Act-UP

5 – 14 September 2022 – Participatory Activity

Let us tell you something about the project!

How was the work of the EU seen by the youth before this project?

Well… as there was no clear understanding of how the European Union works, young people had limited knowledge about its operations and functions before the Act-UP project. The lack of compentencies in accessing credible information and difficulties in verifying the accuracy of information contributed to this. To navigate the media landscape effectively and engage in constructive public dialogue, young people needed to be adequately prepared with accessible information that they could understand to support their personal, cultural, and civic development.

What was Act-UP really about?

Act-UP aimed to provide young people with an opportunity to gain insights into the functioning of the EU and comprehend its tools and responsibilities. Although the EU may seem challenging to understand, Act-UP was designed to simplify the process and to encourage young people to involve more as active citizens. The project involved 32 participants aged 16 to 23 from four countries – Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, and Italy – including young people facing economic, geographical, and social barriers. Eight accompanying persons joined them to provide support and guidance. The primary objective of the project was to foster civic awareness among young people.

The objectives of the project

01

Developing the knowledge of 32 young people on the role and functioning of the European institutions.

02

Development of formal dialogue techniques between the young citizen and the European institutions, for 32 young people.

03

Development of communication and teamwork skills of 32 young people.

ActUP Activities and Results

Project Activities:

Within the project, we organized a series of physical and virtual activities, which aimed to promote civic involvement, social responsibility and awareness of issues in the local and global community. These activities included a physical mobility between September 6 and 13, 2023, in Romania and monthly virtual project meetings, as well as three webinar-type activities with special guests. For the organization of the activities, we used non-formal working methods that involve the participants in an active and interactive way.

Project Results:

The impact of these results was felt at the level of the 32 participants who became more aware of the importance of the EU in their everyday life and, therefore, they got involved in their communities, they were more interested in learning opportunities, they developped their communication and teamwork skills and they learned about civism and advocacy etc. The partner organizations acquired, in the implementation of the project, knowledge about activism and civic implication, in order to promote the volunteering opportunities implemented by the association, they increased their visibility in the field, gained new working methods for the youngsters, they developped the ability to organize projects and activities, they will expand their network of partners, etc. Target groups, young people between the ages of 16 and 23, gained knowledge about youth participation and advocacy, as well as insights about the Erasmus +program and the European opportunities. At the local level, they were able to observe young people getting involved in their communities and greater openness to Europe, multiculturalism and volunteering. The impact at European and international level was highlighted, first of all, by strengthening the partnership, increasing the networking and the desire of the partnership to contribute to the development of a healthier and more educated society.

Act-UP Guide to Civic Activism and Engagement

This guide has the aim to give young people an easy tool to start their civic lives in the European Union and to make the first steps as active citizens in the European Community. It’s not academic research for sure, and it’s not a guide created by professionals, but by young people, willing to learn and to get trust into their voices. All the information in this guide is not new, is all out there, on the internet. Our purpose was to take it and put it together, in a simple language for everyone to understand it.

You can check and read the guide right here!

ActUP – You are the change!

Intercultural nights

Within the mobility we had also “intercultural nights” where the young people had to prepare short interactive presentations of their countries. They presented it along with their food and drinks, music, traditional dances, etc. They also brought their flags, posters,
postcards, leaflets, or any kind of gift they wanted to give to the participants, so they had a better image of the place they came from.

The project “Act-Up” was financed with the support of the European Commission through the Erasmus+ Programme. This blog reflects only the author’s views, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.