Strengthening civic participation and valorizing differences in Europe to contrast young people’s distrust towards democratic politics: these are some of the key elements emerging from the transnational project PEACE, an acronym for Participation Erasmus Alumni for Civic Engagement. This initiative, coordinated by the Italian Erasmus+ National Agency INDIRE, involved National Agencies from 11 countries: France, Spain, Luxembourg, Germany, Belgium, Romania, Portugal, Sweden, Latvia, Ireland, and the Czech Republic.

The results of the project and its future developments were the focus of the seminar “PEACE, what’s next?” organized by the INDIRE Agency in Rome, at the Palazzo della Cancelleria, from December 8 to 11. The event was attended by 120 participants from 15 different European countries, including directors and staff from many European Erasmus+ National Agencies.

Three days of in-depth discussions, European best practices on the theme of Civic Engagement, and focus groups. The event represented a bridge to PEACE+, the second phase of the project, which builds on the results of the work carried out so far for broader cooperation among European Erasmus+ Agencies, with a focus on promoting the values of the European Union and encouraging, through the Erasmus+ Program, a broader and more conscious civic and political participation.

The sessions were moderated by Elena Maddalena, participation officer and media relations expert for the Erasmus+ Agency INDIRE.

The video of the event

Contributions and Keynote speeches

In the opening speech, Sara Pagliai, Coordinator of the Erasmus+ INDIRE Agency, reviewed the motivations, objectives, and results achieved so far, thanks to cooperation with European partner Agencies and 9 transnational seminars. She emphasized how everyone can play their part in this process:
“Each of us should play a role. Go and stand for Europe and for our values!”

Paul Blokker, Professor of Political Sociology at Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, and scientific coordinator of the PEACE project, presented the research reports, the results of the survey on youth participation, outlining the challenges and the proposed work for PEACE+, from training activities to citizenship labs, and initiating the discussion on the possibility of education for European citizenship.

Kris Grimonprez, Visiting Professor of EU Citizenship Education at KU Leuven University, introduced by Jill Peiffer, Director of the Belgian National Agency EPOS vzw , in her speech titled Democratic Citizenship and EU Common Values: A Learning Module for Erasmus+ Participants?, presented a proposal for a Citizenship Comp, a European framework for citizenship competence based on: knowledge, skills, attitudes, the European dimension, common values, and active democratic citizenship.

The presentation What do wE(U) Value? Exploring the Tensions Between Declarations and Reality, by researchers Tommaso Visone, Associate Professor at the University of La Sapienza in Rome, and Esteban Scuzarello from the European University Institute, brought the reflection from the Lisbon Treaty and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU to the current geopolitical context and the global trend of not considering universal values (only 8% of the world’s population lives in a democracy). The presenters stated: “If we want to save ‘European values,’ we need to embody them and make them a reality. Only through collective participation and meaningful action will we be able to do so.” This gave inspiration for discussions in the subsequent working groups on the role of education and Erasmus+ in promoting active citizenship.

The voice of Partner National Agencies

A session of the TCA seminar was dedicated to the Erasmus+ National Agencies that are partners of PEACE. This panel featured contributions on the transnational seminars organized by the Agencies, reflections, and insights into the imminent future, with the new roadmap in hand. (See the contributions among the materials.)

Best practices from 4 different European countries

The contributions from four best practices from Italy, France, Sweden, and Belgium allowed participants to explore the theme of Civic Engagement from various perspectives and sectors of the Program:

• Alessandro Bernazzoli, International Relations Office of the University of Parma, shared the university’s strategy for strengthening and disseminating initiatives through student ambassadors, students for students, and students for citizens, emphasizing the value of peer to peer communication in close synergy with the local community.
• Marina Auclaire, University of Grenoble-Alpes, France, presented EUC VOICES Erasmus+, a project focused on empowering European students, aiming to enhance the skills and knowledge needed to become leaders of global change and actively contribute in shaping a shared future. The project promotes active student participation in the European Universities Alliances.
• Patrick Ellert, Project Manager of the Erasmus+ Community of Hudiksvall, Sweden, and Peter Parmentier, Religious Studies Teachers at Sint-Janscollege, Ghent, Belgium, discussed experiences related to promoting volunteering and youth engagement within the local community.

