A z o r e s - P o r t u g a l )

On October 2nd, the Escola Básica e

Secundária Mouzinho da Silveira accepted the

challenge of the “European Parliament

Ambassador School” Program (EPAS) and

organized a Beach Cleaning Action.

At the end of a beautiful autumn afternoon, the

group made up of Junior and Senior

Ambassadors, with the participation of the

recently created Clube dos Benjamins (Young

Children Group), joined forces to carry out a

coastal cleanup in Praia da Areia, an excellent

bathing area in the region. Corvo island.

C o a s t a l c l e a n i n g

o n C o r v o i s l a n d

The friendly group, with more than thirty

committed volunteers, walked the coastal areas

of Praia da Areia and Sargacinhos, where they

collected more than 200 kilos of waste of

different types.

During the action, the volunteers were amazed at

the amount of waste that the Atlantic waters

deposit in coastal areas, where microplastics

proliferate, particularly harmful to marine

ecosystems, as well as to the seabirds that nest

here.

Written by Fernando Ferreira

(EBS Mouzinho da Silveira - Corvo)


The initiative is part of the EU BeachCleanup

campaign, which the European Union and the

United Nations have been developing with great

success and for which schools and other

institutions, non-governmental organizations and

citizens from all over the world join forces at

local level, organizing and participating in various

coastal cleanup activities.

The final balance was frankly positive. Also, the

EPAS program is grateful for the partnership of

the Environment and Civil Protection Club of

our School, the participation of students and

teachers and the support of Corvo’s City

Council and Environmental Services.


The European

Day of

Languages

An article by Laura Paisana and Mafalda Mósca

(Junior Ambassadors of the EPAS of Serpa, Portugal)

On the 26th of September, the European Day of

Languages was celebrated in our school, with

several activities: language workshops, dance,

theatre, lectures, exhibitions with guided tours,

Book Fairs (in several languages), cinema

sessions and gastronomic shows. All these

activities aimed at highlighting the importance

of learning different languages and also

addressing very important, impactful and

current issues in Europe, mainly through the use

of art as a way to raise awareness of the topics

being displayed: migration, inclusion, peace and

sustainability.

The venue was promoted by the Representation

of the European Comission in Portugal,

sponsored by the European Comission, The

Municipality of Serpa, The Secondary School of

Serpa and the Baixo Alentejo Europe Direct

Center. These last two were responsible for the

organization of the venue.

Agrupamento

de Escolas n°2

de Serpa

(Portugal)

Activities were held in two different schools, in

the city library and in the city Theatre. They

started early in the morning at 8:15h and ended

at 5 p.m.. Our school’s drama club performed

numerous plays, including: "Pássaros que voam"

(Birds that fly), "Piri Piri extra forte" (extra strong

Piri Piri ) written by Ana Pessoa and “Querida

Anne Frank" (Dear Anne Frank). The

performances were all performed by students

members of the EPAS group (European

Parliament Ambassador School).

Many activities were open to the community:

Theatre, lectures and the Book Fair. Ana Pessoa,

translator of the European Council, in Brussels, is

the author of the play “Piri-Piri Extra Forte”. She

has participated in a lecture for High School

students and been on several interviews. The

national Media has covered the venue and a

special programme was broadcast on National

TV, RTP.

This was a very special and important day for all

of us, school and community, because many of

the hot issues inflaming Europe today were

discussed during the day, mostly through the art

form, theater, and that shows how powerful and

effective this type of communication can be.


Agrupamento de

Escola Básica e

Secundária Quinta das

Flores

(Coimbra - Portugal)

Talking about peace and the blame goes

to… “No Man’s land” - Urgent to see and

meet one another!

By Madalena Relvão, Senior ambassador

Escola Básica e Secundária Quinta das Flores

This article is about an eTwining project which

has been running since 2016-2017 till present, in

order to build PEACE and mutual understanding

inside European Countries. The purpose of the

article is to demonstrate that we don´t need (and

many times it is not enough) to talk about peace

to make it a belief, a value and a true reality in

our world.

The title of this reflection comes from the World

War I expression «No man´s land». Why was that

50 yards territory so important to the trenches

war? What was its aim? In fact it was an

extraordinarily successful way of keeping

soldiers separated from enemies. But why was it

considered a good war strategy?

Simply because the ones you don´t see or have

met are easier to kill without feeling guilty. If you

meet enemy force soldiers, you can have them

as friends, share their problems and suffering –

and of course you will not wish to kill them, since

you know them as human beings.

PROJECT PROFILE

This is the main frame of this project called

«European Student Council» (ESC), which puts

together many students and teachers from

countries of the European Union (EU), all school

year long (online) and face-to-face during one

week per year at «Ecole Europeènne de

Strasbourg» (EES) and at the European

Parliament (EP), as part of eTwinning and as an

activity of the European program of The

European Parliament Ambassador Schools

(EPAS).

Although we, the project partners, are looking for

the project to include delegations of all EU

state-members, we haven´t reached that

objective yet. Usually we have about 7 to 9

delegations per year: during the 10 years of this

project lifetime, we have put together teachers

and students from France, Germany, Greece,

Italy, Romania, Poland, Portugal, Spain and one or

more representations of «European Schools» as

well. We are always welcoming new partners

from the EU.

Each Delegation is composed by 10 students as

Euro deputies and 1 student as a Reporter. And

there are also 2 students to be chosen (among

the participating countries) by the delegations

as President, Vice-President, and General

Secretary of the Project. We emphasize that

after 10 years this has probably reached about 1

thousand persons and that each delegation

disseminates the experience and the

achievements in its own community, broadening

the scope of the project outputs.


PROJECT DESCRIPTION

ESC project is divided into two parts: the first

one is held online and goes all school year long.

Students work in multinational groups; the

second is face-.to-face in Strasbourg during 1

week (usually April or May). Language of

communication is English.

WORKING ONLINE

Oriented by the teachers (coordinated by Mr.

Edouard Caburet in the EES), through the school

year, students keep working on the chosen

theme of that year (2023-2024: In Art

Concordia; 2024-2025 will be Mental Health).

Teachers’ strategy is to give students the

largest autonomy as possible, just keeping them

alert for deadlines and small activity. Students

have to attend some online conferences (mainly

related to the theme of the year) and do some

works (specially preparing workshops that have

to be organized and given on site at the EP

Strasbourg during the face-to-face week).

The theme of last year emerged from the final

Plenary session of the project in the EP in 2023

and from the answer of a Portuguese student

(Júlia Rodrigues) to another colleague: she was

sharing her participation as invited student in

the Lux Awards event in June 2023 as kind of

promotion of UE state-members cinema and of

European citizens chance to vote for the films,

when a colleague asked her why she was talking

about cinema in a project that deals mainly with

political issues. She answered that Art is a

political weapon: it reflexes the present and

challenges and shapes the future. That was the

trigger for the theme of 2023-2024: because

Art can get people together in harmony.

