Euroopa Maja 2015
Start date: Jan 1, 2015,
End date: Feb 29, 2016
PROJECT
FINISHED
In 2015 the Estonian European House Association focuses on maintaining the high quality of the Estonian Model European Parliament (MEP) movement as well as developing it further on a regional level. MEP is a simulation game in which students simulate the work and procedures of the European Parliament. Thus, MEP aims to develop civic values and skills in students from the ages 15 to 19 by organising a large national MEP and smaller local MEP’s. The latter is executed through school MEP’s called kooliMEP in which we help organise a short, yet comprehensive modified MEP format at a local school for its students. By 2014 we have succeeded in establishing an annual national MEP with about 120 participants every year and organising smaller MEP’s in schools all over Estonia. Our objective is to engage about 1000 young Estonians, in 2014 we reached about 700-800. In 2015 we intend to increase our magnitude through reaching out to schools in rural areas and small towns. Furthermore, in order to engage with the Russian speaking community more intensively, we plan to organie smaller MEPs in Russian for those who speak Estonian as a second language. Moreover, we plan on coordinate 3 regional MEP’s which similarly to the national MEP will be open for participation for all in our target age group.
In the long-term perspective the Estonian European House Association hopes to contribute to the development of the Estonian civil society as the skills learned through MEP should encourage participants to be more active in their civic duties, thus should create capable and proficient members of the civil society. Nevertheless, the main aim of the project is to teach students civic skills such as debating, diplomatic communication, lobbying, public speaking and to further develop the participants’ knowledge of current problems. Those skills will directly benefit the students in their school work, but later in their professional life as well. Furthermore, the ability to put these skills into practice will increase their credibility as young of members of society and increase the probability that they will also be engaged in issues related specifically to young people. Consequently, they will be able to sufficiently engage with public authorities and be able to compete with other social interest groups.
The project is managed by the chief executive of Euroopa Maja whose principal assistant is the MEP project leader who coordinates about 40 volunteers who help organise both the national MEP and local MEPs.