CAIRO: After four days of hard work and negotiations, the participants of the International Model of the European Union (IMEU) 2008, got together for one last time celebrating what they described as “truly great experience.
The closing ceremony of the conference featured a play about the racism Muslims and Arabs face in the West. The play was written, directed and performed by the juniors, the high school participants of the conference.
The play reflected some of the topics discussed within the five councils of the student model.
The Youth in Action council discussed racism, xenophobia and women’s rights.
“The topic was so interesting that I had to join myself, and be a delegate and do the whole thing all over again, says Bahaa El Reedy, the Graduate Advisor of the model.
Other councils discussed immigration to Europe, oil shortage and transportation to Europe, and minorities in the continent, namely Kurds in Turkey and Muslims in Western countries. The Euro-Med Civil Forum compared the impact of civil society organizations in countries on the two sides of the Mediterranean.
Although all the sessions were held in English, French-language speakers were also able to participate in the model in the Euro-African council, which discussed relations between Europe and African countries.
I didn t think anything like that existed in Egypt. It really exceeded all of my expectations, said Yasmine Mostafa, a participant in the Youth in Action council.
I gained a lot of things out of it. I gained more self-confidence since we had to do presentations in front of other people. I m thinking about applying again next year.
Following the movies, a secretariat from each council delivered a speech paying tribute to the rest of participants.
During the closing ceremony, one of the speeches focused on the participants and the skills they gained.
I think the participants were taught how to handle negotiations, and deal with people with different opinions. In the conference each participant had a different point of view, but everyone left happy and they were able to produce resolutions, said high representative Nihal Ragab.
The resolutions reached by the councils will be compiled in a report and sent to the European Commission.