It’s also online that students apply for

Presidency (President and Vice-president,

different countries) and for General Secretary.

The candidates have to make a campaign and all

students vote in general elections.

Online too, students have to search for a notawarded

personality (single or collective) that

rises in the fight for the defence of human rights

or freedom of speech, in a part, called MALALA

PRIZE (similar to Sakharov Prize), of this

eTwinning project. The last two years students

have elected the Humanitarian Aid Volunteering

Organisation called «Wheeling2help» (see

https://www.wheeling2help.com/) and the Polish

activist Justyna Wydrzyńska

(seehttps://www.amnesty.org.uk/urgentactions/activist-defending-safe-abortion-risksjail)

The main site where students work online

together in multinational groups is the eTwinning

section of European School Education Platform

(ESEP: https://school-education.ec.europa.eu/en

which offers a public face to the project and

also runs a private space, this one as a

guarantee of safety in the cyberspace for our

minor students. We must add that several other

ICT apps and sites can be used by the students,

since we believe that pathways in gardens must

be fixed after spontaneous path of their users),

so that each group can feel comfortable with its

choices and corners .

~During the school year, working in groups,

students have to organize the upper referred

Workshops – it’s up to them to choose subthemes

to the annual theme and search for

information, materials and strategies to attract

attention from their peers in face-to-face

activities inside EP – they will have to hold it

inside the EP (which opens their working rooms

for them). Fortunately, we have seen really

amazing workshops and therefore we

increasingly believe in our youth and in the

future they will build.

Of course, these online Twin Space also serves

to make social approaches (sharing profiles,

country geography, History and points of

interest, schools’ life, dreams, and beliefs). If

they know one another maybe they become

friends! We always have great expectations.

So far as running for Presidency is concerned,

also done online, it also demands multinational

work, since presidency is made of a General

Secretary, a President and a Vice-President,

compulsory from 2 different countries – and

this makes it mandatory to find a partner,

negotiate action and political program and

campaign. Then they must put a poster in Twin

Space, and they can interact in forums and live

conferences if they decide to. It’s always a very

interesting learning moment of citizenship

activities and responsibilities. Election is made

by secret online vote and results are them

published in the Twin Space. In teachers’

opinion, this activity is very important in the

present context of great abstention in EU

elections and national ones as well.

Presidency chosen, online conferences

attended, workshops prepared, Malala Prize

proposals ready for presentation – it’s time to

meet in person. «No man’s (online) land» was

almost eliminated, but face-to-face will be the

final proof and evidence of European citizenship

and global understanding and respect.

MEETING FACE-TO-FACE

That’s the moment when 11 (or 12 or 13) students

and 2 or 3 teachers fly to Strasbourg.

Unfortunately, participants need to pay for flight

expenses (transfers in Portugal are supported

by Coimbra Local Authorities, which is another

way to show our students the importance of

these near political bodies). Lodgement

(generally in homes of families working at EP,

Council of Europe and Human Rights Court) is

offered by intermediation of EES. Meals are

almost all the responsibility of both EP or EES

(led by host families, always very glad to receive

the students of this project). Some families are

no longer related to the project but they keep

receiving the students, motivated by the

appreciation of such a beloved initiative. We all

feel as a happy family!

The first day is usually spent at ESS, with

Presidency Welcome Speech (prepared at

home by President and Vice-President

students), School and Local individualities

speeches, students performances (in our

particular case, since we are a regular school in

Coimbra – EBS Quinta das Flores – and also a

school of Arts – Conservatório de Música de

Coimbra, we always have a strong presence in

this welcome session); at the end of this first

day, families offer a pleasant dinner before they

take our students to their homes.


The links built during these days are so intense

that one of our students used to call his host

family as «my parents from here».

The following days are spent inside EP – a new

world for the students: the space, the meals, the

surrounding hustle and bustle, the important

role each one feels to have in the group. EU will

no longer be an empty expression for them. EU

lives and EP is the Union headquarters. And all of

project partners feel they belong to this amazing

and real phenomenon of unity, diversity and

mutual understanding universe. We understand

that we are a Union not because we have been

born Portuguese, or French, or Romanian, or

Greek, or Spanish, or Polish, or German, or Italian,

…, but because there is a will to keep together,

linked by EU values.

Inside EP, students hold their workshops, get

into groups of discussion, meet other youth

organizations, attend conferences and go to the

hemicycle on the last day – the heart of

European democracy. The experience they are

looking for during the whole week.

That last day, they seat as real Euro Deputies,

take place inside the Press Tribune, they assume

their roles of presidency in the Table facing the

hemicycle… that’s their special moment.

Together. As a democratic force.

Democracy shows its competences by the

students’ summary presentation of all the

workshops held the previous days and by

discussion and voting of changes proposed to

the «European Student Council Constitution»,

and also by the presentation and final campaign

for the candidates to Malala Prize – that is the

climax of the Plenary Session:

to have someone to be awarded for their life in

benefit of others – figting for Human Rights and

Freedom of Speech. Of course, the prize is just a

certification for the value of such initiatives and

human beings – and the most important is that

the really laureated are we all that have

participated in the project and have had the

opportunity to value their work and to inspire

the next promising generation (inside which we

hope to see our students).

CONCLUSION

This project has a special acceptance in our

Portuguese school, so that students apply for

participating the year before. And we are glad to

see that those who participate continue their

work in similar projects and programs, such as

European Youth Parliament (EYP).They want to go

on in a spirit of belonging to a great cause.

That is why we believe that ESC does a great deal

for PEACE – putting European citizens together,

showing them how to respect our differences,

helping them working in multinational and

multicultural groups, creating friendship

memories for the rest of their lives, opening them

a world of opportunities and a feeling of justice

and Humanity.

Sometimes (always?) it is better to make them

feel than to teach them with a list of rules. If you

know one another you know all as human beings

and will want to live together, without a «wall» of

no man’s land. In PEACE.


A Portuguese student's views on Peer

Representation and Involvement in the


(EPAS) Programme.

AGRUPAMENTO DE

ESCOLAS DE ANSIÃO

Escola Básica e Secundária

Dr. Pascoal José de Mello

(Portugal)

The interviewee:

Margarida Mota is a 12th form student who

has just taken office as president of the

student association in the Ansião School

Group (Agrupamento de Escolas de Ansião -

AEA, Portugal) and has long been involved in

extracurricular activities, such as EPAS, the

European Club, as well as the EUROSCOLA

Programme.

