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Over seventy young people from across Suffolk including Samuel Ward, Haverhill met with Belgium students to discuss European citizenship at a conference in Ipswich last Friday.

Students from East and West Flanders made the trip to the UK to meet their counterparts from seven Suffolk schools for the day long event, which was held in the Council Chamber in Ipswich

Students discussed one of five themes, and produced a presentation of their discussions. All the delegates registered their views before and after the presentations, to see if opinions changed through the course of the day.

Up for discussion was:
* European citizenship – what is it like to be a citizen of Europe and what can the European Union do for people?
* The enlargement of the European Union – can the EU get larger and still work effectively?
* The EURO – is it a good idea or a restriction on national finances?
* The role of the EU in the world – what actions should the EU take in relation to the rest of the world?
* Internal security – how do we deal with immigration to the EU, and how can we assure internal security?

Ipswich MP and former leader of Suffolk County Council, Chris Mole welcomed the students, and there was a talk by Veerle Dehaene of the Ryckevelde Foundation to provide some reminders about current issues in European citizenship. The talk also provided students some ideas for their work during the day.

Ann Brown, Assistant Education Officer responsible for the Education Accord with Belgium, said: “The conference provided the young people with a good opportunity to discuss the challenges and opportunities that Europe provides them with.”

All the students involved were aged 16 to 19 and came from Northgate High School (Ipswich), St Alban’s High School (Ipswich), Claydon and Thurleston Sixth Form Centre, Copleston High School (Ipswich), Leiston High School, Samuel Ward Upper School & Technology College (Haverhill) and King Edward VI Upper School (Bury St Edmunds).