Workshops for high schools
Hungary
The workshops organizes by 21 Research Center took place on 11.10. and 16.10.2023 in Budapest School and at Óbuda Waldorf on 17.10 and 18.10.2023.
The event on the11th of October saw participating students of around 16-17 years old. The primary focus of this workshop was to immerse secondary school students in the foundational principles of the rule of law. Democracy was introduced as a context, making the topic more relatable and understandable for the students, and helping to draw distinctions and overlaps between the two concepts.
The workshop was structured into two sessions, each lasting 45 minutes.
We began by detailing our identity, our motivation behind the workshop, and the significance of understanding the rule of law, especially in the context of the European Union. We discussed its relevance in today’s Hungary and the transformation the country has seen since its regime change, particularly the shift to the rule of law framework. Democracy was touched upon to provide a comparative understanding and to discuss the values that underpin both. In the next session we delved into the distinctions and connections between democracy and the rule of law. As a concluding activity, the “opinion line” game was played to gauge participants’ perspectives on the rule of law and how it operates in tandem with democratic principles. The workshop was instrumental in helping students grasp the intricate nuances of the rule of law, using democracy as a familiar platform to bridge understanding. The discussions highlighted the importance of the rule of law in safeguarding rights, maintaining order, and promoting justice, especially within the unique political and historical context of Hungary.
The second event took place 16th of October with participating students around 16-17 years old. This session also focused on the concepts of democracy, rule of law, their importance in Hungary and the EU context. As with the previous workshop, the biggest impact was given to interactive tasks with the students, trying to gauge their perspectives of the rule of law and how it works. The students expressed interest in inquiries such as:
- What are some practical steps or initiatives that individuals, especially young people, can take to promote and uphold the principles of the rule of law in their communities?
- Can you provide examples of how the rule of law has played a role in shaping specific aspects of Hungary’s legal and political landscape?
The next workshop taking place on 17.10. engaged students of 16-17 years old. The primary focus of this workshop was once again to immerse secondary school students in the foundational principles of the rule of law. Democracy was introduced as a context, making the topic more relatable and understandable for the students, and helping to draw distinctions and overlaps between the two concepts. To foster an engaging environment, we initiated an ice-breaker where students introduced themselves and shared their primary association with the term “rule of law”.
After this we clarified the concept of the rule of law. As a concluding activity, the “opinion line” game was played to gauge participants’ perspectives on the rule of law and how it operates in tandem with democratic principles. In the discussion, the students demonstrated a keen interest in topics such as exploring real-life situations or cases where the rule of law has had a notable impact in Hungary, both in positive and negative contexts. Additionally, they sought further insights on practical steps and information regarding how they can actively contribute to upholding the principles of the rule of law within their communities.
The last of the Hungarian workshops on 18.10.saw participating students of around 17-18 years old.
The central purpose of this workshop was to introduce secondary school students to the intricate facets of migration. While the European Union (EU) was used as a context, the primary emphasis was on the multifaceted nature of migration, its causes, implications, and the associated policies. We emphasized the importance of understanding migration, especially in today’s globalized world. Each student introduced themselves and shared their immediate association with the term “migration.” We started with a quiz about the EU to highlight its foundation, development, values, and key principles such as individual freedom, equality before the law, free market economy, protection of private property, freedom of speech, rule of law, government transparency, and free elections. We continued with an engaging segment intended to stimulate critical thinking. Each group was provided with adhesive notes bearing a specific principle. Students were tasked to brainstorm migration policies based on the given principle, considering potential challenges. Groups later shared their insights, and a collective discussion was held to understand how different principles could either clash or complement each other in the realm of migration. Wrapping up, the floor was opened for questions and curiosities, followed by guidance on where students could access more information on migration.
Poland
The events were organized in three locations in the region of Silesia, southern Poland. The events took place in Sosnowiec (21.3.), Mikołów (26.3.) and in Chorzów (on 5.4. and 8.4.). Participants were students of local high schools, aged 14-18. Some workshops took place in classes, as a part of civic education, and some were after-school activities for volunteer, e.g. from a debate club. The primary focus of the workshop was to immerse secondary school students in the foundational principles of the European integration. Open democracy, rule of law and human rights were introduced as a context, making the topic more relatable and understandable for the students.