The interviewers:

Ivo Marcelo and Ana Rodrigues, 10th form

students, also EP Junior Ambassadors

This interview took place at the Ansião

School Group, AEA, Portugal, on October 24,

2024


IVO and ANA: Hello, Margarida!

Congratulations on your victory in the Student

Association elections. Why did you decide to

run?

MARGARIDA MOTA: Thank you so much! I

decided to run because I care about others

and believe that, together, we can create

something really special for the future of our

schools. I love listening to people’s concerns

and trying to help in any way I can, doing

what’s within my power for a better and more

balanced outcome for everyone. My team was

also a huge part of this—full of hard-working

people who believed in me and supported me

along the way. Without them, I wouldn’t have

taken this step, so I’m really grateful for their

trust and encouragement.

I/A: Where do you see yourself in 10 years,

both personally and professionally?

M: In 10 years? Well, I’ll try not to go too far

with my imagination... But honestly, I see

myself doing something I’m passionate about,

something that keeps challenging me and

helps me grow both personally and

professionally, working in a field where I can

help those in need, possibly in healthcare. I’d

love to be able to make a positive impact on

people’s lives.

Travelling is also a big part of my vision; I love

exploring and learning about different

cultures, and I hope to integrate that into my

life and work. Personally, I aspire to be

surrounded by loved ones while continuously

growing and finding balance between my

career and my passions.

Interview

I/A: You are a junior ambassador for the

European Parliament and have also been part

of the European Club. Would you recommend

these clubs? How have they contributed to

your development?

M: I would definitely recommend them! The

European Club and the European Parliament

Ambassador Schools (EPAS) program have

broadened my horizons and deepened my

understanding of how much the European

Union has supported Portugal. They’ve

emphasized the crucial role of democratic

citizenship and the importance of voting in

shaping our future.

I’m grateful to my colleagues from previous

years for the valuable knowledge and insights

they’ve shared with me, which have inspired

my journey. I hope to pass on the same

support and encouragement to the newer

members of the club. Through these

experiences, I’ve developed many valuable

skills in teamwork and communication, all

while making amazing friends and connections

along the way!

I/A: You participated in a EUROSCOLA

session. Was it good? What are the

advantages?


M: Participating in the EUROSCOLA session

was an incredible experience! I’m especially

grateful for the opportunity to visit the

European Parliament in Strasbourg, which was

definitely the highlight of my journey. It was a

unique and enriching experience that allowed

me to improve my English and engage in

meaningful discussions.

Being in such an important place, I had the

chance to share ideas for projects during the

debate in Parliament, which made me feel truly

empowered. I also enjoyed exploring the

beautiful city of Strasbourg, soaking in its

culture and history. Meeting so many

important people in the EU and hearing their

perspectives, along with those of my peers

from other countries, was invaluable. This

experience deepened my understanding of

European issues, reinforced the importance of

our role as engaged citizens and inspired me

to continue making a difference in our

communities!

I/A: How can a young Portuguese person

contribute to Europe or the world?

M: Young Portuguese people have a huge role

to play! I think the key is not to underestimate

the impact of our actions, no matter how

small they may seem. We can contribute

through activism, community projects,

volunteering, or even by sharing ideas and

solutions for the problems we see around us.

Whether it’s through sustainability initiatives,

promoting debates on important topics like

gender equality or social justice, every little

step counts. Being part of programs like the


(EPAS) also helps, as it connects you with

people who are passionate about the EU and

making a difference, creating more

opportunities to act and share ideas.

I/A: Do you consider yourself a citizen of

Portugal, of the European Union or of the

world? Which identity do you choose?

M: I feel a bit of all three, but I identify most as

Portuguese and European. Being Portuguese is

a big part of my identity, with my culture and

roots shaping who I am. At the same time, I

feel closely connected to Europe, as it

provides a sense of shared values and unity

with other countries. While I think globally, it’s

my Portuguese and European identities that

influence how I see the world and the

October 2024

contribution I want to make.

I/A: Thank you, Margarida! We wish you the

The EPAS team from Agrupamento de

Escolas de Ansião, Ansião, Portugal

best.


Colégio do Amor de

Deus (Cascais,

Portugal)

Leads Beach Cleanup

Initiative at Guincho

Beach

It was with great enthusiasm that the Educational

Community of the Colégio do Amor de Deus (CAD), as a

European Parliament School (EPAS), organized a beach

cleanup at Guincho Beach.

This action, proposed by the EPAS project, was part of the

#EUBeachCleanup campaign and the European Coastal

Cleanup Week. It aimed to raise awareness among our

Educational Community about sustainability and the

protection of marine biodiversity.

By involving the entire educational community in this

initiative, CAD demonstrates its commitment to

sustainability, environmental education, and the

formation of responsible citizens committed to making a

difference.


E s c o l a d e H o t e l a r i a e T u r i s m o d o

O e s t e

C a l d a s d a R a i n h a ( P o r t u g a l )

“THE IMPORTANCE OF SAVING WATER”


Written by:

Carla Sousa e Susana Maçãs

Coordenadoras EPAS

Escola de Hotelaria e Turismo do Oeste

On the 1st day of October was celebrated the World Water Day and several different initiatives were

performed all over the country to remind people of the importance of water at different levels:

environmental, social and economic.

At our school we also reflected about that. The students of our classes built a mural constituted by

water droplets having a lot of messages and compromises extremely important about Water. That way

we showed our concerns about the subject.

The conclusions of that brainstorming were that saving water, know how to reuse it and also know how

to protect rivers and oceans, is crucial for our life on Earth.

We should do everything to avoid the waste and we should fight for the right of everybody in the world

having access to drinkable water which unfortunately is not a reality.

Were also written some poems showing our ideas about the need of preserving the water in all our

actions on everyday life.

The mural is decorating the school walls and the photos are available on the school social media.



EVENING

GYMNASIUM WITH

LYCEUM CLASSES

Levos - Mytilene

Greece

We have announced a student competition

Creation of a poster or design for the

schools of the Northern Aegean region with

the theme: “WE DESIGN AND CHANGE THE

FUTURE OF EUROPE.”

We vote to make our voices heard loud and

clear. The main goals of the competition are:

To familiarize participants with the work

and functioning of the European

Parliament,

To raise awareness among young people

about the issues concerning European

citizens today,

To increase the participation of

European citizens, especially young

people, in the European elections and

highlight the importance of their vote,

To spread the message: "The more

people vote, the stronger democracy

becomes.”

WE DESIGN AND

CHANGE THE FUTURE OF

EUROPE

“The more people vote,

the stronger democracy

becomes”.


