PETER Symonds student Mojo Akinyemi recently spent time at the European Parliament as part of a scheme organised by the Alliance of Liberal Democrats in the European Parliament (ALDE). Eleven member states sent two student delegates each on a trip to meet MEPs, journalists, NGOs and representatives from international companies such as Facebook.

The students visited the House of European History, took part in a human rights workshop and spent some time with MEPs from various European member states. They met with a number of NGOs and participated in a roundtable with three journalists based in Brussels, were they discussed the impact of fake news. The students rounded off the week with a visit to Facebook Brussels and mock debate session at the European Parliament Visitors Centre.

Commenting on the trip, Mojo said: “It not only gave me an insight into a political institution I knew quite little about, but it also gave me the opportunity to meet so many brilliant people from all over Europe. It has made me reassess how I think of Europe and was an inspirational experience - I am now determined to learn another language!

“The trip gave me a much deeper insight into how the European Parliament functions. Learning about the democratic process is so important and I wanted to understand how people with different objectives and national interests work together. I am thrilled to have been a part of it.”