My first contact with NWIP was the workshop at the European IPPNW meeting in Dublin in 2004. The vision and farsightedness of the project as a whole caught my imagination. Nuclear disarmament is a broad and, at times, overwhelming topic; but the NWIP sets out to inform students with straightforward facts and figures.

It was decided after the Dublin congress to convene at a coordinators meeting in Copenhagen in May. This gathering was for individuals with more than a passing interest in the ideals of the NWIP. It provided a chance for us to form an effective team for planning the future of the whole project.

We were given the complete background to the project and how it came to be a reality. The DwDM (dialogue with decision-makers) program and links with IFMSA were explained. Current difficulties with the project were discussed and new ideas were put forward as to how we could tackle these obstacles. Individual coordinators were given specific tasks to tackle over the next few months. The website, training materials, evaluation reports, pamphlets, posters etc. were all decided on and planning was set in to motion.

It was decided to try to make the resources of the NWIP more accessible to the uninitiated. This would also hopefully help us bring the nuclear weapons issue to our student peers worldwide. We plan to establish new local student networks in Nuclear weapons countries, which would work independently, but have the international coordinators on hand to assist and advise on any issues that may arise.

It is also planned to foster strong links between these national groups. Many students groups have expressed serious interest in receiving our delegations to engage in informed discussion in their countries, we have to ensure the groundwork is done before the visit for it to be truly worthwhile. In Beijing we will get a chance to meet with more like-minded students then explain and promote our message to them.

In my opinion the coordinators meeting was a great opportunity for us to meet face-to-face and brainstorm on future directions for the project. The project is a truly pan-European effort and this should help us bring our message on Nuclear Weapons to other young people worldwide.