Colegio Fundación

Caldeiro

(Madrid - Spain)

By María Castrillo, Aroa Díaz, Daniela Cornejo &

Lucia Bermudez

Agrupamento de

Escolas de Arouca

(Portugal)

United in Sustainability – Arouca’s School Group (AEA)

committed to the campaign #EUBeachCleanup 2024

The #EUBeachCleanup campaign, which began

on September 30, has come to an end. Carried

out within the framework of the European

Parliament's Ambassador School Project of our

grouping (AEA), in collaboration with Arouca’s

Town Hall (CMA) and the Arouca Geopark

Association (AGA). The AEA participates, for the

second consecutive year, in this global event,

which promotes local cleaning actions in

beaches, coastal areas, rivers, lakes and other

watercourses.

In Arouca, AEA students (11ºA, 11ºB, 11ºC), guided

by their teachers and by the coordinator of the

EEPE Project, under the supervision of Drª Susana

Bastos, from the AGA's Geoconservation

Department, cleaned up in three different

locations: Gondim brook, Marialva River and Arda

River. The amount of waste collected (150 kilos) is

significant and shows that more actions like this

are necessary, but also a lot of prevention: 10 kg

of waste in the Gondim brook Park (in the

aftermath of the Feira das Colheitas); 44,300 kg

in the Arda River, next to the Cavada Bridge and

96Kg on the Marialva River, next to the Parque da

Feira.

This activity has only been possible thanks to the

collaboration of several projects, clubs and

partner entities, inside and outside the school, as

is the case of the Ciência Viva Club/Oficina da

Ciência, the CFDDE, the AEA, the Arouca’s Town

Hall and the Arouca Geopark Association.

The European Union organises the annual

#EUBeachCleanUp initiative to raise awareness to

the problem of marine litter. Marine pollution

starts on land and is one of the main causes for

the destruction of marine biodiversity. It is

estimated that up to 37 million tons of plastic

waste will reach the sea annually until 2040. In

Portugal, the cleaning actions organized by the

Oceano Azul Foundation, which take place

between June 10 and October 31, have already

collected more than 160 tons of waste.

The preservation of waterways and biodiversity is

a global cause that we can embrace locally. And

we need it, as the numbers show: 150 kg of waste

removed from the rivers and streams of Arouca,

in a few hours. It is a case of saying: "We are

“wasted!” But we all can be part of the change!

Small actions make a big difference!

H o w t h e

# E U B e a c h C l e a n u p

B r o u g h t U s T o g e t h e r f o r a

B e t t e r T o m o r r o w ?

E s c o l a d a

A P E L F u n c h a l ,

M a d e i r a

( P o r t u g a l )

On the afternoon of October 4th, in

Praia Formosa, in Funchal, Madeira

Island, the sun glowed high in the sky.

Arriving at the beach alongside with

my colleagues, I couldn’t help

thinking this day had the potential to

be the perfect beach day. And it was,

but not because we spent the day

enjoying the sun or the ocean, but

because it made me gain a new

perspective that I wouldn’t be able

to formulate if not for the initiative of

the #EUBeachCleanup.

As we picked up our gloves and

bags, the reality of our mission

settled in. It wasn’t just about

removing trash; it was about

restoring something essential. Each

piece of litter we collected reflected

choices made long before we

arrived, which made me realise that

we were in this together, not as

individuals, but as a united

community. This shared experience

reminded me that the burden of

environmental change does not fall

on any “one-person”; it’s a collective

responsibility.

What began as a group of

colleagues, each with their own

motivations, quickly turned into a

shared sense of belonging and

purpose. Here we were, working

together not just to clean the beach,

but to rewrite that narrative. In a

world that sometimes feels

fractured, the #EUBeachCleanup

was a reminder of how powerful we

can be when we work as one.

Sustainability is often seen as a

daunting challenge, but that day on

the beach reminded me that change

begins with small actions. It’s easy to

feel small in the face of something as

vast as the planet, but even the

smallest actions can create ripples

of change.

We had come together as strangers,

but we left as friends, understanding

that every small act counts.

Written by Eliana Rodrigues, Escola da APEL,

Funchal, Madeira - Teacher Tânia Martins


TOGETHER MAGAZINE 126 ERASMUS+

What is Erasmus+?

Erasmus+ is the EU's programme to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe.

It has an estimated budget of €26.2 billion. This is nearly double the funding compared to its

predecessor programme (2014-2020).

The 2021-2027 programme places a strong focus on social inclusion, the green and digital transitions,

and promoting young people’s participation in democratic life.

It supports priorities and activities set out in the European Education Area, Digital Education Action

Plan and the European Skills Agenda. The programme also:

supports the European Pillar of Social Rights

implements the EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027

develops the European dimension in sport


Our Erasmus+

experience

Last spring our school gave us the opportunity

to learn a bit of a new country, their habits, their

food, their language, etc, so we travelled to

Germany.

It wasn’t easy getting a vacancy, because we

needed to fulfill an extensive list of

requirements, which we think are totally

acceptable and understandable.

As regards our stay, we arrived at our dorm

after a long plane and bus trip. We arrived at

about 8 p.m. and had some traditional food

brought by the German teacher. After that, we

went to our rooms to sleep, because we were

very tired.

On the second day in Solingen, we had

breakfast at school, where partners shared

German products.

We were divided into international groups to

explore the school, which impressed us by its

size and colorful walls featuring students’

projects.

We presented our work about Arganil and

biodiversity in Portugal, while our German peers

shared their Erasmus+ experiences in

Fuerteventura. The day ended with a carbonara

dinner prepared by some students.

Carolina Fernandes and Matilde Costa (12º ano)

Agrupamento de Escolas de Arganil - Portugal

On the fourth day, we visited the Wuppertaler

Zoo. We had breakfast and the teachers

prepared us a "packed lunch". We left at 9 AM

and, after a peculiar train ride, we arrived at the

zoo, where we admired the animals and

watched the penguins being fed. We returned

to Solingen in the afternoon, where we studied

and rested until dinner time. In the evening, we

enjoyed a Portuguese dinner at a local

association, socializing with partners and

emigrants who cherished recalling our language.

On our fifth day, we travelled by train to

Cologne. We visited the Kölner Dom and the

Groß St. Martin church, crossed the

Hohenzollernbrücke, and went up the Triangle of

Cologne for a panoramic view. We had

currywurst for lunch, explored a multicultural

avenue, and reunited with Rita, a former

classmate. We returned to our dorm and ended

the day with pizza and a nice chat with the

teachers.

On the third day, we prepared lunch before

walking to Müngstener Brückenpark, where we

learned about the Müngsten bridge and enjoyed

waffles.

