Darmstadt honors creative contributions to the European idea
A total of 211 students from Darmstadt and the Darmstadt-Dieburg district were honored at the Justus Liebig House on Thursday (June 11) for their entries in the 73rd European Competition. Mayor Hanno Benz presented the certificates to the winners during a ceremony.
This year's European competition was themed "Your Europe: Law, Respect, Reality?!" and aims to encourage young people to engage creatively and critically with European issues.
Schools from Darmstadt and the surrounding district successfully
Students from the Edith Stein School, Eleonore School, Georg Büchner School, Justus Liebig School, Lichtenberg School, Ludwig Georg Gymnasium, and the Marienhöhe School Center in Darmstadt received awards. Participants from the Albert Einstein School in Groß-Bieberau, the Albrecht Dürer School in Weiterstadt, the Mossautal Elementary School, the Justin Wagner School in Roßdorf, the Max Planck Gymnasium in Groß-Umstadt, and the comprehensive school in the Bergstraße school village in Seeheim-Jugenheim also participated.
“Involving schools and the younger generation in European understanding is a central concern for the science city of Darmstadt within its city diplomacy with its 17 partner cities worldwide. The active participation of 13 schools from Darmstadt and the Darmstadt-Dieburg district in this year's European Competition is an expression of our success in working with schools to inspire children and young people of all ages with the European idea,” explained Mayor Hanno Benz.
Diverse topics about Europe
The tasks were divided according to age groups. Students in grades 1 to 4 explored topics such as "We make the world the way we like it!". For grades 5 to 7, the program included topics like "Children's rights – (not) a fairy tale?".
Students in grades 8 to 10 explored the theme "Here I am human – here I am allowed to be so!" In the upper grades, questions such as "Housing as a matter of course?!" were the focus.
Mayor Benz praised the creativity of the participants: “With their creative approach to important social issues, they have demonstrated how important their perspectives can be for present and future coexistence within Europe.”
More than 74,000 participants nationwide
The European Competition was launched in France in 1953 as part of the European Youth Campaign. This year, more than 74,000 students of all ages and school types participated nationwide. Around 7,500 participants came from Hesse, including 317 from the Darmstadt and southern Hesse region.
(DARMSTADT – RED/PSD/stip)
