Students receive refugee award at EU Parliament

Brussels, 15 July – At the EU Parliament yesterday, the fourth biennial Pedro Arrupe Award ceremony took place.

The project, organised by the Jesuit Refugee Service Europe, was named after the former Superior General of the Society of Jesus and founder of the Jesuit Refugee Service, and was conceived to raise awareness of refugee issues among students who attend Jesuit schools and other schools linked to JRS.

In attendance were former Belgian prime minister Jean-Luc Dehaene MEP and Jan Kozlowski MEP, who awarded the prizes in the under-16 and under-19 categories respectively.

The Pedro Arrupe Award in the under-16 category was awarded to Margo Bauwens, Frederika Clement, Adrien De Houwer, Pieter-Jan De Man and Yasmin Van Linthoudt from the Flemish Jan van Ruusbroeck College in Laeken, for their visual art and video project ''The Luggage''.

Students from Jan van Ruusbroeck College in Laeken, with Jean-Luc Dehaene MEP

In awarding the prize to his compatriot students, Mr Dehaene stated that the ''quality of the analysis of the refugee issues by these young students was exemplary. They had not just superficially dealt with the issue but tried to get a real understanding of what it means to flee one’s home, to go into a completely strange country with a very different language and to be not welcome anywhere.''

In the under-19 category, Aleksandra Adler, Katarzyna Hetmanska and Filip Zbroja from the Jesuit High School in Gdynia, Poland, claimed the top prize for their short film, ''Life in Jeopardy''.

The three students created a film with fictive interviews. Using this method, the film was able to capture many aspects of the fates, histories and present situations of refugees who currently live in Poland and Europe.

Students from the Jesuit High School in Gdynia, Poland, with Jan Kozlowski MEP

In awarding Aleksandra Adler the Pedro Arrupe Award (her team mates could not be present), Mr Kozlowski stated that the project provided ''information about why refugees had to flee and what they are facing in their countries of stay.'' He said that ''the film also makes clear that 'refugees' are not a homogeneous group but a group that consists of very different personalities and types of people. Suddenly refugees get faces, get voices and can no longer be considered an anonymous mass''.

He also stated that the ''the students had not just dealt with the refugee issue but developed a real understanding of what it means to flee one’s home, to go into a completely strange country with a very different language and to be not welcome anywhere''.

Due to the especially high standard this year, an honourable mention was given to Magdalena Bernisz, Kiga Ossowska and Weronika Skowronska, who also came from the Jesuit High School in Gdynia, Poland, for their project ''Problems of the Refugees'', making it a very successful day for their school.

To finish proceedings, ceremony chair Stefan Kessler, JRS Europe senior policy officer, emphasised the importance and tradition of migration into Europe. He fittingly referenced the Greek goddess Europa, stating that ''we called our continent after'' a woman who in fact was ''a migrant''.