The result of the 23 June referendum on the European Union will shape not only the future of the UK, but also the future of Europe as a whole - and possibly also of the world. And, importantly, the future of your students.

There are very few times in life when one is given the chance to influence events that will change history. This is one of them.

I have worked in the EU, been proud of a lot that the EU has achieved, and been frustrated by some of the things that the EU does too.

Regardless of whether you are, as I am, pro-European or not, we all have not only the right, but also the duty to step into the referendum debate, get informed and vote.

It is easy for those under 60 to forget that the EU is, above everything else, a project for peace, to avoid the confrontations that led us to kill each other not just once but twice during the past century.

It all seems so far away. And yet it is so recent. We tend to think that we will never have to face a war in Europe ever again. But we are currently surrounded by an imperialistic and angry Russia, whose pressure has already caused fundamental liberties and democratic rights to start crumbling in countries across Central and Eastern Europe; by a Turkey that is showing increasing desire to extend its area of political influence; and by a string of countries in the south and east Mediterranean that happen to be affected by threats of terrorism, instability and/or war.

The threat of conflict

Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the continent of Europe - including the UK - has never been as close to a risk of political turmoil and confrontation as it is today.

On the economic front, the world is rapidly changing as well. The new emerging economic powers (China and India, along with some South East Asian countries) are all defined by their size: huge countries or regions whose economic muscle depends on the sheer volume of their consumer base.

The EU has aimed to counterbalance that by joining forces and creating a market of 500 million consumers. Having such a powerful market means having some common rules. We may like or dislike some of those rules, but the issue is not whether we care for a specific rule. The issue is: how can we compete with those increasingly huge economic powers with strength? And how can we do so while keeping our own values?

There are actually very few countries and economic blocks in the world that are able to marry economic strength with our commitment to democracy, freedom, human rights and rule of law.

At the end of the day, what is at stake on 23 June is not just whether the UK is part of the wider EU, but what kind of country you want the UK to be.

Some crave a world where people could sort out all problems nationally, close the borders to people and products from abroad, impose their own rules. They want to regain control, reduce things to a manageable size.

The world of today, however, is no longer like that. Volatility, fluidity and complexity define the 21st century. Young people expect to be able to communicate with everybody else, no matter where they are. We expect goods to reach us where we are, and as we order them, no matter where they come from.

We are all interconnected now: an environmental crisis in Japan has an impact on the food sold at a corner shop in a UK village; the presence of ISIS in Libya is felt in our British cities in a matter of weeks; an economic crisis in any medium-size country will affect the mortgage power of each of us within just a few months. That is how the world is, whether we like it or not. We need to consider those challenges and take decisions about them. That is why the options at the referendum should not be simply leave or remain. One should also be: if we remain, do we just stay in the back seat or do we lead?

A life-changing moment

The vote on 23 June will decide your future. All of it: your safety, your job opportunities, how you work, where and how you travel, the price of the goods you buy, the quality of the environment you live in, how effective we are against terrorism, the way in which neighbouring countries look at us. I hope everyone able to vote will get the knowledge that they need to be able to decide what they think is best for their country.

Don’t let others take this important decision for you. It is your life we are talking about, your family, your students’ - so the decision is yours, and yours alone.

Whatever happens, this will make history. This is why I will be joining Speakers for Schools and TES for their post-referendum panel discussion - which will be live-streamed to schools on Thursday 30 June - to discuss what the outcome will mean for all of us, and especially the next generation.

I hope educators like yourself will tune in online with your students and put their questions to the panel, so that they have their chance to join a discussion on what the result will mean for policy, UK life and their futures.

We hope you’ll join us.

Miriam González Durántez is an international lawyer 

Schools are invited to tune in to a live-streamed “EU Referendum: What Now?” panel discussion, hosted by Speakers for Schools in partnership with TES. During the debate, chaired by ITV’s Robert Peston, students can watch live and ask questions over social media. Panellists include Miriam González Durántez, journalist Owen Jones and novelist Dreda Say Mitchell. 

This is an article from the 24 June edition of TES. This week’s TES magazine is available in all good newsagents. To download the digital edition, Android users can click here and iOS users can click here

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