For more than 60 years, the European Union (EU) - and its predecessor institutions - has guaranteed and safeguarded prosperity, political stability and peace to the benefit of the people in its member states. Conflicts among EU states are tackled and dealt with according to rules collectively laid down by the member states and based on statutory proceeding. Historically, the European Union is a unique project with its beginning dating back to the 1950s when initially 6 Western European states joined forces in order to form the European Economic Community (EEC). A targeted economic integration was to vouch for a peaceful future and for increasing wealth and prosperity for the member states and their citizens. In the course of the following decades more and more states joined application rounds for full membership and finally, in 1992, the EU as we know it was founded in the treaty of Maastricht. Today, the EU is an international community of 28 Western and Eastern European states and it has its own institutions and legal bodies. The list of the EU's achievements over six decades is long. Without a shadow of a doubt it is the essential success story of the 20th century. In the 21st century, however, the EU is faced with new challenges that could be threatening its constituents and existence.. This polycrisis makes it clear that it falls to the European youth to safeguard the future of the EU. When it comes to the EU, a lot of young people feel insecure or indifferent and often lack a deeper understanding as to matters of political and financial stability. The do not confide in the existing political system and are hardly interested in political or social issues. Hence, they do not feel equal to forming a political opinion of their own as regards the EU. In this connection, the two-year project „Quo vadis, European Union? Past, present and possible future of the European Union“ aims at bringing about a change by equipping young people with relevant skills and competences as well as a positive attitude towards the EU, thus enabling them to publicly champion the European construction and integration and its values. In this way, they will learn to be aware of the decisive role they have to play in the European context. In the process of the project, all concrete, written EU-relevant outcomes and results will be made available on powerpoint. The project will be incorporated in curricula, lessons and classes and will enhance the European dimension of school. Schools from 6 different countries (England, Poland, Belgium, Romania, Italy, Germany) will take part in the project (5 secondary schools, 1 vocational educational training school). The prevalent working languages will be English and French.
The EU is a unique project in history. A targeted economic integration should serve to secure peace in Europe in the future and thus increase the prosperity of its citizens. In the 21st century, however, it faces new challenges that threaten its cohesion. This polycrisis of the EU makes it clear that there can be no future for the EU without the youth. Many young people feel insecurity and lack of understanding when it comes to political and financial stability in the EU. They do not trust the existing political system and have little interest in questions of political and social life. They also feel unable to form their own political opinion about the European Union. The two-year project "Quo vadis European Union? Past, Present and Possible Future of the European Union" aims to change this situation by giving young people knowledge, skills and a positive attitude towards the EU, which will encourage them in the future to publicly stand up for European integration and its values. The project, which was mainly integrated into regular lessons, thus also strengthens the European dimension of the individual schools. Schools (5 secondary schools, 1 vocational school) from 6 different countries (England, Poland, Belgium, Romania, Italy, Germany) participated. The primary working languages were English and French. The pupils of the 5 project schools dealt with different aspects of the EU for more than two years. The focus in the first year was on important historical events, but also on the cultural, historical and political elements that unite us as Europeans. The individual partner schools worked on these topics on a division of labour and the results were made available to everyone on the E-Twinning platform. Video conferences via G-Suite and email exchange of the coordinators took place at regular intervals to inform about the status of the project. At the first AUL in Liège, exemplary results from the individual schools were presented in their mother tongue, English and French and were discussed in terms of content as well as methodological and didactic aspects. Topics were among others: the most important steps of European unification, famous personalities, the myth of Europe etc.. According to their own account, the students of almost all partner schools had little or no knowledge about the institutions or policy areas of the EU. Many young people do not feel addressed by the EU or are overwhelmed by the flood of information or non-transparent structures. By dealing with the historical development, current problems and the question of how the EU can be made attractive for young people, the students were able to expand their knowledge and question attitudes. A visit to the European Parliament and the House of European History also helped to illustrate the influence of the EU on our everyday lives. The AUL in Liège was evaluated by an evaluation sheet prepared by the Polish school. In addition, each school evaluated the project at the end of each project phase. At the ESS e.g. also on the basis of the quality handbook but also through classroom interviews. In the second year of the project the focus was on identifying areas of EU policy such as refugee problems, environmental protection, freedom of travel etc. in order to highlight the need for European cooperation. Subsequently, the question of how young people can be inspired for the idea of Europe followed. The students developed concepts, flyers, films and social media to present content in a way that is suitable for young people. The partner schools worked on these topics in a division of labour. For example, the Belgian school examined nationalist trends, the Romanian school presented aspects of the freedom of travel. Results such as Powerpoints, films and flyers were uploaded on the results platform as well as on e-twinning and a specially created website. The Corona Pandemic did not allow for a second AUL, instead a video conference was held under the leadership of the ESS and the Italian school. In this conference, the results, which had been developed on the basis of a division of labor, were presented and discussed. 4 students and 2 teachers from each partner school participated. At the end of the project, the students showed an enormous increase in knowledge and interest in European topics. At the ESS, for example, the wish was expressed to set up a regular discussion group. The final evaluation of the coordinators was also carried out via video conference. It also became clear that the e-twinning platform and collaborative forms need to be given greater priority.