Florian's PEJ experience!

Florian... ze style!

I learnt to work with other people, even to manage a team. It is sometimes difficult to find compromises... It was very interesting to act as a member of a parliament, to find out how it works.

The theater sketches we did on Friday evening were fun and at the same time it was a good way to get to know each other.

The best moment of the weekend was when my team won the game during the disco on Saturday evening!

I was sad when we had to leave Paris, not only to leave my new friends behind but also because we were disappointed not to have won...

Nathan's PEJ experience!

Nathan Panza!

I learnt how to work as a member of a committee. Our job was to discuss and try to find solutions to various social problems. I also got an insight into what an MEP has to do.

I loved the team building, meeting new people of my own age, and the fact that the General Assembly took place at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris.

The worst moment was when we had to work from midnight to past 2 o’clock in the morning to finish our work, and then get up at six, on a Sunday! I was exhausted when we got back to the Auvergne!

The weekend in Sèvres just did not last long enough because we really had a lot of fun.

It wasn’t hard to be get along with everybody or to communicate. The Chairs (they managed the committees) spoke English almost all the time and I sometimes translated for the other pupils on my committee. That made me popular!

It was a great experience meeting other pupils and taking responsibility for something. I would go back right now if I had the opportunity! It was a fun trip since I made lots of friends during that weekend. I will keep in touch with some of them.

The great majority of the delegates were from French Lycées, but there were also Greeks, and they were very nice.

This experience made me discover what it means to be "European" and how great it is just to meet people from other countries.

James' PEJ experience!

James, Florian, sandwiches & friends!

We won a place at the 32nd National Session of the European Youth Parliament (called Parlement Européen des Jeunes or PEJ in France) which took place in Sèvres near Paris at the end of March, beginning of April. I took part as a member of the ten-member delegation from Sainte-Marie (all Section européenne pupils in Première).

It was a great experience! We met a lot of people from every part of France but also from, among other places, Greece, England and Poland. It was interesting to act as an MEP (Member of the European Parliament) for a couple of days...

On the first day we were split up into the various committees. I sat on the Committee on Internal Markets and Consumer Protection (which is actually more interesting than it sounds!); the issue that we had to discuss and find resolutions to was: "What measures could the EU take as regards the spreading of music, movies, etc. on Internet in order to ensure a balance between intellectual property and accessibility to culture". I think the greatest moment of the weekend for me was when more than 80% of the General Assembly approved our committee's resolutions. That means we did a good job.

But before starting committee work, we did plenty of fun games to get to know each other better. In the evening of the first day we went to the town hall of Sèvres which was an amazing place (one of the oldest mairie buildings in France). We listened to long speeches by important people, sipped champagne I mean freshly squeezed orange juice, and nibbled dainty canapés. Later that evening we invaded a theatre and did some daft theatre sketches (the aim was to have fun but also to gain a little more self-confidence about speaking in public...).

I learnt a lot about myself during the weekend... Giving a speech in front of more than two hundred people makes you realize that if you believe in yourself and in what you have to say, you can indeed convince others.

I would definitely go again to a EYP session, but not as a delegate as that is only open to Première pupils (next year I'm in Terminale), but as a journalist, Chair, or organizer.

I hope next year's Première will also take part in a PEJ session; maybe they will win and go on to an international Session!

Quentin's PEJ experience!

Nadal trying to imitate Quentin...

I learnt how the UE functions, how to work with a group, how to cooperate with others during team building games or during committee work.

I liked the team building, the committee work and taking part in the General Assembly. Our committee worked on the Tobin tax (which fights financial speculation).

The worst moment was having to leave! The PEJ was great even if we did not win.

Bénédicte's PEJ experience!

 Bénédicte & Lucile: indignados!

I learnt many things about Europe: its anthem, how the Parliament and Commission function, etc., and the purpose of the EU generally.

I also learnt to work on quite unfamiliar subjects with people I had never met before. We got to know each other and got over being embarrassed through team building games; they were great fun. They were a good way to release the pressure and apprehension, and just to relax. Our team spirit then allowed us to work more efficiently in our committees. Coming up with new ideas in our committee, which was about the practice of sport in Europe, was quite difficult because a lot of progress has already been made over the last few years in this sector.

Taking part in a National Session of the EYP brought me a bit more confidence in my public speaking skills plus I learnt some vocabulary.

We had to give ourselves completly during these three days despite being tired. We had to be in shape for the different events like the Eurovillage and the general assembly.

We were disappointed not to win this Session of the EYP, but the winners are people we appreciated a lot so that is OK.

Lucile's PEJ experience

Bénédicte & Lucile... Olé!

We took part in many activities. There were young people from all over France. We did some "team building" which are games and outdoor activities. We were divided up into committees. I was the only person from Sainte-Marie in my committee. We had to deal with a subject that we had to present to the general assembly on the Sunday. Our subject was to find solutions to improve the living conditions of the poorest people in the EU. We had to discuss in English. The general assembly was mostly in English. There we had to defend our proposals. There were relaxing moments too with sketches and a party.

I enjoyed the committee work on the Saturday because I got to know the others. The "Euro village" was fun too ; I joined the members of my delegation from Sainte-Marie to run a stall with food and various things promoting Spain. Another favorite moment was the general assembly which was like a real one.

My worst moment was when it was time to leave!

I improved my spoken English, learned some vocabulary, and I made friends with other young people.

Madeleine's PEJ experience!

Madeleine gives a speech at the General Assembly

 

I learnt about how the European Parliament works, what the EYP/PEJ is, how to work in a group without an adult. I managed to forge an opinion on subjects I did not know or would even have cared about before... I also made a few friends!

When the EYP began I felt ill-at-ease because I did not know anyone apart from Bénédicte in my committee. The team building was a bit strange at first because we greeted each other as if we were best friends who had not seen each other for a long time!

At the end of the week-end, just before we left, the President of the National Session, an Englishman, officially closed the Session and I realised it really was finished and that it had been prettty cool and in fact quite an enriching experience and also that I might never see my new friends again! It was both the best and the worst moment of the weekend because it was all over but it made me think about all the good times that we had spent together...

Sainte-Marie goes to Paris!

From March 30th to April 1st 2012, ten young people from Sainte-Marie Lycée in Riom, Puy-de-Dôme, went to Sèvres, near Paris. It was more than a simple weekend trip; we took part in the 32nd National Session of the European Youth Parliament (EYP)!

EYP (better known in France as the Parlement Européen des Jeunes or PEJ) is an association that promotes European citizenship among young people.

A lycée delegation is made up of ten pupils, aged 16-17. Nine delegations from different lycées from all over France (plus one from a foreign school) attend a National Session.

During the Session, the pupils from the different lycées are mixed up into a number of committees. The committee members share ideas and try to find solutions to a problem which concerns European citizens. Each committee has a Chair, a member of the PEJ who helps the committee members do their work.

On the final day, we all meet up for a general assembly to present each committee's resolutions; the general assembly has to vote on whether to adopt (or reject) the resolutions. The ideas are then sent to be studied by the European Commission.

Perhaps it sounds boring, but, in fact, the PEJ is a wonderful experience! It's not all work either, as there are plenty of fun team-building games. It's an opportunity too to meet a lot of people our age from different places, and most of us stay in touch with each other.

You'll be able to read in the next article what the PEJ brought to the different members of our delegation, and why it was such a great and unforgettable experience!

 Article by Bénédicte