'Your Europe, your say!'
Posted in Archive on Oct 31, 2016.
Dear Sir, Madam,
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is beginning the procedure
for the eighth "Your Europe, Your Say" event,
which is aimed at 16 to 18 year olds and which will take place on
30 - 31 March 2017 in Brussels.
"Your Europe Your Say" consists of inviting students in their penultimate year of any type of secondary school in the 28 Member States of the European Union and in the five candidate countries to visit Brussels. The EESC will cover travel and accommodation expenses for three students and one teacher from each of the winning schools, to be selected by lot. The event will give the students the chance to find out about the EU and to understand the EESC's role within it. It is also a unique opportunity for young people to take part in a plenary-assembly style debate on a specific subject in a multicultural environment, putting forward arguments, negotiating and reaching a compromise. The students will be able to act as members of a European institution. The event will take place in English, but interpreting will be laid on to and from English and French at the plenary session.
This year's topic will be "60th Anniversary of the Treaty of Rome". The actual date of the anniversary is 25 March 2017. Participating students will work together on various aspects of this subject, such as:
• Discovering the stages of European integration and the role of civil society;
• Discussing the benefits, achievements and failures of the European Union;
• Reflecting on the challenges and opportunities facing the European Union;
• Outlining proposals regarding the future of Europe, from the perspective of young Europeans.
At the end of the event, the young participants will have the opportunity to present their recommendations on the future of Europe to EESC members and to vote for the three they judge to be the most important for taking the European Union forward. In the run up to the visit to Brussels, an EESC member will visit the selected schools for a debate on European integration and the role of European civil society. Documentation and supporting material will be sent to the selected schools.
On our website you will find the detailed description of the event, the online registration form, the rules and all the practical arrangements.
To get a better idea, you can also see the video of last year's event or follow us on EESC website, social media 
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We would ask you to encourage secondary schools in your district to register or, if you are a head teacher or a teacher in such a school, to register directly for this exciting project via our website.
The deadline is 30 November 2016.
We look forward to learning from you and to welcoming you to Brussels!
Yours faithfully,
Gonçalo Lobo Xavier
EESC Vice-President for Communication'