Melissa participated at the “My Europe” workshop in Stockholm in November 2014. She goes to the ESS-gymnasiet. She likes to do sports and living healthy. For her it is also important to express her thoughts in a free manner – so she is interested in writing. Melissa can imagine to become an author one day.

For me, Europe is…

“… a chance to expand our knowledge and to create a bond with other cultures and people. The good thing is that we also can create beautiful memories that we keep for our lives. I have thousands of them.”

Alexandre is a student at the Collège Saint-Michel in Brussels and participated in our Belgian workshop in February 2015. He enjoys studying maths and Latin. In his free time however Alexandre likes to play the piano and tennis.

For his future he believes that maths will help him more than Latin to start his career.

For me, Europe is…

“…the only way for small countries as we are to be able to play a role at a political and an economical point of view against bigger and more powerful nations to defend our values. Nowadays more than ever, ‘united we stand, divided we fall’.”

 

Tomas (17) participated at our “My Europe” workshop in Brussels in February 2015. He is a student at Collège Saint-Michel.

In his free time he plays football, watches series (Arrow, The Walking Dead…), listens to music (electro, dubstep…) and informs himself about neurosciences. Next year Tomas is going to study medicine!

For me, Europe is…

“…democracy, tolerance and freedom. It embraces modernity without forgetting its moral background.”

 

 

Dr. Graeme Murdock is  Associate Professor of Modern History and Director of the Centre for European Studies at Trinity College Dublin. He graduated from the University of Oxford with a B.A. in 1990 and a PhD in 1996. Before coming to the Trinity College Dublin, he held a position at the University of Birmingham. His main research interests are the cultural history of religion, the history of European Reformation and the history of France, Hungary and Transylvania.

Please find more information about him on his official website.

 

 

 

Alexandra (17) participated at the “My Europe” workshop in Brussels in February 2015 and impressed the jury of the writing contest with her innovative story. She is a student of the Collège Saint-Michel in Brussels. The young European is very creative and therefore she does not want a job in the future where her thoughts and creativity will be restrained. Rather she is eager to find a profession that stimulates her and fuels her curiousity.

In her free time Alexandra likes reading, playing football and tennis. She loves to travel and get to know new people.

For me, Europe is…

“Europe’s history, its vast cultural diversity and its ongoing activity makes it a remarkably exciting continent to live in. But also, Europe is a place where I feel safe. A place that makes me believe in democracy and education.”

Dr. Verena Metze-Mangold is President of the German Commission for UNESCO. She studied political sciences, sociology and history. Mrs. Metze-Mangold worked as a journalist for the Hessian broadcasting station HR from and managed the public relations department. At the time of the German reunification she held the position of press speaker of the chairman of the German television channel ARD.

Dr. Verena Metze-Mangold is member of the UNESCO Commission since 1982 and became its President in October 2014. She is also a member of the German institute for external relations (ifa) and its scientific advisory board.