More about us extended european offer, the european citizenship training plays a key role. It aims to provide a critical and practical understanding of the European Union and its impact on our lives as citizens. This course is aimed at secondary school teachers and students. We can adapt the level as needed
This course closely combines classroom workshops and visits to institutions to offer a multifaceted view of the institutions and our responsibilities as European citizens. Far from being a propaganda tool, this is an open, critical and well-documented approach. Being a citizen does not just mean swallowing the slogans of the institutions whole: it means being informed so that we can mobilise in favour of humanist and democratic values; to cultivate the best that our continent brings to the world.
A 360 degrees European Citizenship training
This course in European citizenship is made up of participative workshops and visits to institutions and information centres about Europe. In this way, classroom debates and information are combined with real-life experiences in the European Parliament and neighbouring institutions to form a 360° view of European realities.
There are two versions: five half-days and ten half-days. The courses and visits generally take place in the morning to make way for activities to discover Brussels, the tourist towns or cultural visits - the Magritte museum is often called upon, for example. And Brussels gastronomy is not to be outdone...
First workshop: the concepts of Europe and Citizenship
This workshop is common to both versions, five or ten half-days.
Participants get to know the trainer. Then they take part in a debate on the concept of European citizenship with the Kialo-Edu application.
They then discuss Europe: is it a territorial, political or cultural concept? What are its limits? They then explore the notions of citizenship and democracy. They watch a presentation on the legal sources of European citizenship.
Cette présentation fait partie d’une collection de ressources éducatives libres que nous mettons à la disposition des participants à nos formations. Vous pouvez également les utiliser.
They then used NGram Viewer and Google Trends to measure changes in interest in the concept of citizenship over time and space.
The morning usually ends with a presentation of the main European institutions:
The Court of Justice, judicial power and guardian of the treaties
The European Parliament, the only body directly elected by citizens
The Commission, the executive arm of the European Union
The Council of Ministers, representing the national governments of the Member States
First visit: the Experience Europe information centre
Experience Europe is an information centre located just opposite the Berlaimont building, which houses the European Commission. It is a multimedia centre – with touch screens, a cinema, tablets and virtual reality headsets – offering an excellent introduction to:
- european history since the second world war
- The european Commission and how it works
- european commissioners and their responsibilities, the committees to which they belong
- testimonials from European citizens about their lives, their commitment, etc.
This is an excellent way of illustrating in very concrete terms the concepts examined on the previous day. It also introduces the concepts covered in the second workshop on how institutions work.
Second Workshop of our european citizenship training: Introduction to European Istitutions
We take a closer look at the history and workings of the European institutions.
We focus on the concept of the rule of law. We then look at the chronology of European integration and the Treaties.
We examine the hierarchy of EU law, illustrating the theory with concrete, topical cases.
We look at the Charter of Fundamental Rights and the methods of exemption from the Treaties (Veto and Opt Out, role of the Court of Justice in the event of conflict with the Treaties, etc.).
Second visit: the House of European History
The House of European History offers the opportunity to enter the history of the continent first and then that of the European Union. We generally follow the route on the history of democracy in Europe, which goes well with our themes on citizenship. But we also allow ourselves a few forays into other objects in the museum, or even into certain temporary exhibitions that can also illustrate certain concepts.
Third workshop: Migration and Asylum
Europe attracts migrants from all over the world. But in this module, we put the scale of this phenomenon into perspective. Europe takes in only a fraction of the world's migrants. We base our exercises and presentations in this module on the latest figures from the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees. Participants are often surprised by the complexity of the routes taken and the local realities. We examine this topic in the light of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, the New Pact on Asylum and Migration, as well as current events and recent academic studies.
Third visit: Parlamentarium
The name isn't a very happy one, as it makes you hesitate between Parliament and Planetarium. In reality, it's a museum offering a wealth of information in an interactive way. The curators have found the right balance between in-depth documentation on the Treaties and European legislation, the history of the construction of the institutions and the daily lives of Europeans.
Fourth workshop: the Civil Society role in Europe
A course in European citizenship could not ignore the role of civil society on the continent. It is clear that citizens exercise their rights and express their will both through the dense network of European associations and foundations and through elections held every five years. We look at the role played by civil society in Europe, current trends in European philanthropy, the risks to its future and the draft directive on the ECBA, the European cross-border association.
Fourth visit: The European Parliament
Often seen as the high point of European citizenship training, a visit to the European Parliament is a unique opportunity to see one of the most important sites of democracy and to talk to someone who works there. Although it is the shortest of the four visits - just over an hour - it is undoubtedly not the least memorable. More than one participant confided in us that they had felt a strong emotion in this highly symbolic place.
Fifth workshop: Brexit and the fractures in the Union
Brexit is undoubtedly the story of a failure. A failure of the United Kingdom's integration into the Union. We provide a chronology of the UK's presence within the European institutions. We examine the main stages of the Brexit. But also its consequences for the British and European economies and for the lives of citizens, for freedom of movement, etc. We also look at other cases - the French, Italian and Dutch proposals for separation, all aborted after the British failure.
Sixth workshop: the future of the European Union and «wrapping up».»
For this final workshop in the European citizenship training programme, we look at the impact of the war in Ukraine on Europe, and there are many of them. They will undoubtedly last for many years to come. And they affect not only the economy, but also political relations within the EU and with other states, particularly Russia. We reflect together on what the course has taught us. And we are asking participants to come back, in particular with the Wooclap app.
Contact
Depending on the interests of the groups, we can focus on one theme or another. For schools outside Belgium, travel, accommodation and training are fully covered by the European Erasmus+ Mobility programme. Are you interested? Please complete the form below!