Teachers help young people to get to know Europe

Deirdre Clune, MEP (third from left) pictured with Cork teachers – from left –Geraldine Kelly, Scoil Barra Naofa, Monkstown; Ethel Loughnan, St Joseph’s GNS, Clonakilty, and Donal Kerins, Bunscoil Rinn an Chabhlaigh, who visited the European parliament as part of the Blue Star Programme.

IRELAND South MEP Deirdre Clune praised a group of teachers from Cork who are involved in the Blue Star Programme during a visit to the European Parliament on Thursday last, July 2nd.

The objective of the Blue Star Programme, which has been running since 2011, is to foster better understanding and knowledge, among Irish primary pupils, of how the European Union affects our lives, through participation in classroom projects and activities. The Blue Star programme introduces participants – pupils, teachers, parents and the wider community – to the EU, what it means and how it works.

It has already been rolled out in over 400 schools and the intention is to increase this number over the coming years:

’These teachers are helping our young people to get to know Europe – the history, the culture and the community of nations that Ireland is a part of. To appreciate the differences and similarities between our country and our European neighbours, and to gain some understanding into the mechanisms and institutions that make up our modern day European Union, will give Irish children an educational edge.

‘The Blue Star programme is an excellent resource for our teachers and our children and I hope to see even more schools across the country getting involved