Antenna Europe Direct Assemblea legislativa della Regione Emilia-Romagna

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We are not thus so far, but we still do not make part of the UE

Among the 200 present students to the European Youth Meeting, representatives of the several European nationalities, the Turkish girls and Norwegian boys, not pertaining of fact to the UE, but however “European” were present also. Made curious of knowing if their origin reflected also their spirit, I have looked everywhere for the Turkish girls during the first three days of Meeting. But I have never crossed them, neither during the buffet and neither during the continuous movements from a class of workshop to another.
Finally, Friday, 27 of November towards evening, I met for case the four girls while they were coming out from the hall where the documentary on the fall of the Berlin wall was being casted. I went to meet them together with my other colleagues in order to film an interview, but the girls felt uncomfortable with the camera, granting us only a written interview.

There had been some difficulties due to the language and the loud voices around us dictated also a bit from the shyness and a bit from the fatigue, even though emerged an interesting point of view of somebody whom anchor is not yet in Europe but it begins to make part between doubts, curiosity and perplexity.

  - What thoughts do you have on the Meeting to which you have participated?

 - The project has been fun and very interesting, but we are still not part of Europe. During the workshop carried on with the other students we had the chance to see emerging various opinions and various ways of perceiving the facts.  We found it really important to speak about the European Union Charter of the Fundamental Rights and the plan of putting various students together was a well-thought one. But the meeting has been too long and in some moments a little bit boring!

  - How has it been to work with students coming from other countries? 

 - There have been some difficulties due to the culture and language differences. We have discovered to have had difficulties with the English language that we did not believe to have before. It was also very important to work in groups, thus having been possible to see like the other students behaved and spoke, and we finally concluded that we are not so far. It was strange to see that all know Turkey but have the same idea, they know only Istanbul and Islam but our Country is not certainly only this!

 - What will you carry to your home from this experience?

 - For sure new friends and their respective cultures. In our work group we have come to contact with the French boys with whom we remained in good relationships, we believe that we will see again soon!

 - Do you have now a more concrete idea of Europe? 

- Sure. During the encounter we have received many information on Europe that before we did not know. Sure we changed a little our way to approach this new thematic that our country must face, is still a delicate argument for the Turks and we could say that now the country is divided in two, between who it approves of and who not.

  - Once returned home will you engage yourselves personally in the causes faced and discussed during the meeting?

 - When we’ll return we’ll speak with the students who have not been able to participate, telling them our experience and discussing of, confronting on the new European “baggage” of knowledge that we will bring back.

- The school has it prepared you for the event? 

- The university professor made us read many articles and tested us carefully and we also prepared a video for a competition, but because of some misunderstandings instead carrying out it on the topic of the fall of the wall we have spoken about the rights of citizenship and justice. Thus it has not entered in the competition and it will not be transmitted.

Pity. We would have liked so much to know also this point of view.

Andrea Zoppello

translated by Paula Benea