We visited the medieval castle Schloss Burg by

cable car and, after resting, watched an

adaptation of Goethe's "Faust." The day ended

with a dinner on the terrace while socializing

with German friends.


On the sixth day, we presented our work on

Portuguese students' perceptions of Europe and

conducted a survey. We visited the Solingen City

Hall, debated with the vice president, and received

local gifts. We participated in a UNESCO activity

about peace and freedom, attended an English

class, and in the evening, had a barbecue at Finja's

house, where we said goodbye to our German

classmates, feeling very nostalgic.

The last day, breakfast was individual, and

everyone packed their bags. The walk to the

station was less lively, and on the train to the

airport, we were already feeling nostalgic.

After lunch and shopping at the airport, we

waited to board the flight to Porto. The trip

was turbulent, but it was comforting to hear

our language upon arrival. Everyone felt

welcomed back in Arganil, and the

experience was memorable for us.

In general, our experience was good, but there

were some aspects that could be better, for

example, we would learn way more if we stayed at

the local students’ houses. In fact, we didn´t learn

that much of German since they usually spoke

with us in English. We also think that we could

spend more time with our German colleagues, as

we usually arrived at the dorm at 6pm, so we had

a lot of free time that could be used in a different

way. We believe that our teachers should let us

spend more time with the hosts, for example

sometimes, after dinner, they arrived at our dorm

to chat and chill with us, and our teachers made

them leave before midnight, and were always

checking what we were doing with them. Although

we think it´s important to check on us, they were

overprotective, since we are almost adults, and we

were also indoors.

On the other hand, we felt our German colleagues

welcomed us in their class and in their friend group

in such a way that it seemed like we knew each

other for more than just a week. The food was

good, we tried their typical food, and we could visit

many monuments.

In conclusion, it was a marvelous week that we will

never forget. We recommend everyone who has

this opportunity to take advantage of it, because it

is an unforgettable and great way to make new

friends and experience a new culture.

Erasmus Project Interview

"SOLIDARITY:

TOGETHER

FEELS BETTER"

Written by Rui Moura Pereira e Sónia Cardoso, Junior

ambassadors and Maximina Miranda Senior

ambassador

Escola Secundária Gaia Nascente

Junior Vila Nova Ambassadors de Gaia - PORTUGAL Rui Moura Pereira and Sónia

Cardoso supervised by Senior Ambassador Maximina

Miranda

We are thrilled to share our experience with

the Erasmus project "Solidarity: Together

Feels Better," an initiative that brought

together four groups of young people from

Portugal, Poland, Spain, and Latvia for a week

of active exchange and collaboration. From

October 14 to 21, in Krakow, Poland.

We embarked on a journey of personal and

social development, dedicated to promoting

empathy, solidarity and civic responsibility.

Escola Secundária Gaia Nascente

(Vila Nova de Gaia - Portugal)

Through community service activities and

cultural dynamics, we had the opportunity to

work on issues like supporting hospitalized

children, assisting isolated elderly individuals,

and raising environmental awareness, always

with a focus on developing genuine empathy.

Non-formal education played a key role, using

methodologies such as team-building games,

round tables, role-plays, and reflection

sessions, which strengthened our relationships

and promoted intercultural understanding

while challenging us to overcome stereotype.

“WE HAD THE PLEASURE OF INTERVIEWING AGNIESZKA TRYGAR, 31, ONE OF THE PROJECT COORDINATORS AND A

REPRESENTATIVE FROM POLAND.

AGNIESZKA SHARED HER EXPERIENCES AND PERSPECTIVES ON THE IMPACT OF THE SOLIDARITY: TOGETHER

FEELS BETTER” PROJECT ON OUR LIVES AND LOCAL COMMUNITIES, HELPING US UNDERSTAND HOW EUROPEAN

COOPERATION AND KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE CAN TRANSFORM ATTITUDES AND INSPIRE A MORE ACTIVE AND

COMPASSIONATE CITIZENSHIP.

- How long have you been doing this

projects?

Agnieszka - These projects specifically?

- Not just these, all types of Erasmus

projects.

Agnieszka - Ah, how long have I been working

as a facilitator?

- Yes, yes.

Agnieszka - So, I've been working for around

two years. Firstly, I started as a work supporter.

So I helped with training courses, even

preparing coffee breaks. After having some

experiences, I started to be a facilitator.

- What motivated you to start working on

Erasmus projects and what continues to

inspire you to stay involved in this program?

Agnieszka - Because I see how people,

referring to young people, in such a short time,

in a project of one week, I see how you are

changing, how you are growing, you are like

birds opening their souls.

On the first day, they are shy, they don't know

how to communicate, but on the last day, they

are super open, energetic, and I love that

development, seeing that development in

youth.

- Do you believe that Portugal is taking

advantage of the opportunities offered by

Erasmus programs? What improvements or

changes would you suggest?

Agnieszka - Is this question about your group

in this project, or in general about Portugal, the

country?

- Yes, in general.

Agnieszka - So, I think in general, everyone the

countries that are in the European Union, they

have the same possibilities, in fact, that's why

we are a Union, the European Union.

And each country is using these possibilities

as if they are asking for some funds for some

projects, which is good.

But it often depends on the people who are

working in each organization in each country.

And I think, in general, as I'm working with

some Portuguese organizations, yes, they are

doing an excellent job.

- Do you see a lasting effect on the

students who participate in these exchanges?

Agnieszka - Yes, I see.

Sometimes, when I participate in a project, I

meet people of the same type, the same

people but in different projects, in different

years.


And, of course, I see the difference and I can also

say it about myself.

When it was my first project, I wasn't so open and

very agile in speaking English, I wasn't so open to

cultures other than my country's.

But now, I see the difference in myself and I see it

in other people too.

because participating in this type of projects is

good, it makes us more open to knowledge, it

makes us more capable, young people who

participate in this type of projects become more

open to another culture, to be more developed

with the skills of language, they get to know new

horizons, and this enriches them a lot, especially

their minds, which in this age group are changing,

and I believe that this makes them future adults

more active in society.

- Are there any specific aspects of the

program that could evolve to meet modern

educational challenges?

Agnieszka - Certainly, the Erasmus projects have

provided immense benefits to students and

teachers, but I believe the program can evolve

even further to meet modern educational

challenges.

Today, we need to prepare young people for an

increasingly digital and multicultural world, where

technical and intercultural skills are essential.

The Erasmus program is offering so many

possibilities, that we were even talking about this

training.

Now, we were at the Youth Exercise. There are

some training courses, they are work projects, if

you want to try working in another company, in

another country and get some experience.

