CPC students for UN Model Conference in Belgium

CPC teachers Glenda Groome and Mary Quinto in Namur.

Students from Cross and Passion College Kilcullen will visit Namur in Belgium next month to participate in the Model United Nations Conference, writes Brian Byrne. The event will be held over three days from 6-8 February at the Parlement de Wallonie and the La Bourse Conference Centre in Namur.

Model UN simulations engage hundreds of thousands of students globally each year, helping them to learn more about the principles of the UN and how it functions. The upcoming event in Namur is the second such to be held there. 

CPC teachers Mary Quinto and Glenda Groome took part in a recent job-shadowing opportunity at the Providence Champion school in Namur, under the Erasmus+ programme. The school is an Erasmus+ partner to CPC and was founded by the Sisters of Providence in the late 19th century. It facilitates Basic, Primary and Secondary education on the one campus. 

The two CPC teachers were able to observe the differences between the Irish and Belgian secondary school systems. "The school day in Belgium starts at 8.30am finishing at 4.30pm," was one of the observations the duo made when they returned to Kilcullen. "Students wear their own clothes and there are few or no textbooks in sight. Most of the lessons are delivered with teacher notes, or students use their Chromebooks and smartphones to research material."

Providence Champion caters for 1,200 students every day which creates an energetic and lively atmosphere. "Another difference we noticed is the strong emphasis on multilingual education in Belgium. Students seamlessly switch between French and Dutch in addition to learning English and Spanish. It is inspiring to see how language skills are nurtured as part of daily life."

In addition to the Model United Nations event, further interactions between the two schools are planned, including a trip in March to explore European values and a cultural exchange visit by teachers and students from Namur to Kilcullen in April.

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