European Parliament Ambassador Schools Event

European Parliament Ambassador School Cross-Border Event on Peacebuilding and Reconciliation in John Hume’s hometown, Derry/Londonderry

The European Parliament Liaison Offices in the UK and Ireland co-organised a three-day cross-border event for European Parliament Ambassador Schools (EPAS) from 1–3 December 2025 in the city of Derry/Londonderry. Under the theme “Peacebuilding and Reconciliation in Northern Ireland and the Legacy of John Hume”, around 100 students and teachers from Ireland and Northern Ireland gathered at the historic Guildhall. The event was co-organised with the John and Pat Hume Foundation and the NI Youth Forum.

The programme included welcome addresses and the screening of an archival video of John Hume, ice-breaker activities, workshops on disinformation and democratic participation by the Norther Ireland Youth Forum, a high-level roundtable on EU–Northern Ireland relations with Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and political figures, a presentation on the importance of democratic participation of young people by Stephen Clark, Director of European Parliament Liaison Offices, school presentations, a talk by former Mayor Cllr Lilian Seenoi-Barr, a youth panel on peacebuilding with the NI Youth Forum and Youth Action Northern Ireland, guided tours at the Guildhall, in the city and  in the Derry Girls Museum, Cèili music and Irish dance performance by the Conomy Bradley Doherty Academy School of Dance School featuring, among others, Fae McCrudden, U’13 World Champion. The event closed with certificate presentations and final reflections.

Participating European Parliament Ambassador schools

From Ireland:

• Our Lady of Mercy College, Beaumont, Dublin 9
• St. Columba’s College, Stranorlar, Co. Donegal
• Edmund Rice Secondary School, Carrick-on-Suir, Tipperary
• College of the Immaculate Conception Summerhill, Sligo
• Errigal College, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal

From Northern Ireland:

• Belfast Boys’ Model School
• Strangford Integrated College, Carrowdore, Newtownards
• Mercy College Belfast
• St Colman’s High and Sixth Form College, Ballynahinch

Participating guest schools:

• Oakgrove Integrated College, Derry/Londonderry

I am really looking forward to this event in Derry, and to meeting the students and their teachers. While significant progress has been made in peacebuilding and reconciliation, there is still much more to do. Only through discussions like this can we continue moving forward to create lasting peace for everyone on this island, and the EU has an important role to play in that.

Kathleen Funchion MEP

We are delighted to welcome almost one hundred students and teachers from both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to this special cross-border European Parliament Ambassador Schools event in the hometown of John Hume. A Member of the European Parliament for a quarter of a century and named “European of the Year”, John Hume worked tirelessly to bring peace and reconciliation to his native land. He remains an inspiring example to young people and adults alike. He often said that “all the regions at war should study how Europe was built.” We are deeply honoured to organise an event centred on his legacy and, by bringing young people together from both sides of the border, to let his vision continue to speak to future generations. We are especially grateful to our colleagues in the Dublin Office, to our partners—the John Hume Foundation and the Northern Ireland Youth Forum—and to our wonderful hosts at the Guildhall for their outstanding collaboration. You have made us feel truly at home and very warmly welcomed here. Thank you.

Leena Maria Linnus, Head of the European Parliament Liaison Office in the UK 

I am delighted to address the European Parliament Ambassador Schools during this important cross-border event in Derry/Londonderry. I look forward to outlining the European Union’s vital contribution to the Northern Ireland peace process, followed by my own experiences in international EU peacebuilding and reconciliation missions when I was appointed by the EU Council to lead multinational missions to Sri Lanka and Pakistan, and by the European Parliament to Hong Kong and Kashmir.

 John Cushnahan, Former Leader of Alliance Party and former Fine Gael MEP 

The Hume Foundation is delighted to partner with the European Parliament Ambassador Schools which will bring together students from the UK, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to explore the importance of the European Union. John Hume was a passionate European who believed the European Union is “the best example in the history of the world of conflict resolution”.

  Tim Attwood, Foundation Secretary of the John and Pat Hume Foundation

Working closely with John Hume, it was clear how his European Parliament experience helped to sustain his belief in democratic partnership, affirming rights and enhancing relationships through political cooperation on shared social, economic and environmental challenges. Such inspiration became a key ingredient for the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement whose advancement which was also helped by significant and innovative Peace & Reconciliation Programmes supported by the European Parliament.

Mark Durkan, Former deputy First Minister/Former MP 

Ambassador Schools is an EU and UK-wide, annual programme of the European Parliament open to all secondary schools and colleges in the UK and the EU. It connects its member schools and colleges to a network of over 2,000 certified schools, 5,000 teachers, and 35,000 pupils and students throughout Europe. The programme enables students to learn more about European parliamentary democracy, organise and take part in practical activities related to the EU, and engage with their community and Members of the European Parliament.

More information: https://youth.europarl.europa.eu/more-information/ambassador-school.html and https://epas.org.uk/