Homo Europeanus Overcoming the Knowledge Deficit Campaign Report IDH Institute for Research in Social Sciences and Humanities Campaign Summary As a part of the international project Homo Europeanus we organized a campaign during the months May and June 2016 in Slovenia about the future of Europe and active citizenship. The plan which was implemented on a local level consists of three parts. Namely, firstly, we have announced poetry competition for youth with the title»europe of my Dreams«, secondly, we were collecting personal opinions from randomly chosen citizens of different age groups based on a short questionnaire, and thirdly, we were filming videoclips of citizens' opinions about the EU. At the end of June we chose and announced four winners
of the poetry competition, and awarded them at the special event, that signified the end of our campaign. These poems and a selection of citizens' opinions from the questionnaires are going to be published in a booklet. During this period we have organized two info days, the first happened on 9th May, the Day of Europe, and the second on 29th June, thus at the end of the campaign. Overview of the main activities The Youth Poetry Contest»Europe of my Dreams«The goal was motivating the youth to think about contemporary issues through a creative process and to express their views on the topic of the future of Europe, i.e. what kind of Europe would they prefer (living in) or what would they like to change. At the same time they were motivated to think about the meaning of a responsible citizenship and the idea of a peaceful and respectful coexistence. In this way the competition was meant to be a pleasant activity for them, but also an inspiring opportunity to think critically, being actively involved in a meaningful cause and develop a sense of their power or ability to co-create the European future and the standards of a just society. The important aspect of this initiative was also to help youth to discover that even a small action matters and that later can often be a constructive, positive step to something bigger, especially in the sense of participating in building the conditions for a better living in our own community, and wider. The Youth Poetry Contest»Europe of my Dreams«or»Evropa mojih sanj«began on 15th May and ended on 20th June. The following four winners were chosen: Nikolaj Horvat (Gimnazija Murska Sobota), Neža Kavčič (Gimnazija Jesenice), Neža Nina Šantej (Gimnazija Vič) and Alma Zupan (Gimnazija Poljane). Their poems can be valued as original and thoughtful, and they reflect their personal perspective about the future of Europe. In them distinctive interest for social issues or social awareness is seen as well.
On 29th June the recognition rewards and awards were given in Ljubljana. The atmosphere was relaxed and cheerful. The winners of the competition had the opportunity to gather more information about the international project Homo Europeanus, its' partner organizations, and about the way the main task and activities of the project were implemented in Slovenia. We also spoke about the Slovene educational system in general. They shared their opinions on this topic and agreed that it would be better if the school subjects included more creativity. They would also like to have Citizenship Education as a part of their high school curriculum. As they got older, their interest for these kind of topics increased. In the secondary school students learn more about these issues at sociology and history, however in the primary school there is a special subject, called Patriotic and Civic Culture and Ethics (in the seventh and eighth grade). They would also like to see that the educational system would offer them more knowledge about the European Union about its history, main institutions, benefits, fundamental rights of European citizens, etc. At the organized event we provided them with some information about Erasmus+, the EU's programme to support education, training, youth and sports in Europe, and introduced them the Europe for Citizens Programme. We supplied them with the contacts of the Information Office in the European Union House in Ljubljana, where they could be provided with concrete data about Erasmus+ and other relevant EU topics when needed.
In addition to our pleasant conversation, they received each a recognition reward as a future reference, and following awards: - a book by Patrik Ouředník Europeana. A Brief History of the Twentieth Century, - a book by Shaun Tan The Lost Thing, - a ticket for the exhibition Genesis by the world-renowned photographer Sebastião Salgado (which represents one of the main cultural projects of the year in Ljubljana as the European Green Capital), - informational materials about the EU for youth (we are grateful to Mito Žnidarko from the European Union House in Ljubljana for his kind cooperation).
The Citizens' Opinions During this campaign we were collecting answers from citizens of different age groups through a short questionnaire, focusing on three questions: - What does the word Europe mean to you? - How would you define an active citizen? - In what kind of Europe would you like to live in the future or how would you describe Europe of your dreams?
