Students at the Europaschule Falkensee, a primary bilingual school situated in the vicinity of Berlin, were earlier this month treated to a presentation of the Maltese islands, complete with galletti and a popular Maltese drink.

The event formed part of the Europe Week 2010 and was organised by the Embassy of Malta in Berlin, which regularly promotes the Maltese Islands amongst primary, secondary, and post-secondary schoolchildren and young students in both Berlin and Brandenburg.

Throughout the year, groups of students assisted by their teachers are received at the Embassy and are given a presentation about the Maltese islands. On other occasions, Embassy staff visit them in schools.

First secretary Gregory Camilleri, assisted by the embassy's PRO, delivered a presentation about the Maltese islands.

This visit was preceded with the embassy providing information material about Malta and Gozo to the students, engaging them to undergo research, compile projects about the Maltese islands, and prepare for a question and answer session.

Aged between 10 and 11, these students start learning English from an early stage.

To this end, the embassy’s visit provided them with a unique opportunity also to prepare and ask questions in English.

The visit was another success in this overall campaign with the school management requesting the embassy to maintain this event on an annual basis.

The Embassy is well aware of the positive tourism-related spill-over effect of such visits also within the children’s households. To this end, students are encouraged to get feedback from their parents and siblings on the Maltese islands with a view to raising further awareness also beyond the classroom.