Big politics for smart kids

Grundschule Diesterweg, a bilingual primary school in Bielefeld, welcomed Ms Verena Mertens, Member of the European Parliament, on 2 October 2026.
The focus was the MEP’s child-friendly talk on the composition of the European Parliament, linguistic diversity in Europe, and voting among the 27 member states as the basis of democratic action. The children recognised this principle in their own pupils’ parliament, where they have been learning for three years to represent concerns and make decisions together.
In the final Q&A, the children asked curious and often very concrete questions, for example about peace and about what politics could do better.
The visit made language skills, democratic participation and critical thinking tangible, in line with this years Erasmus Days motto “Skills for Tomorrow”.
(Due to holidays the event took place on 2 October 2026)