MEP BSR Potsdam – The Polish Perspective

Potsdam – Nowy Tomysl 07.11.2022:

On October 2-8, students of the School Complex No. 2 in Nowy Tomy?l went to Potsdam. Students took part in the Erasmus+ project (MEP BSR), which is implemented every year so that the youth of the Baltic countries can see what the political world looks like.

Young people during this event have a chance to show that their voice also counts in making such difficult and at the same time important decisions. Students of our school: Patrycja Grelka, Martyna Tobys, Adam Wierzbicki, Artur Tritt and Filip Migo? together with the English teacher Mr. Szymon Jankowiak represented Poland at the parliament session.

The initial classes were held at the Helmholtz-Gymnasium and for the first three days, each student created a law on the social theme assigned to him in his committees. Together with young people from eleven other countries, they discussed topics related to, among others: the climate crisis, security and defence, the digital age, social polarisation and the inclusion of young people in democratic processes.

After three days of hard, but also planned work under the supervision of their chairmen (CPs), they managed to create laws on each of the five topics. From the very morning on Thursday, all participants of the project went to a café, where they had the opportunity to make amendments to the laws, i.e. the so-called resolutions. On the same day, in the afternoon, an integration boat trip took place, during which everyone could admire the beauty of the city of Potsdam.

The students could not complain about boredom either, because in the evenings they were accompanied by additional attractions such as a cultural evening, during which they could get acquainted with the traditions of other European countries or a conversation with experts, during which they could ask questions that bothered them.

However, the last day brought the most emotions, because the Polish delegates spent it entirely in the parliament (in the Landtag). Already at 9:00 a.m., a debate began, during which everyone could express their opinion on the topics contained in the resolution, which had been developed by young people in the previous days. After a long session of the parliament, the representatives of the Baltic states decided that three of the five laws were accepted.

On Friday evening, the participants of the project had a farewell party in the form of dance classes, where they learned to dance salsa. On the last day, after long farewells, the Polish delegation set off on its way back to Berlin, from where it went on a train journey to Nowy Tomy?l. The entire Polish team has very fond memories of this time and is ready for further activities related to this project!

The Project Participants