Sessão Concelhia Matosinhos

Sessão Concelhia Matosinhos. How was it to be in one more EYP session? 

EYP day! It’s truly a day full of worries and anxiety and it starts from the moment you wake up until the so expected and stressing yet amusing Euroconcert. The angst is pretty overwhelming at times, especially when you’re suffering from anticipation. When you wake up, the world seems to crash down on you. Later, you realize that throughout the morning you acted just like this: 

Oh, no! It´s here! It´s here, and I’ve got so much stuff to do! Well, at least I’ve already printed my attacks to the other motions and the defense of our own… wait… Oh, no, I haven’t yet! Yes, Mom, I know its 7 am and I also know the printer’s noisy but I really need to do this right now! 

Or maybe like this: 

Good, everything’s sorted out. I can take a nice, long and relaxing shower… What?! Do we really need to be there THAT early?! Sigh, looks like I’ll need to master the ancient technique of the 2 minutes shower! Nice! 

As always everything works out, the rage attacks disappear  and you get that weird feeling when you see everyone, looking very sharp and surprisingly professional. Delegates from other committees are wandering, walking around non-stop, trying to memorize their speeches and perhaps shake away their tension. Everyone’s concentrated and appearing as if they were better prepared than ever, except you. You’re tremendously nervous, your legs are shaking, your heart is beating faster than usual and those sweaty palms aren’t due to the teambuilding, nor is the stomachache related to what you’ve had for lunch. It’s all happening because you’re as scared as a little girl watching a horror movie. 

Then you hear The Words (yes, with capital letters, as if you’re referring to a higher power, that has an unnatural effect on you, unlike the most common combination of words): “The session is now officially open”.  

Suddenly, a strange calm takes over your body. It’s not as if you’ve relaxed and thought well, it isn’t that much of a deal!. No. You simply realize that you can’t let the nerves get their way, you’ve worked hard, prepared yourself for everything and you and your irrational fears are the only things that can get in your way. When you have the microphone in your hands and pronounce the initial words of your first intervention, you start to feel more comfortable and eventually confident. The other committees’ eyes are all on you and it feels  as if a cloud of arrows is falling down on you. But all of that goes away because it’s your time. It’s the moment you get to express your opinions, to show them how the search for justice is your driving force that leads you to defend or attack passionately. 

The truth is that most of you know what EYP stands for:  European Youth Parliament; but only those who’ve participated truly know what it means. It’s all nerve-racking but it is worth all the effort and anxiety just to have an opportunity to experience such feeling of happiness, union, pride and accomplishment that you’re left with at the end of the day, no matter what the result is, just for the sake of participating in such a great occasion. And what a great occasion it is! We may not know each other very well, but we act sillier than most people usually get to see, which can bring us closer. Also, there’s an atmosphere of acceptance, of hospitality and mutual respect. Indeed, EYP is a unique experience and better than participating once it’s to participate twice! We couldn’t have been happier for being chosen to a EYP session once more and we were looking forward to kick that PED (if there are any Points of Information over there, it stands for Post-EYP Depression) away! 

Well, and if you ask us: what’s the worst part? The fact that it only lasts one day and doesn’t happen that often! 

P.s: We’ll leave you with our cheer: THERE’S NO NEED FOR YOU TO STALL, HUMAN RIGHTS WILL OWN YOU ALL! (And so it was, the prophecy came true!)

Fourth Debate Session - Elderly People

IV Debate Session – Elderly people 

Elderly people are left alone without any care but should it be considered as a serious problem? Are people too busy to look after them? Does this happen more frequently now than it did in the past? 

There are so many questions to be answered. There’s more than distance pulling these families apart and creating this huge problem, there’s also a psychological point in this story. Most of those who should be taking care of their beloved ones don’t even really love them. Elderly people are only victims of what those men/women created. They have always something to give, something too precious, something like knowledge. They have an extra pair of eyes, the hearts’ eyes.  

Why don’t we change the way we treat the elderly? Can’t we even give our seat on the bus? We’re connected to them and we must keep in touch and be aware of everything. Of course sometimes they are a hard task to deal with but they give us such great moments, great things and even then we use them as a punch bag. This is the proof that we don’t give them the real value they have. After all they have lived more than us and gone through similar experiences.   

In advertising, children and young people are usually the most used ones. Even when older people are used, they are known actors/actresses and not common people. Can this be any sort of discrimination?  

Here are some solutions we found for this problem: 

• Support them 
• Try to understand them 
• Help them with patience 
• Don’t be angry with them 
• Don’t pretend you can’t see them 
• Stop to talk to them 
• Share a smile  
• Listen to them 
• Surround them with care 
• Don’t abandon them  
• Help them when saying goodbye 

Please, don’t forget: elderly people are here to say goodbye. Remember “they are as important to us as electricity is” and think how you would like to be treated when you are older. After all, we aren’t getting any younger, so the day will come when we may be in their situation.   

Mariana Oliveira 10ºC

Third Debate Session - Discrimination At School

These are our conclusions after the debate on "Discrimination at School"!

Humanize ourselves…

Living in a society has created a set of invisible rules that survive within us. Some people call it conscience, others call it human rights. But is it possible to create a world where human rights are always respected?

On school grounds, a small reflection of adult society, that utopia is frequently forgotten. Discrimination is seen among teenagers, these strange creatures who always seem to be struggling for a place in a group where they can obtain an identity.

And this, ladies and gentlemen, was the subject of the third debate session.

