colegiosyustenavalmoralJuan Carlos Moreno, Director of the European Academy of Yuste Foundation, Raquel Medina, Mayor of Navalmoral de la Mata, and Mehrad Alizadeh, CEPAIM-Extremadura Coordinator, today presented their project entitled ‘The European Union: a history of values and human rights’. The project, a joint collaboration, aims to get students interested in knowing what it means to feel European: encouraging respect for human rights, and knowing about European values and heritage.

The project, which is aimed at 5th and 6th year primary school children at the district’s five schools: Campo Arañuelo, Sierra de Gredos, El Pozón, Almanzor y Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, also has collaboration from the European Commission and Europe Direct Cáceres, who have given materials to the schools so that students can learn about the history and process of European integration. The project will reach a total of 400 primary school children.

For the Mayor of Navalmoral, the project is meeting a fundamental requirement of any democratic society: “to educate new generations so that the future will be more tolerant, solidary, and equal” and this is done by “teaching them about human rights”. Through the project children will learn about Europe, and the Europe we want to build, “analysing current issues”.
The Director of the Foundation talked about the different stages of the project: preliminary work with students based on the materials provided by the European Commission and Europe Direct Cáceres; a visit to the Royal Monastery of Yuste; and an informative videoconference talk from the Foundation’s delegate in Brussels.

Mehrad Alizadeh, a Coordinator for CEPAIM-Extremadura, talked about his role organising focused dynamic and participatory workshops in which they will work on “values such as peace, equality, and tolerance, through recounting stories of refugees and immigrants so the children can also see their points of view”.

Students from various schools also took part in the press conference, reflecting on current issues such as the effects of Brexit, the refugee crisis, and the euro.