From 13th to 20th January, eleven Q2 students visited Thessaloniki, Greece to take part in the MICC program. The Model International Criminal Court is a program run by the Kreisau Initiative that aims to educate young people from all over the world on the significance and history of human rights – including their importance during the legal process of trials regarding war crimes and genocide. Our group was welcomed with open arms, a warm smile and met amiable participants from Serbia, Turkey, Greece and Malta.
We simulated the trials of three real-life cases from different violent conflicts by taking over the roles of the judges, the prosecution, the defense, and the press. This process included workshops with trainers and trials as well as verdicts conducted in an official style.
Having participated in human rights classes and lectures on legal proceedings, we spent our free time playing games together and having informative conversations about issues that affect the whole world. Communal discussions were also initiated by the trainers, and group games were organised on common evenings. The latter included the presentation of all participating countries by the respective young people. We got to know delicious foods and traditions, learning to be open about the unknown. Many of the people we met during our week in Greece have become close friends who are very dear to us and who we wish to meet again soon. We also visited Thessaloniki and neighboring towns in small groups, leading to a multifaceted perspective on beautiful Greece.
The MICC, which is supported by the European Union and the Erasmus+ Program, is an experience that has created lifelong memories filled with moments of happiness, friendships, laughter, and also stressful afternoons with numerous debates on the historical cases. Being an enriching time for anyone taking part in it, the MICC is a formative and shaping experience.
We are all very grateful for this unique opportunity provided to us by our school, our accompanying teacher, Herr Schneider, and especially the trainers and organizers, who put so much work into it to ensure that we could gain memorable experiences.
Rebecca Irven, Q2