Your Europe: Rights, Respect – Reality?!

At the heart of the project was the question of whether values such as human rights, democracy and mutual respect are genuinely upheld in everyday life and across Europe. The students engaged critically with current social issues and reflected on the significance of European values from their own perspectives.

Under the guidance of teachers Marcus Müller, Simon Meier, Katharina Schlicht, Astrid Schweizer and Alexandra Seyfried, a wide range of creative works emerged. The students wrote texts, created sculptures and produced podcasts in which they expressed their thoughts, experiences and ideas. The results demonstrated the diversity of perspectives on Europe – and showed that democracy, human rights and respectful coexistence depend on the commitment of each individual.

Two Salem teams from Grade 10 received awards for their contributions. Max W. and Leopold T. won a local prize for their podcast “Thoughts on the World”. In it, they discuss human rights in everyday life in a relaxed yet thoughtful and serious manner.

Sophie L. and Mira H. won a state-level prize for their text on “Freedom of Thought”. It includes the following passage:

Protection from manipulation is like an inner garden: you plant your own ideas and nurture them through reading, reflection, conversation and self-examination. You learn to recognise the strings that others may try to pull and decide for yourself which of them you are willing to follow. In this way, freedom remains not merely an ideal, but becomes a daily practice.

We all hope that during our middle school years at Salem, we have created this garden and are now able to tend it independently.

Picture on the left: An artistic contribution to the Europe project by Viktoria S. and Vivien H.

Photo on the right: The prize-winners Max W., Sophie L. and Leopold T. with their certificates. Mira H. is missing from the photo.