Model Council of the European Union debate
The Model Council is an annual debate for secondary schools organised by the European Commission Representation in Ireland in partnership with the European Parliament Liaison Office in Ireland.
It is a simulation of a meeting of the Council of the European Union and involves teams from secondary schools around Ireland, each of which represents an EU Member State. The event allows schools to learn about the EU's decision-making process.
The 2024 Model Council took place in Dublin Castle on Friday 1 March. The topic was “Reforming the EU for Future Enlargement”. Students debated a mock Commission Communication on pre-Enlargement reforms.
The competition was won by Maynooth Post Primary School in Co Kildare. Ardscoil Rís from Dubin, representing the Netherlands and St Leo's College from Carlow representing Denmark took joint second place. Honourable mentions were given to the following schools: Coláiste Chill Mhantáin in Burkeen, Co Wicklow as Austria, Loreto Secondary School, Clonmel, Co Tipperary as Poland and Deansrath Community College in Clondalkin, Dublin as Germany.
You can view the recording of the 2024 debate here.
All-island ‘Aistritheoirí Óga’ (Young Translators) competition
The ‘Aistritheoirí Óga' (Young Translators) translation competition is organised jointly by the European Commission and the Irish Government. It is open to students across the island of Ireland who were at least 15 years of age on 1 September (current academic year) and who have the ability to translate from English into Irish, or from a choice of five other European languages into Irish.
The competition has three goals: to promote a high standard of Irish, to encourage multilingualism among secondary school students and to encourage their interest in careers with Irish.
There are six categories in the competition: a prize for the best translation from English in each province, an overall prize for the best translation across the island of Ireland, and a prize for the best translation from a language other than English.
The competition is launched in November/December each year and Competition Day takes place in the Spring.
Further information about the competition, the registration process and the rules of the Competition can be viewed here.
EU stand at the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition
The EU Commission Representation in Ireland hosts a stand at the annual BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition.
A variety of activities including free resources about the European Union are made available to visitors.
Information Officers from the European Commission Representation in Ireland and the European Parliament Liaison Office are also present to answer any queries.
Juvenes Translatores competition
Since 2007, the Juvenes Translatores translation competition is organised annually by the European Commission. It is open to students across the European Union who are 17 years of age and who have the ability to translate between any two of the 552 possible language combinations of the EU's 24 official languages.
The competition is launched in September each year and schools can register up until mid-October. All entries are then entered into a random draw and 705 schools are invited to proceed to the next stage. The final number of participating schools per country is equal to the number of MEPs representing that country – i.e. 13 for Ireland.
Each participating school then nominates 2-5 students to take part in the simultaneous contest (in all EU Member States) on Competition Day, usually during November.
The winners — one per country — are announced in early February and prizes are presented at a special ceremony in Brussels during the Spring.
For further information about the Juvenes Translatores competition, please see the dedicated webpage.
Media workshop for third level students
The European Commission’s annual media workshop takes place in Autumn each year. It is aimed at increasing the interest of third level students in journalism, in particular in the context of EU affairs. Speakers provide valuable tips on writing techniques and research skills and teach students how to approach issues from a journalistic perspective. They also give an overview of the media environment in the EU.
In addition, the workshop helps students to prepare for the national student Media award ("Smedias") in the EU category. The Smedias prize is awarded to the best article which covers EU affairs and which was printed in a student publication during the previous year. The winner's article is also published in a regional or national newspaper such as the Irish Times.