Many of you may consider that this issue is too discussed already and at the beginning of this session we thought that everyone shared that opinion because no one was coming, but after the arrival of a small group of willing participants, we can assure you it is not.

One by one several stories, born from experience itself, were shared and we realized bullying is a reality closer to us than we believe. It starts with the teasing and the mocking when we are children (simple jokes, they say). Then it can go physical, especially with boys (simple games, they say). And when we are older, becoming teenagers, what others think and say about us starts to matter. Maybe too much. And every word, every expression, every scornful laugh can tear our flesh deeper than a punch or a slash of a knife. As one of the participants said “I would rather prefer physical violence to the psychological one that I felt, because with the first one I could heal.” Being fat, ugly, homosexual or handicapped puts people in a vulnerable position, because they stand out in a stereotyped society. Everything that is different is criticized and those who cannot resist this judgment often fall pray of it and succumb to their low self-esteem, sometimes with terrible outcomes.

Unfortunately, new technologies can contribute to the aggravation of this reality, because it can spread poisonous rumors that once they are unleashed on the Internet, it is almost impossible to erase what was said and done. Bullying, in all its forms, has the power to ruin someone’s life, because it deals with the social dimension that surrounds our well-being, the image that the others have of us and the image that we have of ourselves. It is all connected.

What can we do to defeat such blindness towards those who are different? We had to find solutions! First of all, the worst case of discrimination is when the discriminated person thinks he deserves it. So, most importantly, we need to possess a strong personality so that our perception of reality is not affected and we can stand our ground when we are attacked. But what if our personality is not strong enough? What if we can’t defend ourselves? Some said that suffering from bullying, without anyone stepping in, can help us learn to fend for ourselves, to be independent and that would prepare us for the world we have to face in the future. But, unfortunately, this doesn’t often end well. The pressure, increased by the negligence of those who surround us, can break our spirit. Therefore, we should always seek help when we feel our strength fading. Talk. Let it all out. Share what you feel with someone you trust or seek specific help. Just don’t let it crush you!

Each and every one of us can make a difference. The increased attention of the staff, teachers and even the parents can save a tormented teenager’s life. Respect and kind words from a classmate can make someone’s day. We are more responsible for the happiness of others than for our own. If only we put ourselves in other people’s place we would feel that we are more alike than we think.

The solution lies there… All we need to do is humanize ourselves.

Debate - Civic Formation (Part 2)

These are some pictures taken during the second debate session.

Apresentação1
And this is the presentation shown during the debate:

Debate session

Debate - Civic Formation

Another debate session, another publication! We will get our debate sessions' summaries online everytime there is one!

In order to introduce the topic itself, our moderators were kind enough to show us a clip,  (pictures related to the theme). 

In the clip we watched how role models and celebrities (like Kanye West) lost control in public. Others just ended up yelling and spreading all their frustration. Quite insensitive, one would think!

 Following, almost as a direct consequence, we all shared personal experiences, where we witnessed either the manifestation of civism or the lack of it. As you might imagine, there was quite a lot to say, from issues related to self- control as well as to improper behaviour.

On the one hand, they are humans and like everyone else, due to pressure or plain psychological control problems, sometimes self-control slips away. However, they are celebrities, idols, admired by most people. Should we really see these people as models, someone who can’t even control himself or herself?

Everybody knows of behaviours that our society doesn’t approve. This goes from animal cruelty to violence among other humans.

 Some human beings have self-control problems (apparently), though I totally disagree with this theory, as I believe these idiots lacked a good beating when they were children.  The question is:  why?

The historical, political, economic contexts have changed, so why, in this century, when we are at the peak of evolution? 

It’s very important to realize that the lack of civism has several sources. Yet, it would be impossible to debate them all, so we analyzed some particular situations. 

First and foremost, education starts at home, so it’s essential to underline and apprehend basic rules while in it, with our own family. Nevertheless, our generation finds it hard to focus on one or two “good” role models, due to the media being all over the place, publicizing ideas or solutions to some of the so-called “problems” such as cellulite and its removal. As if it wasn’t enough, there’s another huge issue nowadays: the one we call peer pressure. We are constantly bombarded by influences coming from our families, friends or the media. Every single one of them struggles to obtain a bit of control over us, over the world. 

Youngsters should be aware of the fact that, as long as mankind can coexist with itself, all of us have to prepare our own future, no matter how much pressure we must bear. 

You have the floor!

This is the result of one of our "You have the floor!" sessions.

You have the_floor2

For a better view click on: Menu -> View Fullscreen

Hope you enjoy our work!

ESPL GOES GREEN!

As some of you may know, a debate was held in our school, in order to find solutions and ideas to turn our school green! By green, we intend to say: ecological, clean and a friend of the environment.

At the debate there were people, more specifically, students and teachers from several classes that came up with the craziest or even outstanding ideas … From an environmental activist group, which acts or sings to call people’s attention, to a singing dustbin that makes a sound every time you recycle …. Everything was said in that room. And the funny thing was… we actually came to a point where ideas were so good that we couldn’t decide which one was better than the other. Just for you to have a clue, we came up with more than 25 ideas! (yeah espl has  big brains! )

One thing is true for sure, if we want to make the difference we all have to act ! Not a student, not a teacher… but every single one of us in our school has the power and needs to make a change!

If you have an open mind or a green spirit and want to be part of our environmental activist group but don’t know how, don’t worry , just leave your name , number and class and we will  answer you asap !

During the year, many more debates will be held in our school, to help solve problems together…  Don’t be shy, join us, take the floor and share your ideas with us!

This time it is all for one, not one for all!