Ballymoney student inspired by European Parliament after winning Rotary Young Leadership award

Rebecca Ross is one of 20 teenagers on the island of Ireland to claim prestigious leadership prize which included all-expenses paid week-long trip to Belfast, Dublin and Strasbourg.

Rebecca, who is a Year 14 student at Dalriada School in Ballymoney, received her certificate from Rotary Ireland District Governor, Seamus Parle, and Fionnuala Croker, Acting Head of Office at the European Parliament Office in Dublin.

The itinerary for the students’ trip included visits to Belfast, Dublin, and Strasbourg. In Belfast they received a private tour of City Hall and a meeting with the Lord Mayor, Councillor Micky Murray, followed by a tour of Stormont where they met several politicians and also listened in to some debates from the visitors’ gallery.

At the new European Parliament Offices in Chatham Street, Dublin, they immersed themselves in all things EU related via the new Europa Experience and a 360-degree cinema presentation.

After being presented with their leadership certificates students embarked on tours of the Seanad and Dail where they met several TDs.

After that it was onto Strasbourg and the European Parliament where they and students from all over Europe were welcomed by Roberta Mestola, President of the European Parliament.

The highlight for the students was taking part in Euroscola, a simulation of the work of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in a debate and vote on the EU’s actions to tackle disinformation.

Rebecca, who is Deputy Head Girl of Dalriada School, is captain of the school’s 1st X1 Hockey team, a member of the school debating team and also a member of the school’s chamber choir, orchestra and string group. In addition, she is an International Justice Mission Champion, an English peer mentor for Yr 12 students and tennis coach for Yr 8 students.

“The highlight of my week was visiting the European Court of Human Rights and having a Question-and-Answer session with the Directorate of the Jurisconsult of the ECHR, Anna Austin, who was originally from a farm in County Meath. Having applied to study law at university in the next academic year, my curiosity in this field was fuelled even further.”

Rebecca believes the issue of disinformation is a huge one for society and democracy and one which young people need to face up to.

“We are the demographic in society which uses the media the most, yet often government does not give us advice on how to identify fake news and disinformation. I think today young people’s opinions are often based on information, which is not fact checked, and this presents a significant concern for the future.

“I would definitely recommend this competition to young people in my area. The initial stages involve interviews, and these enable young people to develop skills which will be invaluable in future when applying for jobs and in leadership roles. Through this trip I have certainly made friends for life from all over Ireland, many with differing worldviews from my own and experienced firsthand the importance of learning to work together.”