Citizens for Europe – Europe for Citizens

Europe is for citizens but how citizens can participate in building our common Europe? Citizens for Europe – Europe for Citizens is a short seminar and project building activity on citizenship and Europe. Seminar starts with inspiring speakers, followed by finding solutions to participants´ everyday life. Participants come to seminar with a specific theme from their everyday life (such as youth participation, environment, rural youth, immigrants in democracy, etc.) Participants explore the themes together and help each other in building thematic projects. Aim of the seminar European citizenship has been understood as the world’s first post-national citizenship, a feeling of belonging to a larger group of citizens than just one’s own nation. The aim of the seminar is to celebrate European Year of Citizens by encouraging people to make a difference in the society. Including (young) people in decision-making is essential if we are to build more democratic, inclusive and prosperous societies. However, participation in the democratic life of any community is more than voting or standing for election, even though these are important elements. Participation and active citizenship is about having the right, the means, the space and the opportunity, and where necessary, the support to participate in and influence decision-making and the engagement in actions and activities in order to contribute to building a better society. Objectives of the seminar - to gain inspiration and motivation needed to implement citizenship projects; - to discuss how to support active citizenship in young people; - to present grassroots level problem and find innovative ways to solve it with the aid of European funding Programme in a nutshell Monday, May 27 Travel and Getting to know each other Tuesday, May 28 Seminar Day - The following questions will be tackled - What’s citizenship? What’s Europe? Does European citizenship exist? - What are the means of participation EU offers to its citizens? Pros and cons, experience. - Does democracy end on the eastern border of EU? What is the value EU-EECA co-operation? - Methodology – new ways of participation - What kind of participation is interesting to young people? Wednesday, May 29 Contact-making, project planning, information on funding schemes and how to proceed when you get home. Thursday, May 30 Travel day The seminar is organised by the Centre for International Mobility CIMO which is the National Agency for the Youth in Action Programme and the Europe for Citizens Point in Finland.