Training Leaders with the European Youth Parliament

Two of our Upper Sixth Formers joined the European Youth Parliament United Kingdom (EYPUK) from Friday 24^th to Sunday 26^th November, linking up with a youth-run charity whose aim is to provide non-formal education for young people on a wide range of political issues facing the UK and Europe.

Founded in November 1993, EYPUK now runs more than 20 events for young people across the UK every year including a number of training weekends. Whilst the charity hosts events for young people from age 11, the organisation is run entirely by members aged 17-25.

Will and Harriet (Upper Sixth) were keen to learn more about running the EYPUK having been inspired by their participation in the EYP Regional Debate competition in March 2023. Over the weekend they travelled independently to Newcastle and Durham with 26 other young people from around the UK to find out more about the charity and to develop some of the skills necessary for supporting the leadership behind EYP’s success.

EYPUK explains on its website that “In order to support the personal development of the EYP’s volunteers and their ability to take up various roles and responsibilities within the organisation, EYPUK organises capacity building training courses focused on a diverse set of skills, such as facilitation, leadership, communication, fundraising, organising, project management, inclusion, outreach, and intercultural dialogue. In doing so, the EYP prepares young European citizens not only to take an active role in our network, but to use these skills to benefit society as a whole.”

In addition to the training Will and Harriet also took part in a pizza evening, a scavenger hunt around Newcastle and heard from some University of Durham students about life beyond Sixth Form.

Leighton Park’s co-organiser of the Arguably Awesome club for Fryers (Year 7 and 8) and the main Debate Club, Richard Duckett, shared his thoughts about the EYPUK activities and their benefit for our students:”The EYP competition holds regional hats every year and we try and enter a team from our Debating Club annually.  We consider it to be one of the best and most exciting competitions out there as we can enter eight students and the format of the debate is such that there is a lot of free flowing discussion.  We practice the format of the EYP once we have a team and once entered we receive a committee name and a motion to prepare – which we do in club time.”

He continued, “Being able to politely and confidently argue a point of view is an obvious skill for life, but so is the listening and responding part of debating.  Being able to think and respond intelligently under a bit of pressure, take an argument forward and make judgements on often complex issues is something students have to do throughout their education, even if most of the time it is in written form.  Being able to eloquently do so orally as well gets the brain active in a slightly different way, but the confidence it gives students is always amazing to see.”