Communication is at the heart of the European Parliament Ambassador Schools (EPAS) scheme. It aims to give young people the tools and knowledge to:
- Understand how the European Union (EU) and European Parliament affect their daily lives
- Influence decision-making in the EU and European Parliament
- Feel connected to people and cultures across Europe
- Find out more about the issues that interest them
A central tool in doing this is an InfoPoint; as the name suggests this is somewhere people in your school/college community can get information. There is no set format for what it should look like, or what information it should contain, but to be effective it should be:
Engaging
Does it look interesting? Is it somewhere people will see it?
Up-to-date
How often is it updated? Who has responsibility to do this?
Encouraging further enquiry
Are there ideas for how you can find out more (e.g. links to relevant websites?
Relevant to the EU and your school/college
Does it do one (or more) of the bullet points at the top of the page?
Not just a display board
Whilst lots of schools and colleges set up their InfoPoint on display boards, this is by no means the only way it can be done.
You could set up a website, or social media channel.
You might emulate the InfoPoints in Brussels or at Europe House in London and have art exhibitions in your corridors, featuring different EU counties or themes.
Useful resources
Display materials
If you would like to get some free maps, posters, flags, leaflets and other promotional material to decorate your InfoPoint email eu@involver.org.uk and we’ll request them from the European Parliament Liaison Office in the UK for you – as the office is not fully open due to COVID19 restrictions these may take some time to get to you.
Useful websites
These websites are great sources of information to help you create your InfoPoint. You may also want to put links to them on your InfoPoint.
What Europe Does for Me: A huge source of information to see what impact the EU has in your region, in various aspects of your life, or by policy area.
https://www.what-europe-does-for-me.eu/en/portal
About the European Parliament: The Parliament’s own website explaining its purpose, history and how you can get involved.
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/about-parliament/en
Europa.eu: The official website of the European Union. Links to everything from legislation to news.
https://europa.eu/european-union/index_en
European Youth Portal: The European Youth Portal offers young people information on opportunities in Europe and beyond.
https://europa.eu/youth/home_en
Eurodesk: Eurodesk works with over 1600 youth information points in 36 countries that inform young people about mobility opportunities and encourage them to become active citizens.
https://eurodesk.eu/
EPLO in the UK: The European Parliament’s Liaison Office in the United Kingdom is a sort of special embassy for the EU in the UK.
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/unitedkingdom/en/home-page.html
EU Citizens’ Rights: Find the information you need about your rights as an EU Citizen living in the UK
https://www.eurights.uk/
European Day of Languages: Loads of activities, phrases and resources to help you share the EU’s 24 official languages (and many more).
https://edl.ecml.at/
If you find any other useful sources of materials and resources, please add them in the comments below.