20 years ago Lithuania joined NATO and today we can feel more secure when facing geopolitical threats. On June 7th, Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) celebrated this special occasion with the ambassadors of NATO countries and Kaunas high school students.
The discussion, organised by KTU Faculty of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities (FSSAH), is a part of the programme “Pupils Elect” that has been running at KTU for over a decade. In this meeting, 9-12th graders from different Kaunas schools participated in a discussion with the ambassadors of Germany, Latvia, and Finland about security threats in Europe. Pupils had a chance to ask questions, participate in a quiz about NATO, and win special prizes from KTU.
“This project is aimed at high school students’ social education, their empowerment as citizens, their understanding of politics and public politics, also public administration. In honour of Lithuania’s 20 years in NATO, this event, held with the ambassadors, aims to familiarise pupils with the level of studies in the university and make them feel empowered by their citizenship,” says the Vice-Dean for Studies at KTU FSSAH, Prof. Dr Eglė Vaidelytė.
“We often think that the decisions made in the meetings of political organisations do not affect us; however, it is the opposite. It is important to understand political processes and be able to vote – when one reaches voting age – who is going to represent our country in those meetings and represent our interests,” says the ambassador of Latvia, Solveiga Silkalna, hoping that such discussions and similar political events will help pupils form their political views.
Ainius Lašas, the Dean of KTU FSSAH, says that it is important to talk to the youngsters about the security of Europe and Lithuania because people who grew up in the last twenty years – when Lithuania was already a member of EU and NATO – think that the threats for our security lie in the past: “Security is not taken for granted – we have to fight for it, talk about it, and it has to be maintained. We must understand the value of security and cherish it. This is why we need discussions like this – that our people would not have to sacrifice their blood for independence.”
The ambassador of Finland in Lithuania, Arja Makkonen, appreciates the importance of such discussions when talking about history and the past. It shows that we must cherish our freedom and be prepared for various scenarios. “It is important not to panic, but to be prepared to fight the challenges, such as cyber attacks.” She says that the discussions as this encourage young people to think about what is happening around us, especially when the Baltic region, Nordic countries and the whole Europe are now facing serious security threats.
Dr. Cornelius Zimmermann, the ambassador of Germany, demonstrated his Lithuanian language skills and called it “yoga for the brain”. He was delighted with the students’ engagement in the discussion and stressed the importance of citizenship: “My wish for the younger generation of Lithuanians is for them to be responsible for their future, security and the deterrence of potential aggressive countries. NATO follows the principle of cooperation and support – one for all and all for one. Therefore, the national security of Lithuania and Germany is the national security of all NATO countries.”