At the conclusion of this session, there was an extra-European perspective on civic engagement, with a presentation by Dario Zanardi, Senior Social Development Specialist at the World Bank Group, on the role of citizen engagement in development.

Focus groups on Erasmus+ and European Citizenship

The focus groups, in working tables of 10-12 people, representing various areas of the Program, shared reflections and concrete proposals on how Erasmus+ can contribute to strengthening European Citizenship and the skills of civic engagement and democratic participation. They also discussed how the PEACE+ project, in its second phase, can make an effective contribution by promoting knowledge, developing specific activities, and providing dedicated tools for the various target groups of the Program.

Towards PEACE+ A broader cooperation to promote European Values

The TCA event ended up with a morning session of discussion among the directors and staff of the participating National Agencies, focusing on the near future. PEACE+ will involve over 20 Erasmus+ Agencies in promoting the values of the European Union and citizenship through communication, training, and research activities. The goal is to strengthen the connection between young people and European institutions with the proposal of an education path for European citizenship aimed at the entire Erasmus community. The first kick-off meeting will take place to launch the project activities.

Special thanks

We thank all the partner Agencies, all the speakers and all the participants who gave an important contribution with their Erasmus+ experiences, networking abilities, and enthusiasm!

>>> Look at the photogallery

Foto: Michele Squillantini, Agenzia nazionale Erasmus+ INDIRE

>>> Full Press Review of the event

For further insights – All the materials and ppt shared

Il sito PEACE: PEACE – Participation Erasmus Alumni for Civic Engagement

INTERVENTI AND KEY NOTE SPEECHES

Enhancing civic engagement in Erasmus+: the PEACE project
Sara Pagliai, Coordinator Italian Erasmus+ NA INDIRE
Two years of PEACE. Past accomplishments and future objectives
Paul Blokker, Professor of Political Sociology, University of Bologna
Democratic citizenship and EU common values: a learning module for Erasmus+ participants?
Kris Grimonprez, Visiting Professor of EU Citizenship Education at the University of KU Leuven
The role of citizen engagement in development: a perspective from the World Bank Group
Dario Zanardi, Senior Social Development Specialist at the World Bank Group
European Values in practice
Esteban Octavio Scuzarello, Researcher at European University Institute
Tommaso Visone, Associated Professor at the University of La Sapienza, Rome, Italy

PANEL: NA PERSPECTIVES
Miguel Angel Milán Arellano, Head of Communication Unit, Sepie, Spain – PDF
Charlotte Haeck, TCA Officer, NA EPOS Flemish Belgium – PDF
Cristina Perdigão, Director, NA Agencia Erasmusmais Portugal – PDF
Annabel Vuillier-Cools, Participation Officer, NA Agence Erasmus+ France Education Formation France – PDF
Joana Freitas, Head of Unit SALTO Participation – PDF
Eva Lundqvist, Swedish Council for Higher Education UHR, Sweden – PDF
Nicusor Ciobanu, Communication Officer, NA ANCDEFP Romania – PDF
Elisabeth Gruber and Kathrin Herres, DAAD Erasmus+ NA for Higher Education, Germany – PDF

EUROPEAN GOOD PRACTICES
Alessandro Bernazzoli, Head of Internationalization Division, Università degli Studi di Parma, Italy – PDF
Patrick Ellert, Project manager Erasmus+ Community of Hudiksvall, Sweden – PDF
Marina Auclair, EUC Voices Project Manager, University of Grenoble-Alpes, France – PDF
Peter Parmentier, Teacher of religion at Sint-Janscollege, Ghent, Belgium – PDF