They are voluntary services, you are volunteering

in another country, you can try to work. This way

you can meet new people, people with different

characteristics, with different cultures and this is

extremely enriching.

Another important aspect would be to increase

support for students from underprivileged

communities.

If Erasmus becomes more accessible, it can

include a broader diversity of voices and

experiences, enriching the exchange and making

it truly representative of all European youth. In

short, the Erasmus program has a very strong

foundation, but there is room for it to become

even better suited to the needs and context of

contemporary education.

- Do you believe they play a vital role in

fostering a sense of European identity and

cooperation?

Agnieszka - I completely agree with that. In the

beginning, I remember feeling like a citizen

limited to my building, my city, and my

country. It was as if my world was restricted to

what was immediately around me. However,

when I started participating in Erasmus

projects, my perspective changed drastically.

By meeting people from other countries and

cultures, I realized that, in fact, we have so

much in common – we share similar goals,

dreams, and even challenges. In a way, the

experience helped me see that cultural

differences are valuable, but there’s also a

common foundation that connects us all.

That’s when I truly started to feel like a

European citizen, part of something larger than

just my country.

I believe many young people who participate in

these projects feel the same way.

“Erasmus isn’t just a learning opportunity; it’s a platform that fosters a

deep sense of European identity and cooperation among countries. It

helps us see Europe as a community of people who, despite our

differences, have a mutual responsibility. And for me, that sense of

belonging and connection with other Europeans is one of the program’s

greatest values”.

Agnieszka Trygar, 31


Erasmus Experience:

Expectations, Reality

and Benefits

Escola da APEL - Funchal, Madeira

(Portugal)

Being a part of an Erasmus+ program is truly

life-changing as it offers a chance for personal

and academic development to take place

simultaneously.

The first encounter may seem overwhelming

when you find yourself in a different country,

with a language to adapt to.

Nevertheless, the Erasmus team and fellow

students are usually quite friendly and

supportive. Most schools arrange orientation

events such as tours and friendly gatherings to

aid students in assimilating and settling in

smoothly

The Erasmus experience is enriched by the

array of activities it offers to students, in cities

hosting Erasmus programs—organized trips,

cultural workshops and language exchange

initiatives all contribute to forming bonds and

allowing students to engage with local culture

while also connecting with a global community.

The advantages of participating in the Erasmus

program are vast and varied.

Initially, there is the chance to enhance

language proficiency, particularly when in a

place where a different language is spoken.

Moreover, it also encourages self-reliance and

flexibility as students adapt to a different

setting. Additionally, employers frequently view

Erasmus's participation favourably seeing it as

indicative of mindedness, perseverance, and

tenacity.

In conclusion, I personally found the

Erasmus experience to be very

fulfilling and enriching for me on a

level. At the start of it all, I had hopes.

Thought it would be full of exciting

new friendships and cultural

experiences, and it lived up to my

expectations! The experience ended

up exceeding my expectations with

all the cultural learning opportunities

and personal growth experiences

that came along with it, it was truly a

priceless experience.

Written by Rodrigo Rodrigues, Escola da APEL - Funchal,

Madeira (Portugal) - Teacher Tânia Martins


Erasmus experience

Escola Europeia de Ensino Profissional (Portugal)

Erasmus + is education, learning, training, experience abroad, learn or improve the language of the

country of destination and more.

Two groups of students from Escola Europeia de Ensino Profissional (Braga - Portugal) carried out,

during the academic year 2023/2024, two international mobilities to Granada and Valencia (Spain).

A group of 7 students were able to study in Granada (Spain) and also improve their language,

intercultural and communication skills, as well as acquire transversal skills valued by employers.

Another group of 12 students did practical work in different companies in the areas covered by their

courses in Valencia (Spain).

It is remarkable that Erasmus will contribute much more than in the professional building of our

students.

Build more autonomous, empathetic and robust future citizens in core values!

Written by: Escola Europeia de Ensino Profissional

INTERVIEW

EPAS

Interview with

Dr. Paulo Cunha - Member of the European Parliament

Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats)

“The European project is a challenge. United in

Diversity must remain the motto, and the family

"recover" the importance that it deserves.”

Jõao Pereira - What are your priorities as a

member of the parliament?

Dr. Paulo Cunha: The work of an MEP is very

demanding, because we have to find solutions.

There are different opinions on the same

subject, even within the same political family.

Understandings are the greatest challenge. How

do we understand diversity? Europe is more

diverse than it was a few years ago. There are

two more political families in the European

parliament today than there were in the last

term. This means that there are more groups.

This means that the negotiation is more difficult,

which in my opinion is the biggest difficulty we

will have over the 5 years.

There are other ones that can happen, because

to take action we need to have agreements, and

if there are no agreements there are no

decisions. For example, there is an agreement on

the commissioners who must start their duties.

This agreement exists, but no one can predict at

the time of voting whether those who have

committed to vote in favour will do so.

The most difficult matters to reach agreement

are war in Europe (within Europe), it is in Ukraine

and we do not know if it can spread to

neighboring countries.

The world is "weird" with elected presidents

verbalizing things we thought were impossible

from a head of state.

Júlia - What is the most outstanding in your

activity as an MEP?

Dr. Paulo Cunha: I will take the analogy used by

Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Analyzing the

relationship between a drop and the ocean: we

are small drops of water, but the ocean is formed

by an infinity of drops. Each one of us is a drop in

the crowd, but an important one. I must point out

that I am one in 720. This means that I

understand that my work can help the 720

succeed, and if all MEPs think so, our mandate will

go well.

I highlight the ability needed to get my thinking,

which I hope is about help, positive favor, work

and with results. May this thought help the rest of

us MEPs to come together with me and be

successful.

Mariana Guimarães - How do you see the future

of the EU in the next decade?

Dr. Paulo Cunha: Considering the constant

change we see in things, I couldn’t even respond

with a crystal ball. Evolution is extremely fast, and

we are used to evolution being progress

improvement, development. But I’m not sure that

it will continue. Artificial intelligence, computing,

creates a huge uncertainty about the future.

There is one thing I know, and it’s relevant, people

will have to worry much more about their future.

We thought our conditions would improve a lot,

but the future is not certain. We have to have

attitude, vision and change.

TOGETHER MAGAZINE 138 INTERVIEW PAULO CUNHA

Érica Freitas - As you know, the

participation/involvement of young people in

politics is very low. In your opinion, what should

be done to get young people involved and

participate more actively?

Dr. Paulo Cunha: It is true that we have had

politicians who were not or are not exemplary,

there is similarity of other professionals: priests,

teachers, economists, institutions. And

therefore, it has defects like any human being.

