The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is organising a workshop that will allow secondary school children from the 28 EU Member States and from the 5 official EU candidates countries (Albania, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Turkey) to see how the EESC decision-making process works in relation to a specific subject.

1. 1. registration, selection and preparation in class,
2. 2. the participation in the workshop  in Brussels.

The instructions for each stage are given below.

Schools wishing to take part must register online through the EESC's internet site before 13 January 2016.

After registration has closed, the schools to take part in the workshop will be chosen by lot. 

The selected schools will themselves choose three students in their pre-final year of secondary education (aged ≥ 16 years) to represent them, as well as a teacher who will accompany them. These people must all be able to express themselves in English. The event will take place in Brussels at the headquarters of the European Economic and Social Committee from 17 to 19 March 2016. 

The EESC will pay the travel and accommodation expenses of the students and accompanying teacher in accordance with the conditions set out below.

All the key information about the workshops will be published on the EESC's internet site. The teachers involved are therefore asked to check the site regularly.

The preparatory phase comprises registration, selection of schools by lot, selection of students by participating schools and preparation for the workshops in each school.

1. Registration

• be recognised by the education authorities in one or more Member States or in an official EU candidate country;
• have a computer (that can open and print PDF files), with internet access and email;
• undertake to choose one teacher and three students in their pre-final year of secondary education (≥16 years) who can express themselves in English;
• undertake to consider and discuss the topics of the workshops in class before coming to Brussels;
• undertake to host one EESC member for an information session on the EU and the Committee indicatively between February and March 2016 (travel and accommodation expenses of the EESC member to be paid by the Committee). Other classes from the same school and/or other schools may be invited to this meeting with the EESC member.
  

  It would be useful for the school to have had some experience with international exchange programmes (EU-funded or other), but this is not a condition for taking part.

  1.2 Registration process

  Schools wishing to take part must complete the online registration form.

  Before registration, the school must designate the accompanying teacher, who will be the only contact person for the EESC – if the school is selected – during the phase of preparation for the workshop. The head teacher of the school must confirm this choice in the relevant section of the online registration form. 

  The school must enter on the registration form its full name and address, the name and contact details of the head teacher and accompanying teacher, and an email address to which all correspondence with the accompanying teacher can be sent. Email must be checked regularly, since the schools will be contacted mainly by email. 

  N.B.: Only one registration form per school will be accepted. Schools that apply more than once will automatically be excluded.

  Registration will remain open until 13 January 2016.

  1.3 What do schools commit themselves to by registering?

  Each school that registers accepts the general conditions of the draw, preparation and workshops:

  1. Valid registration by the deadline guarantees only that the school can take part in the draw; it does not guarantee a place in the workshops.

  2. The schools selected by lot undertake:

  • a) to choose and register three students able to speak and understand English, who will take part in the workshops in Brussels, accompanied by a teacher;
• b) to invite one EESC member for an information session;
• c) to consider and discuss a document proposed by the EESC;
• d) to share the results of their work during the workshops in Brussels by taking an active part in the session;
• e) to agree to their name and pictures of the EESC member's visit to the school being used for EESC publications and posted on the EESC website and related social networks.
  N.B.:  If not otherwise specified by the school, this authorisation covers all the people, buildings and objects shown on the pictures;
• f) to agree to their name and picture of their participation in Brussels being used for EESCpublications and posted on the EESC website and related social networks.
• g) to provide any press cuttings relating to the visit of an EESC member in their school or relating  to the participation of the school in the event;
• h) to inform the organisers at the EESC promptly of any change (e.g. in the accompanying teacher, email address).

1.4 What happens if the school does not meet its commitments?

3. Selection and registration of students coming to Brussels

3.1 Selection criteria

3.2 Participation of disabled students

3.3 Registration of students 

3.4 Protection of personal data

The EESC guarantees the protection of all personal data received in accordance with prevailing legislation. 

4. Preparation for the workshops in the schools

A member of the Committee will visit the selected schools indicatively between February and March 2016. The member will provide information about the EESC and how it works. The EESC will pay the member's travel and accommodation expenses.
In February 2016 the schools taking part will receive a working document (English and French).
They will also be able to download the working document from the EESC's internet site in English or French.
The students will be asked to read and discuss the text of the working document.  Further instructions will be provided in due course.

THE WORKSHOPS IN BRUSSELS

The schools taking part (in the majority of cases these will be the first schools selected) will be required to provide an authorisation form for each student. The form can be downloaded in the above-mentioned languages  and printed from the EESC's website. This form must be signed by the parent(s) or legal guardian(s) of the student and by the head of the school. It must then be sent to the EESC in Brussels by post or email, accompanied by a copy of a valid identity document for each student, to the following addresses: 

European Economic and Social Committee

VMA2 5/55
rue Belliard/Belliardstraat 99
1040 Bruxelles/Brussel (Belgique/België)

• the student has permission to go to Brussels for the workshops;
• the student's name may be published in EESC publications, on the EESC website and related social networks with photos and/or video recordings of the session;
• the student will be supervised by the accompanying teacher while travelling and during their stay in Brussels.

The student may not take part in the trip unless the authorisation form and a copy of the identity document are received by the stated deadline.

2. Responsability

The accompanying teachers will bear full responsibility for the students and themselves during the journey and stay in Brussels.
The students and teacher accompanying them must take the necessary travel documents (i.e. valid passport or identity card). They must also have a European health insurance card (available free from local insurance organisations and/or sickness funds) or a provisional replacement certificate if the card cannot be issued in time. The EESC will organise and pay the costs of the journey and accommodation of students and accompanying teacher of each Member State in accordance with the conditions set out below.

3. Arrangements for the workshops

The workshops will take place on Friday 18 March 2016. Students will arrive in Brussels on Thursday 17 March 2016, and will meet the other participants that evening. They will return home on Saturday 19 March 2016.

The schools taking part will be informed in advance of the exact arrangements for the workshops.

4. Working languages

5. Expenses

• accommodation expenses in Brussels (2 nights, included breakfast);
• the travel expenses for the international airplane/train connection from their home country to Brussels (including connecting flights/long distance connecting trains if needed). Travel will be by air or train, depending on the participants' country of origin. The schools taking part will be informed of the exact arrangements; 
• transport between Brussels airport/railway station and the hotel;
• dinner on Thursday 17 March 2016, lunch and dinner on Friday 18 March 2016.

Participants should make sure they arrive at the station/airport well in advance of their scheduled departure time. If they miss their train/flight for any reason other than force majeure, the EESC will not grant any refund and/or compensation and will not cover the costs of purchasing new tickets, rerouting existent tickets, paying for accommodation or subsistence costs. 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION