Keywords

1 Introduction

The project Experiencing and Understanding Europe started in 2019 and conducted interactive European workshops as well as project days at schools. The project aimed at making Europe tangible for young people by providing knowledge and opportunities for participation. This was intended to promote a democratic culture and commitment to Europe and thus reduce resentments and prejudices on this subject. Part of the project was dedicated to the training of young teamers who then developed the project in terms of methods and content and carried out the events (European Commission 2022).

The project was organised by Die Villa, a youth and cultural centre in Leipzig. This city of 600,000 inhabitants is located in Eastern Germany, a region that shares many context characteristics with its neighbour regions in East Central Europe. The Villa carries out projects in the areas of youth, culture and social affairs. It reaches out to different audiences, including youth or older people, providing an open space for discussion and activities. The centre is also involved in international youth work, conducting workshops on EU issues and political education as well as promoting the European idea (European Union 2022). The project Solidarity connects Europe, for example, gives pupils the opportunity to take part in an exchange program (KulturGut Linda 2022). For young people of rural areas, this is a chance to discover other European countries. Within the Villa, the Junior Europe Team organises workshops, project days and seminars, both on-site and in the rural areas of the federal state of Saxony which are close to Poland and the Czech Republic.Footnote 1 The Junior Europe Team is composed of volunteers who receive a small compensation for their work.

Around 50 people, including many volunteers, work for the Villa, which is organised as a non-profit limited liability company and mostly funded by public money in diverse forms. Social workers are often paid by the Youth Welfare Office, and some people’s positions are funded by donations. Some programs are funded by the federal state of Saxony (more specifically, the “Landesdirektion”) as well as the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs. The funding scheme changes every year depending on the amount of public funding. The EU team consists of six people, some of them paid by the German Youth Welfare Office (“Jugendamt”), some by the Erasmus+ program and others by the IJAB, a networking organisation of international youth work in Germany.

2 The General Local and Regional Environment

According to the people who organised the project, young people in East German Saxony, especially in the rural areas, often don’t get in touch with politics and EU politics in particular. Hence, they do not have the space to discuss these political issues. For young people in this region, the European Union does not seem to play a big role in their lives and they often lack interest and knowledge on that subject. The people organising the project report that there are many preconceived ideas about the EU, as well as stereotypes and clichés. A common perception of young people, for example, is that the German administration is more powerful than EU institutions in the field of politics. The European Union is seen as something distant that lacks actual impact.

In Saxony, access to EU-related projects is much easier in bigger cities like Leipzig or Dresden than in rural areas. The city of Leipzig, for example, is committed to the idea of the EU and has several organisations linked to the EU, regularly organising EU-related events. In Leipzig, there is a European House (“Europahaus”), directly funded by EU institutions with the mission to promote the EU to a broader public, while the Villa focuses on young people. The Villa often collaborates with the European House by connecting schools to the Villa, so that the Villa can organise workshops with pupils there. The Villa also maintains a partnership with Europe Direct in Dresden and close ties with the Young European Federalists (YEF), a youth organisation. Moreover, there are several other organisations which host European volunteers, for example, as the European Solidarity Corps. Overall, these various connections show that the bigger cities of Saxony have a dense network of organisations working together on EU topics.

3 The Project

With its project Experiencing and Understanding Europe, the Villa intended to build trust in EU institutions and to show young people how the EU is connected to their everyday lives. The project organisers went to schools to introduce young people to the European Union and to overcome prevailing clichés. Through discussions happening in German, young people were intended to get a more concrete idea of Europe and of the importance of EU institutions, as well as becoming an active part of society. By discussing EU-related topics, young people got the opportunity to critically engage in a dialogue and to confront new ideas, developing their constructive criticism, openness and mutual respect.

Inclusive access to knowledge was an important feature of the project and the organisation paid particular attention to reaching a broader public. It organised workshops, not only at high schools (gymnasiums), but also at schools for pupils with disabilities. Besides that, it planned to organise a substantial number of workshops in rural regions, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, most workshops took place in Leipzig and Dresden.

Originally started in 2007, the project was temporarily paused and restarted in 2017 with a new junior team. In 2019, it received its first funding from the European Union. This was possible due to a network of people working on EU issues and providing good preconditions for organising the workshops. As mentioned, the Leipzig European House is the main partner of the Villa. Both partners share rooms, knowledge and moderator training. The Young European Federalists also organise events with the Villa and often moderate workshops. The city of Leipzig and the state of Saxony organise regular events such as Europe-related project days every year, where the EU team of the Villa participates by conducting workshops. These existing collaborations provided a good basis for the project. There was sufficient expertise and experience in writing funding proposals. The funding covered some part of the wages and organisational costs for the workshops. Travelling and transport costs were not covered.

The project was organised by the Junior Europe Team. The 18–26-year-old people moderating the workshops had different backgrounds. Their practical tasks involved the organisation of two or three interactive workshops per month and project days at schools, with a certain percentage taking place in schools located in rural areas. Other tasks were to reach a certain number of participants and to ensure inclusivity, for example, with regard to gender. Another task was to organise round table discussions with politicians during project days at schools.

The young teamers also conducted the workshops. They already had relevant knowledge on the EU, e.g. because they studied political science or European studies, and they attended a training session that prepared them for the job in terms of methodology and content. The aim was to communicate knowledge and provide opportunities for participation in a way that is appropriate for young people. Activities were intended to show the pupils that aspects of their lives are associated with the European Union (e.g. through the regulations on light bulbs). The young teamers used practical examples and interactive methods, so that Europe became tangible for young people.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, however, it was difficult to realise the intended working program. Schools were closed and events with a larger number of participants became impossible. Under these circumstances, many workshops could not be realised, and the project, originally planned for 1 year, had to be extended. The funding was reduced and so were the working hours of the members. During the lockdown, workshops took place online, but only private schools had the technical equipment to attend. This created inequalities in access to knowledge between schools and pupils from different backgrounds, challenging inclusivity as an important aspect of the project. The project in its original form could only start again properly after the end of lockdowns in Germany.

4 Outcomes

According to the organisers, the project achievements could already be seen during the workshops. At the beginning, the students had no idea about the topic and were shy to participate in the discussions. In the end, they became more engaged and eager to discuss the topics. Most of them understood their connection to the EU and the daily effects, such as roaming fees and travelling, which are popular topics for young people. The evaluation by the students at the end of the workshop revealed that they felt different about the topic after discussing it. They reported to have learned something and that they liked the activity. They also wished for more workshops like the ones provided by the Villa.

The project organisers are convinced that the participants’ awareness of the importance of EU institutions has grown throughout the workshops. This could encourage pupils to participate in the life of the European Union as active citizens. Besides that, they were informed about exchange possibilities such as the European Solidarity Corps that do not require participants to be part of a study program. This program enables people to go abroad for free and be paid for it. While such short-term effects of knowledge transfer are easy to detect, the organisers find it is hard to measure the long-term impact of their project.

Other important signs of success were the growing number of schools asking to be part of the project, as well as the partnerships that were built between schools and the project. The project organisers also considered the long-term engagement of workshop facilitators in the project as a success.

5 Success Factors

For the projects of the Villa to be successful, some factors seem to matter. These include involving young people, tailoring workshops to different target groups and choosing the right workshop duration.

The project organisers believe that involving students from a young age is a strong factor for preparing them for active participation in EU’s civic life. If the interests of young people are to be addressed properly and if one wants to give them ownership for the preparation of the projects, it definitely makes sense for them to involve themselves early in the project preparation phase. Thanks to this, they will learn more about their possibilities to actively take part in society and in their environment. Usually the project described above involves young people aged between 13 and 18 years old. The organisation’s experience shows that some young people at this age already have much stress at school or at home. To still involve them in the process of project planning, it is important to present the possible aims, contents and measures very openly but also not too much in detail because to not overwhelm them with too many opportunities. Usually, it takes a couple of months until they realise that they have the power to make such decisions in the Villa’s projects.

Since EU projects aiming at the promotion of active EU citizenship can either be focused on local or regional topics or on the major issues and narratives of the EU, the project organisers have stressed the importance of adapting the workshops to a target audience. Given that 13-year-old teenagers might find it difficult to discuss major subjects around EU politics, such as geopolitical and economic challenges, it is better to deal with issues that have direct relevance for them. That is why the organisers developed a game with a bag containing items for everyday use linked to the EU. It allows them to replace the abstract role and system of the EU with concrete ideas that are relevant for younger citizens. Besides that, it enables everyone to take part in discussions about the EU, independent of one’s background. By choosing easy, practical and interesting topics for young people, they stir the interest of pupils that might have never thought about the fact that they are affected by EU institutions and civic life. Such topics are, for example, roaming fees or the possibility to go to work or study abroad.

According to the project organisers, for older students from 18–20 years old, both national and local projects and cross-border projects could have a strong impact on the engagement of young people in EU-related matters. These people do already have more experience and are used to travelling to many different countries. They do not remember the times when there existed borders, border controls and visas, and cannot imagine it to be different. The organisation finds EU cross-border project programs like Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps very beneficial. For the younger people aged 13–15, it is important to inform them early on about the exchange programs offered by the EU, so that they know their options if they want to go abroad later.

Another success factor is to provide an optimal duration for the workshops. They need to be adapted to an audience and at the same time allow for constructive and interesting discussions with pupils so that they will want to participate again. The organisation offers 90-min workshops for younger pupils. This time frame determines the possibilities. A discussion with a politician, for example, would need at least 60 min, which can be long for pupils. Therefore, discussions with politicians were not used for the short school workshops but were included in workshops on particular EU project days.

