Two Friendship school students, from marginalised char families, have recently participated in the European Youth Event (EYE).
Both Rupali Khatun and Nurunnahar Khatun grew up in temporary deltaic sedimentary islands (chars) in the middle of the Brahmaputra River, isolated from the mainland and beyond the reach of the most basic services, such as healthcare, education and sustainable livelihoods. In a historic turn of events, they both travelled to France to attend the European Youth Event (EYE), held on June 9 and 10 at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, said a media release.
The EYE brings together young people from all over the world at the European Parliament and offers unique opportunities for youths aged between 16 and 30 to exchange their views with experts, activists, influencers and decision-makers at the heart of European politics, and share their ideas on the future of Europe and the world. The event centered on inclusiveness, correlation, and a strong commitment to giving young people a voice and themed around several sensitive global topics such as climate justice,
Rupali and Nurunnahar, both students of Friendship primary schools, represented the marginalised char communities, who are at the forefront of the climate crisis and have to shift homes multiple times due to erosion from floods. The inhabitants of chars are subjected to some of the harshest living conditions, from poverty to scarcity of food, absence of infrastructure and frequent climatic disasters.
The platform also allowed students from Bangladesh, Luxembourg and France, who participated in Friendship’s Inter-School Connectivity Project (ISCP) to meet and interact for the first time. Together, they shared the concept of ISCP as an adaptable and scalable model with the rest of the participants and presented Bangladesh’s innovative solutions to adapt to climate change. The Inter-School Connectivity Project is a platform developed by Friendship’s education sector that allows Friendship school students inhabiting in chars to interact with peers from France and Luxembourg to discuss climate and share knowledge and experiences on culture, language and activities.
Friendship founder Runa Khan said, “I am so happy to see our Friendship school students from Bangladesh participating at the European Youth Event 2023 in Strasburg.
Our online programs between our char children and schools around the world, especially Europe, are a wonderful exchange and learning program. Now they’re present together at the European Parliament—it gives me hope of boundaries breaking towards one global community around the world,” it added.
Bd-pratidin English/Golam Rosul
