Money from the Futures Fund gave Gabrielle Hall the chance to debate the future of her generation at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
The Criminology student was one of 7000 young people chosen from across the continent to attend the European Youth Event, where she took part in sessions on democracy, disability and Brexit.
Gabrielle suffers from deafness and a volunteer for various deaf charities, with the event standing as a major opportunity for her to debate the issues close to her heart. The money she received went towards the hiring of two interpreters, which were necessary for her to be able to speak and talk to the other students at the event.
The interpreters provided Gabrielle with the opportunity to get involved in the debate, enabling her to learn a great deal from the speakers and other students.
“The use of interpreters benefitted everyone in the trip,” she said. “They gave me the confidence to know that I would get access to information I want to know and also gave others the confidence to speak to me if they wished to do so.”
At the event, she was able to further learn more about the world of social research, a subject she would like to get involved in further upon her graduation.
She added: “The trip was vital to my learning, as I was keen to learn more on different perspectives from other people, as my perspective is naturally biased. It also contributed to my career thinking as social research is one of the routes I'm interested in.”
On her final day, Gabrielle got the chance to talk about a topic close to her heart – the impact of living with deafness. She was able to discuss issues with fellow deaf people and talked about how life could be made easier for those with the condition.
“Discussing deaf issues is one of my passions,” she explained. “As a deaf person, it was fantastic that I got to meet other deaf people and discuss issues deaf people face in European countries. We discussed how European issues affect us as people.”
Attending the event has proved hugely beneficial for Gabrielle, introducing her to a range of new people, expanding her knowledge of important issues and giving her the chance to get her voice heard to people across Europe.
After her graduation this summer, she plans to move into volunteering before setting her sights on a move to New Zealand. She is hugely thankful to the Futures Fund for providing her with the one off opportunity to attend the parliament and added that the trip would not have possible without the support from the fund and its donors.
“This trip would not have happened if it was not for the Futures Fund; it was a once a lifetime opportunity.”
Article written by Matthew Shevlin, University of Sunderland Journalism graduate.
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