Using the theater to inspire reflection and civic engagement among young Europeans living in rural areas is the ambition of the CIT'ART project. This project is run by communities and schools in France, Italy and Spain. CIT'ART is related to the established european network of partners called "NEUlakes". It brings together actors located next to lakes and rural areas. Partners therefore share common issues that seek to promote the cultural, social and environmental development of rural areas, often considered as being away from globalization. The CIT'ART project want to dynamize these territories by stimulating a citizen dynamic. The theater scene "Words & Stones", which composed the beginning of the project, offers some ideas on the notions of governance, power and citizenship. The project try to invite childrens to develop various actions around these themes. The idea is to generate a better understanding of European governance, the guarantor of democracy on the continent. This project will involve a large number of actors and stakeholders from each territory (pupils, families, elected representatives, associations, etc.) in order to have a strong impact and to create a lasting commitment of young citizens for their territory. Deeply humanistic, CIT'ART aims the intellectual emancipation of young Europeans.
Starting from the observation that rural territories, such as those that make up the CITART partnership, are still geographically, economically and culturally isolated, the CITART project partners noticed that this isolation often generated a feeling of abandonment and distance from European bodies among citizens, particularly the youngest. The CITART project partners therefore wanted to remedy this problem by stimulating a citizen's dynamic in their territories, in order to revitalise and enhance them and to reconnect them with European values. In concrete terms, it was a question of initiating a reflection on citizenship, particularly among young people, in order to address with them the notions of "citizen", "participatory governance", "democracy" and "resistance". The partnership chose to use art and culture to capture their attention, interest and ultimately encourage them to get involved.
Starting from the observation that rural territories, such as those that make up the CITART partnership, are still geographically, economically and culturally isolated, the CITART project partners noticed that this isolation often generated a feeling of abandonment and distance from European bodies among citizens, particularly the youngest. The CITART project partners therefore wanted to remedy this problem by stimulating a citizen's dynamic in their territories, in order to revitalise and enhance them and to reconnect them with European values. In concrete terms, it was a question of initiating a reflection on citizenship, particularly among young people, in order to address with them the notions of "citizen", "participatory governance", "democracy" and "resistance". The partnership chose to use art and culture to capture their attention, interest and ultimately encourage them to get involved.