While the main language of the workshops described here was German, the organisation also offers international projects. Based on these experiences, it is important for the success of projects to check the language requirements when planning the format of a new project. In the organisation of youth exchanges, there is a fear that English can be an obstacle for the participants. In practice, people can communicate using dictionary apps or translation websites on their phones. Despite these technologies, they sometimes realise during their exchange trips how important it is to have a pratical knowledge of English and come to the conclusion that they should have invested more time in learning the language.

6 Problems and Wishes

When implementing the project, the organisers faced some difficulties. These problems include some practical problems, but the bigger concern of the project organisation is its long-term funding and the overall strategy of the EU towards youth dialogue projects.

Regarding practical problems, the organisers have mentioned the difficulties in reaching schools, because of their lack of interest or difficulties in including the workshops in their school program. Moreover, young people tend to distrust politicians, because they have a feeling that they are not really listening to them. In feedback sessions to the various workshops, the young people reported that they had questions, but the politicians did not really respond to them. Therefore, the Villa does not find it very useful for EU-related workshops to invite politicians. Another challenge was the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown. Similar circumstances could be tackled with a better access of all schools to a digital infrastructure.

Funding seems to raise questions the Villa, however, this did not affect the project implementation, which went on without many complications. When planning the Experiencing and Understanding Europe project and other EU projects, the Villa reported to have a high level of autonomy and flexibility, and both Erasmus+ and the German national agency of administration were very supportive. When implementing the project, there was the requirement to provide documents and reports, but in the end the EU and the national agency of administration were again perceived as quite flexible and helpful.

The concerns about funding refer to the fact that it would be easier for the organisation to have long and stable connections with the funders, which would assure stable financing and security. This could be achieved with stable and long-term funding for the project itself but also for staff salaries to guarantee that their work is secure. Currently, the organisation depends on the regular approval of funding from EU institutions to enable the implementation of the projects. Each time, this requires administrative documents and funding applications, implying important resources. The organisers of the Villa need to take the time to do the administrative work on a regular basis, which could be used for project work instead.

Moreover, the European Union funded only the project itself, not the entire organisation surrounding it, such as wages or the infrastructure. To be able to build and to conduct the project, it was therefore necessary to combine different funding and support. This was made possible, because other actors contribute to securing the financial basis of the organisation. Thanks to public funding of the Villa’s employees by the state of Saxony, the Villa could use the entire EU funding for the project. The organisation argues that in other countries, such as Spain, the funding situation is different. There, comparable organisations have to use part of the EU project funding to pay their employees and thus end up with less money for the project. This causes an unequal access of young people to EU-related information. Unlike in poorer countries, organisations in richer countries and regions may already have enough money, support or funding for the infrastructure around their projects.

Notwithstanding this criticism, the project organisers also acknowledge that the EU has done a lot for projects around EU citizenship and young people. They suggest support for permanent local structures which do not depend on temporary project funding and envision a balance between EU funding from centralised institutions and local organisations that can last in the long term. As the organisers have stressed, the link between local and EU institutions is yet to be strengthened in order to conduct successful projects. The youth welfare service in Leipzig, for example, does not want to pay for structured EU-related youth work. According to the Villa, this shows the continuing disconnection between EU projects on a local level and local institutions in the different member states. Therefore, it suggests that the guidelines of youth work should recognise international youth work as a mandatory part of youth work and that each region, local community and municipality should be proactive in the recognition of the link between international and local projects. Another demand is to have more local involvement using more channels and structures.

7 Conclusion

Taking into account the complicated context conditions, the Villa considers the project a success. It reached many pupils and deepened their knowledge about the EU. The feedback from the young people was very positive, and the schools were interested in participating in follow-up projects. However, due to the pandemic, most of the workshops and project days took place in cities and not in rural areas. Besides this, the uneven access to digital infrastructure made it more difficult to reach pupils in public schools than those in private schools. Because of the overall positive results, the organisation continues to plan and to realise youth dialogues. It applied for EU funding for a new project called Together we create Europe, similar to the one described. Moreover, it continues to offer workshops for schools together with the European House in Leipzig (Europa-Haus Leipzig 2022).

The Villa hopes for a better organisation of the funding and the costs for workshops. It sees the necessity of better educating pupils about the EU, implementing project workshops, like the ones described, on a regular basis in the future. As long as this is not the case, the Villa is trying to empower young people by building knowledge around EU topics. In the long run, the goal is to create confident individuals who will bring society forward. Besides this, the Villa wants to stir young people’s interest in the work of the European Union and show them that it may not be perfect but that young people themselves can participate in EU politics and create change.

The project organisers underline that people willing to carry out individual projects need to embed their work in suitable structures to guarantee a long-lasting impact. Those interested in more permanent work with young people in EU matters should look not only at the international level, but also at the local level and then find the structures or co-funding needed to network with others.