A debate team from St. Columbas College, Stranorlar has won first place at this year’s Model Council of the EU debate for secondary school students, organised by the European Commission Representation in Ireland.
The event took place today at Dublin Castle where 300 students and teachers from across Ireland gathered to take part and support their teams who passionately debated this year’s very topical subject; ‘protecting young people online in the EU’.
The winning team – Finghin McLaughlin, Riley Doherty, Yara Fesak and their classmates will travel to Strasbourg in October to take part in Euroscola, where they will become MEPs for a day in the European Parliament.
The Model Council of the EU debate mirrors the format of a real meeting of the Council of the European Union in Brussels. Teams of 3 students from secondary schools across Ireland play the role of Ministers from each of the 27 EU Member State.
This year, teams debated a mock EU law proposing new measures to protect young people online in the EU, including a proposal for an EU-wide ban on social media for under-16s, which provoked lively interventions and exchanges.
The winners from St. Columbas College, Stranorlar in Co. Donegal represented Estonia.
The Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence, Thomas Byrne T.D. gave the opening address. Ireland’s MEPs and EU Ambassadors and diplomats also attended.
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