Now, this means that I do not have to abhor

politics just because there is a set of politicians

in which I do not see myself. We do not abhor

music or cinema although we know that some

have no quality. I have to like politics, because it

forces us to realize the options we have. And

most young people have no interest in politics

because they haven’t yet realized the scope of

politics.

Politics is what governs us, it makes decisions. If

we are participative, we will contribute to these

decisions, if we are not, someone will decide for

us. And it does not seem to be for our good.

Young people do not vote, or by not voting the

policies that will be taken in relevances, political

decisions will be directed to the "public" who

votes. Now, if this public is the aging population,

parents, grandparents, deputies will make

proposals for that age group, because they are

the ones who vote. This is what can happen

eventually. Politics tries to please those who

vote for them.

“Young people should ask

questions, read manifestos, vote,

participate”

How will you feel if in a few years, by your inertia

and disinterest, someone is elected who takes

away the possibility of voting? It has happened,

it can happen again. Your grandparents lived in a

time when they could not vote and because

they know how difficult it is, they will vote.

Democracy depends on votes.

Dr. Paulo Cunha with the 1st edition of

“Together” Magazine

Afonso Timane - How do you see the role of

artificial intelligence in education and work? And

in a Europe where data shows little financial

literacy, don’t you think that the school should

have a role in teaching to change these data?

Dr. Paulo Cunha: I see evolution as people’s

friend. I see AI as an evolution since it allows us

to improve our lives. My fear is that the evolution

of your application will not bring improvements

to people. It’s possible and desirable. If AI means

improvements, I think it’s fantastic.

And how should we implement financial literacy

in schools? It is a very important issue, people

have few financial bases, even when it comes to

family budgets. If people knew more about

financial literacy we could change behaviors.

Now, putting the School at the center of these

themes leads me to an opinion that may be

misunderstood. Schools are very important

globally, but we cannot put everything in the

schools. Responsibility for everything can not be

school.


I am witnessing a worrying event, the

family stopped educating because it is

thought that education is only in school.

Parents put this responsibility in school.

And the truth is that school is not

responsible for education.

The family is responsible, the school only

helps. The father, mother and

grandparents are responsible. The school

cannot do everything.

The school should help, but it is society as

a whole and the family in particular the

responsible for education.

Érica Freitas - How is the EP working to ensure

that values of freedom, justice and security ,

essential to the EU, are promoted and protected

both within European borders and in the

framework of its external policy, especially in

contexts of growing inequality and challenges to

human rights and war?

Dr. Paulo Cunha - This question raises a

criticism about what the EU has done in the

past. The EU has behaved as if in the past, what

happens outside its borders, did not matter.

Completely wrong attitude and fortunately the

EU has already noticed this. It turns out that it is

not overnight that things change. Migration and

its causes (poverty, religious, ethnic, military

conflicts, climate change) all relevant causes for

the migratory phenomenon. What can we do?

Attack the causes. How? Changing.

What is desirable is that no one wishes to leave

their country in search of better conditions,

even if this means putting their life in danger.

Countries should have conditions that make

their people want to stay at "home" in your

country.

The problem is that Europe "didn’t care", thought

it was not a problem. We must look carefully at

the world around us.

The Portuguese used ro emigrate for financial

reasons, but nowadays, they emigrate too by

choice, they want to live in a different

(European) city.

Immigrants, they immigrate because they are

not well in their country. We have to change

that, Europe has to change that.

Look at the world as a whole. Europe has been

proud for many years, consuming resources with

greater volume that no one would imagine.

Rodrigo Ribeiro - In your opinion, what is the

solution to solve the problem of housing and

house prices? Some of us want to go to

university and we are worried about it.

Dr. Paulo Cunha: I understand that one of the

solutions is to create more and better courses in

universities in the interior.

If we only create good courses in the big cities,

we are aggravating the housing. The movement

of young people should be to the interior, in the

universities of the interior.

There are long-term measures that is increasing

the responses that the state is creating. We

have to lose the idea that proximity

accommodation does not mean

accommodation next to the university, but

rather accommodation with adequate transport.

Henrique Carvalho - How are MEPs who resign

replaced?

Dr. Paulo Cunha: The MEPs are elected on a list.

Ranked up to the 20th MEP. Seven deputies are

elected and if any resignation is immediately

following without elections.


Principal Raquel Rodríguez - Our students will participate in a Session of Euroescola. What advice do

you give them?

Dr. Paulo Cunha: I think that the students, from the questions they are asking me, are well prepared to

perform the function of Eurodéputé for a day. The big topic should be deepening ties in Europe. I have

some criticism in what I call individualism in Europe and the little solidarity, mutual aid and cooperation

between peoples, regions, countries that exists.

Europe for decades ignored what was happening in the Middle East.

Europe is not an island. There needs to be more between help, I believe that should be the topic of

your interventions.


Interview on Sustainability,

Economy and Renewable Energy

United in Sustainability

Isabel Magalhães, Junior Ambassador of the Rosário program, Ambassador School of the European

Parliament, conducted an interview on Sustainability, Economy and Renewable Energy, with Dr. João

Maria Botelho, a young lawyer deeply committed to this cause.

Written by Isabel de Magalhães

Colégio de Nossa Senhora do Rosário (Portugal)

Who is JOÃO?

João Maria Botelho is a prominent jurist and

global advocate for sustainability, recognized on

the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for his contributions

to social innovation. He holds a law degree from

NOVA University and has pursued specializations

in sustainability at both the Catholic University

of Portugal and the Wharton Business School.

With a significant impact at the European level,

João has worked with the Global Alliance for a

Sustainable Planet and has been nominated as a

candidate for Young Global Leader by the World

Federation of United Nations Associations. He is

the founder of Generation Resonance, a youth

movement promoting civic engagement, and

serves as a Global Shaper at the World

Economic Forum.

Additionally, João is the creator and host of the

podcast "Tomorrow Talks," where he shares

insights on sustainability and innovation. His

work in sustainable finance has garnered

numerous accolades, including the National

Financial Literacy Award and recognitions from

the Financial Times.

Dr. João Maria Botelho graciously accepted an

interview with us, during which we explored

themes of sustainability, blue economy, and the

role of youth within the EU.

Dr. Botelho, after reviewing your CV, I cannot

help but inquire about the origins of your

vocation. How did you develop your passion

for sustainability, and what inspired you to

pursue this path?

From a young age, I began attending events

focused on tomorrow´s youth, yet I noticed a

glaring absence of young speakers. This led me

to ponder: if these discussions genuinely

concern our future, shouldn’t we have

representatives from our demographic

participating? However, I have always believed

that we should not include someone on a panel

merely due to their youth—simply to fulfill

quotas—but rather to ensure that the voices of

young people are heard at the decision-making

table. Initiatives like EPAS demonstrate that it is

indeed possible to involve youth at various levels

of contemporary discourse; what matters is to

make an impact, whether within our community

or school — there’s no need for everyone to

speak at the United Nations.

