IES Andrés de Vandelvira in Albacete, selected as a Spanish candidate for the Charlemagne European Youth Prize 2025 for the project "Camino Europa 2024"

 

We are very proud to announce that the "Camino Europa 2024" project, developed by  IES Andrés de Vandelvira in Albacete, has been selected as the Spanish candidate for the prestigious Charlemagne Youth Prize 2025.

The "Camino Europa 2024" project emerged from the confluence of several initiatives and characteristics of our school: its involvement in Erasmus+ projects, the outstanding importance given to the school’s multilingual programs, the fact of being a member of the European Parliament Ambassador Schools EPAS Program and the tradition of carrying out the Camino de Santiago annually. 

The objective was to organize a youth meeting of Erasmus+ schools to walk together a part of the Camino de Santiago, promoting participation in last year's European Elections.

It was hard work but, finally, we managed to get several schools from Germany: Städtische Gesamtschule Stolberg auf der Liester, Hebel-Gymanasium Pforzheim und Gymnasium Thomaeum Kempen; Bulgaria: St Constantine Cyril the Philosopher Secondary School of European Languages · Ruse; Romania: Colegiul Național "Spiru Haret" in Târgu Jiu; and Portugal: Agrupamento de Escolas Francisco Simões de Almada, to also obtain enough funding to attend the call.

Of course, the project program included numerous activities, a few of which  we would like to  highlight here. Logically, a very important one was walking the 5 stages of the Camino de Santiago that separate Sarria from Santiago. On those days  we  we were able to show the people we met that we were united in diversity and enormously interested in defending democracy and the values ​​promoted by the EU. Before, during and after the Camino we carried out activities to promote participation in the 2024 European Elections in our communities. We felt the message got through; on the stages of the Camino, many people were surprised that such young people (many of us were 14 years old at that time) showed such great interest in democracy.

Without a doubt, the dialogue we had with MEPs Francisco Millán Mon and Nicolás González Casares in Santiago de Compostela was one of the activities that gave the most meaning to our project. 

We cannot forget the extraordinary support that came with having the financial, logistical, emotional, documentary, etc. help of the Albacete City Council through its Department of Entrepreneurship and European Affairs, the Europe Direct Center of Albacete and the Parliament Office in Madrid. Without them, this project would have been impossible.

Our joy and that of our partners is huge, first of all because of the great media interest it aroused at the time and now because of the pride that comes with having been selected at a national level to represent Spain in the last phase of this opportunity: winning one of the three awards at the ceremony that will take place in Aachen on May 27. It will be exciting to be there alongside the other 26 candidates who have also presented magnificent projects.