With the first question many respondents expressed a certain scepticism, especially due to economic crisis lack of jobs, more and more of precarious work, gradual reduction of social rights, to name just a few phenomena that intensify the level of insecurity, discontent and despair in the society. Despite that, for the majority of respondents, Europe signifies a unique mosaic of nations, different cultures and languages, with rich historical background. It is seen as a community, where the voice of small countries matters as well. And as a cradle of grand ideas, that brought progress. On the other hand also those, that consequently caused immense suffering, which is the reason we need to cultivate peace, empathy and solidarity. The later was often expressed in the context of the third and last question about the future of Europe. Respondents thus emphasized the importance of peace, social security, decent jobs, respect for human rights and human dignity, caring coexistence, tolerance and understanding, cultural and religious diversity, conservation of nature. They believe Europe should strive towards stability, more united economic and social agendas, democratic standards, common good and avoid blind obedience to the logic of capital. The priority of European governments and its policies should be, as they expressed, in ensuring the conditions which guarantee a dignified life. Regarding the second question, our respondents most often described an active citizen as a responsible agent, who is interested about current political, economical, social and cultural issues, who is actively included in society or engaged in civil society organizations, has clear personal goals and believes, is respectful towards others, contributes to clean environment, who is prepared to defend basic human rights with his statements and actions, who is honest, benevolent and trustworthy, and works for the benefit of the community. The Videoclips about Different Aspects of the European Union During the Homo Europeanus Campaign short interviews with random citizens were filmed and will be posted online in September. Considering the first phase of the project, which included a research on citizens' opinions about the state of the EU and their knowledge about it and its institutions in general, and considering the first two initiatives of this campaign, which were based on
reflections about the future of Europe, we decided to orient this third initiative around the research on how people see their life as the citizens of EU. Info days We organized the first info day on 9th May (the Europe Day) in Ljubljana and it marked the beginning of our two month campaign. The Europe Day is a celebration of peace and unity in Europe, and it commemorates the historical Schuman Declaration of 9th May, laid forward by then French foreign minister Robert Schuman in 1950. Schuman proposed the establishment of a European Coal and Steel Community. That was the stepping stone for the coming together of the nations of Europe During the realization of this event, we shared basic information about Homo Europeanus project to the interested public, introduced them the Europe for Citizens Programme and the idea of our campaign. With some of them we were discussing the advantages of being an EU state member and also certain disappointments of the EU membership. The second info day happened on 29th June in Ljubljana, marking the end of the campaign. On that day we awarded the winners of the Youth Poetry Contest»Europe of my Dreams«and as mentioned above, the festive event had also an informative nature: youth and their parents had the opportunity to gather more information on Erasmus+ programme, Europe for Citizens Programme, details about local and international activities of the Homo Europeanus project and partner organizations, and we have provided them with informational materials about the EU for youth and shared contacts of the Information Office of the European Union House in Ljubljana. They found that all the received information were very useful to them.
Main Communication Tools During the campaign we have mainly worked through the direct contact and dialogue with the public. Online visibility of the events and activities was ensured through the whole campaign news about the activities were available on the Homo Europeanus Slovenija Facebook page, Homo Europeanus Facebook page and IDH web page, also newsletters were regularly send to selected public. Posters about the poetry contest were posted in bigger Slovenian libraries, in certain schools and youth centres. For visuals we used Homo Europeanus and IDH logo and a bird icon as a symbol of peace and freedom was created especially for the winners of the Youth Poetry Contest. In September we are going to publish a booklet with awarded poems from the Youth Poetry Contest»Europe of my Dreams«and a selection of citizens' opinions from the short questionnaire about Europe and active citizenship. A description of our campaign and basic information about Homo Europeanus project will be included, too. Conclusion The goal of the campaign was to motivate the public to consider the current situation of Europe and express the ideas of necessary changes. Our intention was to include the interested public of different age groups and from different parts of Slovenia. Info days were focused on sharing relevant information and certain facts about educational and research programmes which are financially supported and enabled by the EU. At the same time we have emphasized the role of the network like the info points Europe Direct in Slovenia and the European Union House, based in Ljubljana, which are all providing information on the functioning of the EU, its policies and the rights of European citizens. We have also delivered some informational materials about EU and brochures about the Homo Europeanus project. Throughout the campaign we have reached approximately 200 individuals. We have noticed that during the campaign the public expressed a lot of interest about these issues, and many of them found the contents and data we shared with them new and useful. Overall response to the initiatives was
positive. It was pleasing to see the enthusiasm in people, who were prepared to share their opinions, views and hopes for the future of Europe. This old and culturally rich continent is currently most probably standing at the crossroads, and we shall be the eyewitnesses of the changes following which path will be chosen to surpass the deepening crisis in order to remain a hospitable place for generations, seeking peace, justice, dignity, solidarity, democratic standards, social security, respect for human rights, protection of nature, tolerance and civic participation.