From Roots to Resilience – Exploring the EU.

After one year of preparation, JEF Steiermark and Europæisk Ungdom were amazed to finally welcome 27 participants from Austria and Denmark to the first module of our Erasmus+ funded EU Training Programm in Copenhagen. The partnership project includes non-formal transfer of knowledge and skills about the EU and civil society engagement. In addition, meeting decision makers and fostering intercultural exchange are core elements of the programme.

Within the first module from 26th until 29th of April 2024 (Friday to Monday), the foundations of the participants’ EU knowledge were laid. After getting to know each other and learning about the plans for the EU Training Programme in detail on Friday evening, on the next two days workshops about European history, European values, and the inner workings of the EU were offered. There was also a huge interest in the challenges, which the EU is facing right now and the participants wanted to learn about how the EU was developing through its crises over the last decades. Furthermore, the Youthpass (a certificate for documenting Erasmus+ learning outcomes) was presented. During the days, we enjoyed sunny moments with inspiring discussions, open sharing and some impression of the beautiful city of Copenhagen. During the nights, we appreciated the huge effort, which the Danish team put into delicious meals and exciting evening activities like a Pub Quiz and a shuffleboard competition. On the last day, a creative task for dissemination activities on social media to raise awarness about the upcoming European Elections was given to the participants, which they completed with excellence. Around lunchtime, the participants left with high motivation and joyful anticipation for the second module in the European Castle in Austria in July 2024.