rowing up on a planet that is now home to almost eight billion people, it can be hard for teenagers to appreciate the vastness of the world outside of their own communities. And it has been especially difficult to grasp global complexities over the course of the pandemic, a time when many secondary school students saw the size of their world shrink from a sprawling hometown to the confines of a childhood bedroom.
Aware of this global disconnection, the European Parliament Liaison Office (ELPO) in Washington, DC, launched the Bridge the Pond Program last fall, which brings secondary school students from the United States and the European Union together to participate in important global conversations. Within the entirely virtual program, students from an American high school are paired with students from a European high school, and they work with their teachers to identify large topics, from social media to racial justice, to reflect upon and discuss. Throughout the partnership, students work both separately and in joint sessions to prepare a set of positions and resolutions regarding their chosen topics. At the end of the program, students will present common positions with both Members of European Parliament and American state legislators.
The pandemic has made connection difficult in many ways across the globe. However, at least in the case of the Bridge the Pond program, connection has been facilitated by the pandemic. Colin Baker, an AP European History teacher in Blacksburg, Virginia, described online learning during the pandemic as “an impossible situation,” an environment where students received less teacher time in the classroom while losing the benefits of group work and peer interaction. During this challenging time, Baker said, “Thanks to Bridge the Pond, there was…a 'glue' to knit together a class…and [the program] helped spur…projects that would never otherwise have happened this year.”
And during a time when many high school students have missed seeing their peers on a regular basis, Bridge the Pond helped students make friends abroad. Baker reported that more than one of his students told him it was great to be able to interact with teens in Ireland, and at another American school in Verona, Wisconsin, high school teacher Jason Knoll reported that his students connected with their Finnish counterparts outside of the program on apps such as Instagram and Snapchat.
Although the Bridge the Pond project was conceived during the COVID-19 pandemic, its purpose in strengthening transatlantic relationships is broader than this past year’s set of unusual circumstances. Despite tools like social media, teens on both sides of the Atlantic grow up feeling disconnected from their counterparts across the pond, even though Europeans and Americans grapple with many of the same challenges. Given the importance of transatlantic relations, Knoll says he hopes that the program continues, especially since he says it helped his students realize they’re not alone in wanting to grapple with global issues. “[Bridge the Pond] adds to the curriculum,” Knoll said. “This is an experience now for students that they’re going to be able to remember and take with them as opposed to normal classroom routines.”
Viki Malcolm, a teacher at a participating international school in Dublin, Ireland, agreed that Bridge the Pond was also a memorable experience for her students. “Students always really enjoy working with their peers but being able to make connections with students in the US was really exciting for us,” Malcolm said, “as we haven’t had that opportunity before.”
As countries continue to distribute the vaccinations that will hopefully bring an end to the pandemic, Bridge the Pond is clearly one relic of this era that participating students and teachers hope to preserve long after they complete their last-ever Zoom class. “Given the differences in time and geography, the project would have always been virtual,” Malcolm said. “But the interaction between the groups was exciting to watch. Perhaps in coming years, ELPO can expand this project to more schools across both Europe and the United States, and give students a reason to look forward to post-pandemic Zoom meetings."
a global affairs media network
EU & U.S. Students Bridge the Pond During Pandemic
Image by AdobeStock.
May 19, 2021
The European Parliament Liaison Office (ELPO) in Washington, DC, launched the Bridge the Pond Program last fall, which brings secondary school students from the United States and the European Union together to participate in important global conversations.
G
rowing up on a planet that is now home to almost eight billion people, it can be hard for teenagers to appreciate the vastness of the world outside of their own communities. And it has been especially difficult to grasp global complexities over the course of the pandemic, a time when many secondary school students saw the size of their world shrink from a sprawling hometown to the confines of a childhood bedroom.
Aware of this global disconnection, the European Parliament Liaison Office (ELPO) in Washington, DC, launched the Bridge the Pond Program last fall, which brings secondary school students from the United States and the European Union together to participate in important global conversations. Within the entirely virtual program, students from an American high school are paired with students from a European high school, and they work with their teachers to identify large topics, from social media to racial justice, to reflect upon and discuss. Throughout the partnership, students work both separately and in joint sessions to prepare a set of positions and resolutions regarding their chosen topics. At the end of the program, students will present common positions with both Members of European Parliament and American state legislators.
The pandemic has made connection difficult in many ways across the globe. However, at least in the case of the Bridge the Pond program, connection has been facilitated by the pandemic. Colin Baker, an AP European History teacher in Blacksburg, Virginia, described online learning during the pandemic as “an impossible situation,” an environment where students received less teacher time in the classroom while losing the benefits of group work and peer interaction. During this challenging time, Baker said, “Thanks to Bridge the Pond, there was…a 'glue' to knit together a class…and [the program] helped spur…projects that would never otherwise have happened this year.”
And during a time when many high school students have missed seeing their peers on a regular basis, Bridge the Pond helped students make friends abroad. Baker reported that more than one of his students told him it was great to be able to interact with teens in Ireland, and at another American school in Verona, Wisconsin, high school teacher Jason Knoll reported that his students connected with their Finnish counterparts outside of the program on apps such as Instagram and Snapchat.
Although the Bridge the Pond project was conceived during the COVID-19 pandemic, its purpose in strengthening transatlantic relationships is broader than this past year’s set of unusual circumstances. Despite tools like social media, teens on both sides of the Atlantic grow up feeling disconnected from their counterparts across the pond, even though Europeans and Americans grapple with many of the same challenges. Given the importance of transatlantic relations, Knoll says he hopes that the program continues, especially since he says it helped his students realize they’re not alone in wanting to grapple with global issues. “[Bridge the Pond] adds to the curriculum,” Knoll said. “This is an experience now for students that they’re going to be able to remember and take with them as opposed to normal classroom routines.”
Viki Malcolm, a teacher at a participating international school in Dublin, Ireland, agreed that Bridge the Pond was also a memorable experience for her students. “Students always really enjoy working with their peers but being able to make connections with students in the US was really exciting for us,” Malcolm said, “as we haven’t had that opportunity before.”
As countries continue to distribute the vaccinations that will hopefully bring an end to the pandemic, Bridge the Pond is clearly one relic of this era that participating students and teachers hope to preserve long after they complete their last-ever Zoom class. “Given the differences in time and geography, the project would have always been virtual,” Malcolm said. “But the interaction between the groups was exciting to watch. Perhaps in coming years, ELPO can expand this project to more schools across both Europe and the United States, and give students a reason to look forward to post-pandemic Zoom meetings."
