Europe Day Speech

Good morning,

Firstly, I would like to thank the presence of the Mayor of Custóias, Leça do Balio and Guifões, Pedro Gonçalves, and the teacher Liliana Maldonado.

On 9^th May 1950, precisely 69 years ago, a man, Robert Schuman, dreamed. A dream about a Europe with bonds and not boundaries. Since then, Europe has prospered from the European Coal and Steal Community with only six countries to the European Union of today with currently 28 Member-States. So, a historical event happened, to which we owe being here in 2019 celebrating Europe.

However, today, we aim to make another historical moment, not as the ones that appear in history books, but the ones that will maybe make history possible. With Robert Schuman the dream was not to have war between each other in order to survive. Today the dream is also to survive, but to survive facing the challenges of global warming and climate change. To survive facing the problem that has whipped out entire species from our planet Earth and might as well whip us  out next if we don’t do anything to change it, today. To plant a single tree might just be a symbolic gesture, or something that seems not to make a difference in the entire world. And probably that is true. However, if we plant a tree here and other schools in Europe join us and the “Trees for Europe” movement and also plant a tree, we have not only one: we have fifty, one hundred, who knows, one thousand trees, and that can make a difference. And this tree is not supposed to be a good action by itself, or an action that is happening right now for us to forget the next minute. It is a mark and a warning to us all, it is a call to arms for us to start changing our world, it is a movement of people and actions that, equal to the tree, will grow and be meaningful, powerful and someday flourish to a changed and better Europe, a greener Europe.

In Escola Básica e Secundária do Padrão da Légua, the environment and its protection is and must always be a priority. Similarly, and as a part of this schools’ community, Clube Europeu is also part of the change that we want to see, with projects that make students think about the planet, the environment and how to help Europe and the world to prosper. And this is what the world and we need.

To conclude this speech, I would like to remember something to all of you: change does not appear by itself, change is made, it is created by the people. So, with this tree in mind, let’s not just wait and see if change is coming, but let’s make a change, let’s plant a seed inside all of us that will only flourish when we take action. Let us not only be Europeans, but Europe itself.

Thank you.

Trees for Europe 2019

We have planted a foreign tree, that we should be green during winter. Wood on wood - forest! Our contribution to a healthier and greener Europe!

Kindergarten "Bubamara", Nadalj, Serbia

https://funchalnoticias.net/2019/05/09/escola-de-santo-antonio-associou-se-hoje-a-iniciativa-europeia-trees-for-Escola de Santo António associou-se hoje à iniciativa europeia “Trees for Europe”

O loureiro plantado hoje na Escola de Santo António.

A EB/PE de Santo António e Curral das Freiras foi a única na Região que, este ano, se associou à iniciativa europeia “Trees for Europe”.

Aquela escola madeirense foi uma das 250 em toda a Europa que, hoje, através da iniciativa, plantou uma árvore no seu jardim (um loureiro), em nome do ambiente e da sustentabilidade do planeta.

A chefe de Divisão do IFCN, Isabel Freitas na escola de Santo António.

O Dia da Europa foi o mote para mais esta iniciativa que simboliza a paz com a plantação de uma árvore por gerações jovens de europeus.

Um gesto simbólico de esperança num futuro comum que contou com a participação da chefe de Divisão de Formação e Comunicação do Instituto de Florestas e de Conservação da Natureza (IFCN), Isabel Freitas.

A actividade fez parte do programa da Semana da Europa, naquela escola, subordinada ao tema “Europa, Casa da Democracia”, que termina amanhã à tarde com a presença do presidente do Governo Regional, Miguel Albuquerque.