Sustainability discussions often focus on

recycling and carbon emissions, but they also

involve issues like plastic in clothing and water

usage in production. Currently, Europe faces a

geopolitical threat from the invasion of Ukraine

and its reliance on Russian gas. Oil and gas are

vital for daily life and services, highlighting the

need for diversified energy sources. How does

this instability impact the EU's sustainability

policies, and what alternative energies can we

explore?

TOGETHER MAGAZINE 142 INTERVIEW JOÃO MARIA BOTELHO

Europe is currently experiencing a series of

micro-crises, notably the conflict in Ukraine,

following the pandemic, resulting in

multifaceted economic, social, and

demographic consequences across the

continent. As we approach the year 2030, it

becomes evident that significant challenges lie

ahead, particularly in light of the latest findings

from the World Economic Forum, which

indicate that only 12% to 14% of the United

Nations Sustainable Development Goals

(SDGs) have been achieved since their

inception in 2015. This performance is

concerning, especially given that 34% of the

goals have been sidetracked, while others

remain considerably delayed.

A pivotal factor in addressing these issues is

the role of governmental policies in facilitating

the energy transition. For instance, the

implementation of tax incentives for renewable

energy and regulatory obligations that

mandate a shift from traditional energy sectors

to cleaner alternatives are essential. The

European Union has taken significant strides in

this regard, championing initiatives such as the

European Green Deal, which aims to

incrementally progress towards carbon

neutrality by 2050 — an endeavour that

requires sustained collective effort from all

member states.

The Portuguese economy relies heavily on

small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs),

particularly due to an aging population,

resulting in a traditional industrial landscape.

This demographic may struggle to embrace

sustainability. How can we explain to Mr.

Manel, a family business owner in Alentejo,

the benefits of transitioning to a sustainable

economy and decarbonizing his business?

Given the unique SME landscape, awareness

and training are essential. The state plays a

crucial role in empowering businesses through

resources and training, with a growing trend of

appointing Corporate Sustainability Officers in

companies. While SMEs may not face strict

reporting requirements, those supplying larger

firms must ensure transparency in

sustainability practices.

A pre-COVID study indicated that only 18% of

SMEs in Portugal were aware of the Sustainable

Development Goals (SDGs), revealing a

significant knowledge gap. Thus, initial efforts

must focus on capacity building to highlight

sustainability as an opportunity, supported by

state aid for energy transition. Adapting to

sustainability is not just economically viable; it

is essential for long-term competitiveness.

Although this process is challenging, progress

is being made.


Regarding the blue economy, Portugal, with

one of the largest maritime areas in the world,

holds a unique geostrategic position that

enhances its commercial ties, particularly with

the United States, South America, and the

West African coast. This position is

advantageous not only technologically but

also within the broader context of the

European maritime landscape. How can the

European Union further invest in and leverage

this position to benefit both Portugal and the

entire EU?

The blue economy presents opportunities for

sustainable ocean technology, and marine

tourism. Portugal's extensive coastline holds

potential for investments in renewable marine

energy and marine conservation, aligned with the

EU's blue economy strategy focused on research

and development. Portugal boasts one of the

world's premier master's programs in maritime

law and economics, supported by strong

research collaborations with Nordic countries

such as Denmark and Norway. We possess

significant capacity in this field, but effective

management and strategic utilization are crucial.

While we must be cautious about long-term

consequences, we should not overlook emerging

opportunities.

How can Portugal leverage its maritime power

to influence the European economy, especially

through its ports?

European ports like Rotterdam and Hamburg are

already leveraging real-time technologies for

better cargo management, and Portugal could

benefit from similar advancements. By aligning

economic development with technological

progress and fostering maritime cohesion,

Portugal can improve its economic agility and

create more specialized job opportunities,

particularly in port law and logistics. This

requires effective public policies and a focus on

education and technical training, as exemplified

by new academic programs like Ocean Studies.

With a politically engaged and educated youth,

Portugal can adapt and capitalize on these

opportunities for sustainable economic growth

in the blue economy.

How can we explain the importance of

implementing a circular economy in Portugal

so that people can truly appreciate its

benefits?

The circular economy is crucial as it promotes

sustainable resource use and long-term

resilience. It encourages us to utilize resources

responsibly today without compromising the

needs of future generations, echoing the

principles of the Brundtland Report. In Portugal,

the adoption of circular economy practices is

still lacking. Many people tend to buy new

products instead of reusing or repurposing what

they already have.

Portugal's blue economy has significant potential

due to its strategic position in transatlantic trade

and its underutilized port infrastructure. The

modernization and digitalization of ports, such as

Sines, can enhance connectivity and logistics,

enabling Portugal to serve as a vital entry point

for goods into the EU.

For instance, embracing nature-based solutions

in agriculture could enhance sustainability. To

make a tangible impact, individuals need to

rethink their consumption habits. Instead of

frequently purchasing low-cost items—like fast

fashion—consumers should consider the true

cost and value of products.


Questions like whether a phone genuinely needs to be

replaced can lead to more sustainable choices.

Ultimately, fostering awareness and making small,

collective changes can significantly contribute to a

more sustainable and circular economy in Portugal.

How can technologies like artificial intelligence and

blockchain promote sustainability?

These technologies have the potential to revolutionize

various sectors by enabling more efficient and

calculated management, thus mitigating errors and

enhancing adaptability. For instance, predictive

capabilities of AI could help businesses prepare for

disruptions, such as natural disasters, by adjusting

operations in advance. This proactive approach could

prevent costly shutdowns, demonstrating the

importance of resilience in manufacturing and finance.

However, significant challenges remain in achieving

green energy goals. Transitioning from fossil fuels,

which are deeply embedded in our daily lives, requires

time and careful planning. Immediate shifts to

sustainable practices are unrealistic; instead, a

structured approach is necessary, involving substantial

investment and recognizing the opportunities available.

The concept of a just transition is vital, as it ensures

that developing countries are not left behind in the

shift to greener practices. This means supporting

industrial growth without exacerbating inequality. A

successful transition must account for technological,

personnel, and economic challenges, necessitating a

coordinated effort across sectors. Ultimately, achieving

sustainability is a complex puzzle that requires time,

investment, and comprehensive planning to ensure

tangible results.


“TOGETHER”

THE EUROPEAN DREAM

“The first european EPAS magazine”

TOGETHER "The first European EPAS Magazine" | Magazine 2

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