The workshop was structured into two sessions, each lasting 45 minutes.
The first session was an interactive presentation about the EU and its principles. It started with an ice-breaker introduction of the goals of the session, as well as intorduction of presenters and pariticpnats. The presentation familiarized students with the history of the EU, including the one of intergation of Poland and V4 countries, and its fundamental vulues in the context of actual public debates. The presentation included elements from the results of public consultations included in the RevivEU project.
The second session was a quiz with questions connected to the above mentioed presentation. The most active participants received small rewards (books).
During the entire event participants could ask questions and comment. Most of the questions related to the competences of the EU in areas of education, climate change, women rights and minority rights. Students wanted to know what the EU can offer them and what EU does for the youth.
The vast majority of participants were supportive and even enthusiastic about the European integration. However, in 3 groups there were students who were strongly against the European Union. They talked about « gigantic bureaucracy », « stealing Polish sovereignty », « German and Brussels dictate », and « taking away their freedom to drive cars and eat meat ». There were not many EU sceptics, but they were outstood and sounded convincing to some participants. Workshop leaders counter their arguments, showing facts and figures and convincing students to fact-check in general.
Slovakia
As part of the RevivEU project, three successful workshops were conducted by BPI in high schools to emphasize the importance of European elections and the rule of law, particularly in the context of citizens’ rights and obligations within the EU. The workshops in the towns of Košice (26.4.) and Trnava (29.5.) were facilitated by Denisa Karabová, BPI project manager of the RevivEU project, who holds a background in European studies. Notably, the Trnava workshop was unique as it was not held within the facilities of a single high school but was open to high school students from various schools across Trnava. BPI senior researcher Michal Vašečka led the workshop in Malacky town (21.5.). Beyond his presentation, Vašečka engaged in a dynamic discussion with the most active students, exploring the positive and negative effects of patriotism and nationalism on civic participation.
Each workshop featured a presentation that included key data and interesting findings from the RevivEU polls and analyses. Following the presentation and discussions, students participated in an interactive workshop focused on youth advocacy. They were provided with a template containing several questions from the ESC solidarity projects application form. Using this template, they proposed draft ideas for community-based solidarity projects aimed at benefiting local communities. The idea was to show them how easy it can be to step out and make some positive changes for their local communities and country. The students’ ideas were innovative and received constructive feedback, with many participants expressing intent to apply for the projects. Additionally, participants were briefly introduced to various learning programs and activities offered to young people by the EU.
Czechia
The four Czech workshops took place in May 2024, and all were structured as a talk with high school students (aged 15-18) on the current EU topics before the June EP elections, using the research done during the RevivEU project and complemented by other EUROPEUM researchers.
On 6th of May 2 workshops took place in Gymnázium Jeseník, led by Viktor Daněk, EUROPEUM´s deputy director. Given his previous experience, including as a journalist in Brussels for the Czech Radio, Viktor started with a brief overview about the EU, with the aim to focus on the practicalities in a lighter manner, accessible to the target group of high-school students. Given the elections, he touched upon the decision-making process of the EU and the role of the European Parliament and then proceeded with interactive discussions with the students. That included questions on the current topics like migration, the war in Ukraine, the question of euro and its adoption in Czechia and defence in the EU.
The remaining two workshops were led by lead RevivEU researcher Vít Havelka on 14.5. during a workshop at Gymnázium u Libeňského zámku in Prague and on 30.5. at Gymnázium in Havlíčkův Brod. Similarly to the first two workshops, the events began with a brief overview of the current EU topics, EU´s functioning and decision-making process, and an explanation of the upcoming EU elections. Before moving to a Q&A session with the students Vít used mind-mapping tools to brainstorm with the students about what they imagine EU to be; then what it means to them and what are the biggest benefits and negatives about Czechia´s membership in the EU. This activity showed that the students are very mindful about the economic benefits, the freedom of travel and a global reputation it comes with the membership, while at the same time a bit more apprehensive about questions of migration and security. These results lie in line with the citizens´ consultations carried out during the project a year prior to the workshops – one outlier is climate change, which students experience with bigger worries than general Czech population.
