From March 18th to 26th, 30 young people from six countries—Bulgaria, Hungary, Croatia, Greece, Spain, and Romania—all gathered in Predeal, Romania, to discover the six European values-Human Rights, Human Dignity, Freedom, Equality, Democracy and the Rule of Law. The goal of the project was to help young people develop a deeper understanding of European values and institutions and how important they are in our society today. Each of the 7 days focused on a different value or theme so that participants could develop a comprehensive perspective on the subject.

The first day was dedicated to team building. Through icebreaker games, participants got to know their future teammates, and through the “Predeal is the new Strasbourg” workshop, participants were divided into 5 teams, creating their own “ministries” and receiving a European value that they were to represent in a creative video by the end of the project—one of the project’s outputs available on our social media pages.

Day two began with a presentation about our association and another on Erasmus opportunities. Participants were informed about the various types of funded projects they can apply for and where to find these opportunities.

The rest of the day was dedicated to testing and developing their knowledge of European institutions. After watching a short summary video about what these institutions are and what their roles are in the process of proposing and adopting laws, participants—divided into 5 teams—used a game of cards developed by the Se Poate team, that they had to sort out, connecting 4 of the most important European institutions with their key characteristics.

The day concluded with a forum theater activity—in which each “ministry” had to put on a play representing the value they had been assigned, thereby discovering together the values of the European Union—and with a reflection activity on personal values in relation to society and European values. 

After dinner, Bulgaria and Greece kicked off the intercultural evenings by introducing us to traditional food and dances

Day three was entirely focused on leaning about the Human Rights. Alongside Alex Stan— educator, activist, and influencer for human rights —participants were introduced to the history of human rights, debated current geopolitical issues, and practiced empathy by playing “Take a Step Forward,” putting themselves in the shoes of different characters to better understand what privilege is and how it actually divides us. 

The activities concluded with a Romanian-Hungarian intercultural evening, which was accompanied by live traditional music provided by our amazing accommodation.

The following day focused on understanding the values of Freedom and Equality through simulations and games from the Compass Manual for Human Rights Education, in which participants were challenged to find solutions for achieving equitable equality and to discuss personal and cultural perspectives on religion and spirituality across various topics. They enjoyed practicing active listening and freedom of expression in an open, non-judgmental space. The day concluded with a workshop on the final videos, where they had to refine the overall concept of the video and determine how to implement it.

Day five focused on exploring the local nature during a hike led by a specialist forester, Dragoș Paraschiva, who presented to the participants the key characteristics of the flora. Moreover, they were also introduced in the method of sure trees to determine their age without damaging or harming them. This activity focused on the ecological aspect essential to any youth exchange, informing the youngsters on the state of nature in Romania and the efforts being made to protect it.

The final day of activities was dedicated to democracy and the rule of law. The opening activity—and the most important one of the day—was a simulation of the legislative process in the European Parliament. Participants had the opportunity to test how well they understood the role of each institution involved in the decision-making process by randomly dividing into teams representing one of the institutions and parties with differing viewpoints to discuss the adoption of a law “lowering the voting age to 16”. The discussion was filled with well-structured arguments and innovative ideas, which, after an hour, led to a consensus: to test the law at the local election level before implementing it for national or European elections. 

The rest of the day was spent working on finishing the videos about values, which were screened and awarded prizes at the evening event, “Oscars Night.”

The project concluded with a final session to assess participants’ knowledge of European values and to evaluate the project, during which the Innovators Lab platform was also presented—a large-scale collaborative project dedicated to Generation Z youth and youth workers. 

The 30 young people had a truly enjoyable experience in Romania, discovering the local culture and traditions while working closely with trainers and facilitators to explore the six European values. Through this process, they came to better understand these values and recognize their importance not only on a global scale and in European decision-making, but also personally in their daily lives.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.