A significant experience of my life

By Anna Simpson

I decided to take part in the Schools Beyond Borders and Regions project as I felt it would be a great way to make many new opportunities and potential achievements. I wanted to take part in something that was having more of an impact on the world and environment around us. I felt it was a perfect way to share familiar experiences and cultures with the young people of Europe.

We began this journey with many online zoom meetings with the Italian and Bosnian schools. Finally, we got to meet together in Italy and attended many workshops to learn more about the European Union and its impact on our lives. We worked together throughout our time in Italy to create a European Peace Pact which allowed us to empathise and understand our countries struggles. This helped us to create a way to make Europe a better place for everyone.

Over the course of the five days we immersed ourselves into the Italian culture and environment. We had many walking tours of Trento and of Val di Fassa where we learned about the history of each of the places. We travelled by bus or train and took in the amazing sites of Italy. We hiked in the breathtaking Dolomites, had many snowball fights and ate plenty of delicious food and ice cream. We visited the Bell of the Fallen in Rovereto and watched it ring over the town. While we were there we listened to a local choir and Italian actors read extracts from historical accounts with great passion and devotion. Most importantly we attended a conference where we presented our view of the Bosnian war and listened to other people’s view of the history of Ireland.

After taking part in the Schools Beyond Borders and Regions project I can confirm that it has been a significant experience of my life thus far. It has truly impacted my outlook on the world and helped me understand how it works. It has allowed me to create many new relationships and friendships with people I would have never met. It was a fantastic way to make new friends and share our cultures, traditions and ideas with each other. I will never forget such an amazing event.