The current context is pervaded not only by many doubts expressed by a part of the public opinion concerning the European development but also by the recruiting of young Europeans by Islamist groups. Today, the issues of commitment and citizenship are more than ever topical. And these questions are at stake in our project "Young Europeans making History" as its theme is the commitment of young people in the contemporary European history. This commitment allowed democracy to prevail during hard times and today we are these young people's heirs.The main aim of the project is to make both young and older people aware of the European citizenship. The objectives are also to motivate the students thanks to a project-based innovative pedagogy and to develop the acquisition of the key competences and skills defined by the European Parliament and Council in 2006. Moreover, the project aims at uniting teachers, non-teaching staff, pupils, their parents, members of the institution and at opening schools to their local, regional and European environment.More or less 300 pupils, aged from 15 to 18, will take part in the project in 5 different schools - Lycée Berthelot from Toulouse (France - coordinating school), Institut Olivar Gran from Figueras (Spain), Liceo Marco Belli from Portogruaro (Italy), Schloss-Gymnasium from Düsseldorf (Germany), Pilaites gimnazija from Vilnius (Lithuania). Teachers, such as history, literature, foreign languages, philosophy, arts and drama teachers and librarians, will work together with the pupils.The common works will focus on three different activities. 1/ a documentary on youth's commitment during the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War, film which will be co-directed by the pupils and a professional director. 2/ the creation of a European people's film society opened to the public in the five countries. 3/ Theatre workshops: a common project and five different interpretations.That's why, a cross-disciplinary work will be carried out in each school. Six five-day transnational meetings will be held in the different countries involved in the project so as to schedule common work sessions for the pupils and meetings to advance the project. Pupils' parents, associations, pupils' representatives will be called up to welcome foreign pupils, to participate in the film society, to take part in the transnational meetings. The numerous partners included in the project will help make it a success - the Film Library of Toulouse, Cinespaña Film Festival of Toulouse, Toulouse Métropole, Conseil Régional de Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyrénées, ECPAD (Etablissement de Communication et de Production Audiovisuelle de la Défense - Communication and film production body from the Ministry of Defence), Generalitat de Catalunya (Memorial Democràtic, Filmoteca de Catalunya), Exile Memorial Museum of La Jonquera (Spain), La Cate (cultural centre in Figueras), Trieste Film Festival (Italy), Genocide and Resistance Research Centre of Lithuania, the Centre for Cartography from the University of Vilnius (Lithuania), Beepart (cultural centre in Pilaite, Vilnius), the Franco-German Council, the local archives from Düsseldorf, Mahn und Gedenkstätte (memorial for victims of Nazism in Düsseldorf).The expected results are as follows: 1/ the screening of the documentary in 2019 to celebrate the 80 years of the Retirada (the Spanish Republican exile/exodus), screening which will take place during Cinespaña Film Festival in Toulouse and at the Film Library of Catalonia; 2/ a selection of European films dealing with the idea of commitment which will be followed by debates and award ceremonies; 3/ a yearly theatrical performance on commitment and democratic values.
Our democracies and the construction of Europe are in doubt. Issues of engagement and citizenship are topical today. These questions are at stake in the project "Young Europeans making history", whose theme is young people's commitment in the contemporary history of Europe. This commitment allowed democracy to prevail during hard times and today we are these young people's heirs. The main aim of the project was to make both young and older people aware of the European citizenship. An innovative project pedagogy has sought to motivate students, while promoting the learning of the key competences defined by the EU in 2006. It also aimed to bring together the various actors linked to the educational community and to open the school to its local, regional and European environment. More than 400 students aged 15 to 18 years therefore actively participated in a transdisciplinary project in 5 schools: Lycée Berthelot in Toulouse (France, coordinating school), Instituto Olivar Gran in Figueras (Spain), Liceo Marco Belli in Portogruaro (Italy), Schloss-Gymnasium in Düsseldorf (Germany), Pilaites gimnazija in Vilnius (Lithuania). The work was structured around three areas of activity. 1/ The co-direction of a documentary film by the students and a professional director crossing the eyes of five young people from the era of the clash of ideologies (Spanish Civil War, Second World War...) and our young people today on the issue of commitment. A 77-minutes film entitled Pathways of Commitment was produced, for which students were trained and participated in all stages (except the investigation and final editing): sequencing (synopsis), interviewing witnesses, preparing and shooting memorial sequences, editing trailers, promoting and presenting the film. The documentary was selected for the Cinespaña 2019 festival in Toulouse. 2/ An annual theatrical creation providing an interpretation of the question of commitment. The group from each partner school presented its show during the first two years, while the third year a joint show was presented under the title "Crossing through Europe" at the theatre hall La Brique Rouge during Europe Week 2019 in Toulouse. 3/ A European film forum exchanging and selecting films related to the issue of engagement and coming from the cinematographic heritage of each of the five countries. A European selection of films was made by a jury and gave rise to the closing ceremony of a festival during the last mobility. Overall, the project has significantly increased student motivation and contributed to the acquisition of key skills. The participating institutions have been boosted by the very strong involvement of the staff involved in the project. Many parents of students have contributed, particularly for the organization of the mobilities. Participating schools have also significantly increased their openness by increasing their relationships with external partners. The project has been widely disseminated through the presentation of the creations (documentary and theatre), but also through events organised with institutional partners and through media coverage.