St Edward's College students visit Holland

A group of 20 St Edward's College students recently returned from a trip to Oss in Holland, as part of the Elos programme.

Eos, the Dutch acronym for Europe As A Learning Environment In Schools, aims to foster the idea of European citizenship in classrooms.

St Edward's College has participated in this project from its inception and its students have been working with students from Maasland College in Oss on joint projects that bring to light the historical, geographical and cultural diversity within the European Union while fostering the idea of a united Europe.

Students from both colleges had the opportunity to get to know each other on a social level, communicating on a regular basis through e-mail and online messaging facilities. The Dutch students involved in this project visited Malta last May and it was now the Maltese students' turn to experience life in Holland. This included cycling to school every morning, getting used to double-decker trains whizzing past the classroom windows and becoming aware of the cultural differences that exist within the European Union.

Students took part in various activities including celebrating the Dutch traditional feast of Sinterklass and a photography project encouraging them to closely observe the Dutch way of life. They also had the opportunity to work on a Europe Project exploring various issues within the European Union and giving them the chance to discuss matters such as the euro as a common currency, language policies, school curricula across the European Union and initiatives that facilitate mobility within the EU.

The boys also visited Amsterdam taking in the many sights, including the Rijks Museum and a taste of what life will be like in a few years' time at Living Tomorrow, the house of the future.

Each student gained insight into Dutch culture and ways of life, apart from further strengthening the friendships that developed over the internet at the outset of the project.