Habs Boys qualify for European Youth Parliament UK National Session

A number of Habs students recently took part in the East of England and the London and South East regional forums of the European Youth Parliament UK. Owing to the Covid-19 pandemic these took place on Zoom and involved a weekend of team building, committee work and debating resolutions in general assembly. This year’s forums included the innovation of students working in teams with other young people they had not met before. The School is delighted that four Habs students: Jatin, Jonny, Lucas and Zaver have been asked to take part in National Sessions taking place later in the year. Congratulations and best wishes to them all. 

The boys take up the story: 

Jatin said, “The EYP Regional Round was an exciting and an extremely memorable experience! The topic of my committee was ‘Misinformation’. On the first day, we transformed and constructed our ideas regarding this topic into a resolution, presenting it to the General Assembly the following day. Our resolution passed and we also had the opportunity to debate the resolutions of other committees. Through this, I was able to further enhance my critical thinking skills, as well as develop my understanding on how to put forward logical arguments, in addition to gaining knowledge on important topics in our world today. Overall, it was an enjoyable weekend, and I am looking forward to the National Finals!” 

Jonny commented, “I enjoyed the weekend I spent doing EYP thoroughly, not only due to the diverse range of issues that were debated but also in regards to the highly sociable environment which was in no ways limited by the fact that discussion took place over Zoom. I revelled in the highly intellectual and sometimes heated debate that surrounded issues such as vaccine distribution equity and the protection of employment during a pandemic that culminated in resolutions on these issues being presented to the General Assembly. Over the weekend I feel that I learnt a lot, working constructively with new people to construct viable and multi-faceted responses to very topical issues as well as having to articulate these solutions in speeches to other committees and members of the conference. I look forward to meeting new people and discussing more fascinating topics at the next conference!” 

Lucas added, “Our conference was exceptional. Throughout the session, there was a friendly atmosphere that promoted teamwork and kindness, leading to everyone developing confidence in their speeches and speaking more and more. Similarly, the public speaking skills developed through the conference will inevitably be extremely useful in later life and thus I’m grateful I had the opportunity to attend. Not only was the debate highly productive with interesting, engaging points but the topics covered were both immensely significant in the modern world and accompanied by detailed explanations which massively broadened my understanding of some key issues. Overall, qualifying from the regionals feels like a dream come true and I’m excited to see what’s in store in the next round!” 

Zaver had this to say: “I recently took part in a two-day virtual European Youth Parliament (EYP) event and was allocated to a committee focusing on privacy, big data and misinformation. The first day was spent taking part in various team building activities, followed by working with fellow delegates to write a resolution. The next day was the General Assembly. I was selected to give the opening speech for our resolution after which there was an open and lively debate followed by a vote. Fortunately, our resolution passed with a large majority.  Being able to collaborate with people I had not met prior to the event was an important skill and I formed a lot of friendships over the two days. EYP provided me with the chance to hear from a diverse range of people who were equally passionate as myself to solve important issues. This opportunity gave me the chance to hone my debating skills and express my opinions whilst also learning and collaborating with others to come up with solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems.” 

The School is grateful for EYPUK for continuing to provide excellent conferences that provide wonderful opportunities for young people to improve their skills and their understanding of contemporary issues. Together with Haberdashers’ Aske’s School for Girls, the Schools are committed to providing students with first-rate co-curricular experiences.