Citizens Clubs for European Integration and Learning

The Clubs4Europe project responded to the local needs of the partner organizations to provide learning opportunities to the people living in rural areas on topics related to European identity, civic engagement, and democratic participation. The objective was to achieve informed citizens in zones of difficult access, of aging populations, and where often apathy to the European idea was noted, being the rural people not informed about the real benefits of the common European values and achievements. Our rural adult learners needed to acquire knowledge on civic education, European identity, inclusion, and diversity, in order to become active citizens, fully engaged with the European democratic process, and participate in the decision-making on the future of the Union. The Clubs4Europe project consortium provided opportunities to rural people to meet, learn, debate, and share common ideas and initiatives. The partnership fostered civic involvement of citizens and promoted democratic values by encouraging active citizenship and decision-making, public participation, involvement in local community life, and different European networks. This complied with the selected 2 horizontal and 1 sectorial priorities of the Erasmus+ Programme.

The Clubs4Europe project offered arena for the voices of the rural people on core topics as citizens’ participation, equality, democracy, inclusion and diversity in all spheres of the daily life, promoting learning opportunities for people from different cultures and generations. The partnership aimed to address the specific E+ Programme priorities by providing learning opportunities on EU values and policies through public debates and workshops, targeting diverse generations in rural areas. Its objectives included fostering a sense of European identity, encouraging active participation in the democratic life of the Union, and bridging social divides across remote regions. Additionally, it focused on combatting stigmatization of disadvantaged community members, promoting tolerance, and fostering empathy for a more cohesive society. By overcoming territorial inequalities and engaging various local communities, the partnership sought to create a more inclusive & democratic Europe. Furthermore, it emphasized the importance of political activism, encouraging rural citizens to seek information on EU policies and actively participate in decision-making processes, including upcoming national and European Parliament elections in 2024.

The Clubs4Europe project implemented activities to actively involve rural citizens in learning about and engaging with European issues, fostering a sense of European identity and active citizenship within rural communities in BG, SK & ES. The Project Management & Coordination allowed an oversight of all project activities, including resource allocation, monitoring progress, and addressing challenges. The Transnational Meeting I gathered the partners' coordinators to review the set objectives, assigned roles and shape the responsibilities for the quality project implementation. The Clubs4Europe, including implementation of local workshops, public debates, international online seminars, mobile units and video contest, engaged rural citizens in the European idea, in-depth learning of the EU history and achievements, dialogue & online debates for wider reach, and a video contest for creativity. During the Dissemination & Multiplier events were made public presentations to share the project outcomes and engage stakeholders, and a group of rural citizens visited the EP in Brussels. The Transnational Meeting II assessed the project progress and refined strategies for follow-up activities & sustainability of the Clubs4Europe results.

The consortium organized workshops across the 3 partner countries, attracting over 300 participants interested in learning about EU history and achievements. Additionally, public debates engaged more than 120 rural citizens to discuss current EU strategies and priorities. Three online seminars convened 60 guests from Bulgaria, Slovakia, and Spain, fostering discussions on the Future of Europe. Implementing mobile units & EU promotional campaigns, the project reached to rural areas in Valladolid, Veliko Tarnovo & Nitra. A video contest and a visit to the European Parliament in Brussels were facilitated for 25 rural citizens from the 3 countries. Furthermore, 163 people participated in multiplier events across the partners' regions, and a common Rural Citizens' Paper was drafted and presented to representatives of the EP & PM. Approximately 7.500 people were indirectly reached through the project dissemination channels, with 2.496 visits recorded on the Clubs4Europe website. Moreover, 48 participants joined the video contest on the Future of Europe, the project gained 278 followers on social media platforms, and 34 members of its network. Finally, 1445 e-newsletters & flyers were distributed to relevant stakeholders in 4 languages.