Citizenship education sessions
Varaždin – 18 March 2024
Varaždin is an administrative centre of Varaždin-county with a population of about 45.000. It is situated 85 km NE from Zagreb, the capital of Croatia.
To get a new perspective from young students of (almost) voting age, we reached out to the school principal and professors from Prva gimnazija Varaždin, a secondary school that fosters excellence as UNESCO’s Associated School, and The European Parliament Ambassador School (EPAS). The school is attended by students aged 14-18 from the wider Varaždin area, as well as surrounding Međimurje and Koprivnica-Križevci counties. The event was organised for the third and fourth grades (aged 17 and 18).
The workshops provided information on the EU, its institutions, the upcoming elections and European values followed by an interactive quiz on the topic, with prizes for the students with the highest number of points achieved. The debate provided a much-needed space for reflection and discussion on the future of the EU.
Outcome
The feedback from the professors and students was incredibly positive and encouraging, with plans for potential future cooperation. Debate sparked enthusiastic responses from students with the following answers to the question “How to make Europe a better place for all of us”:
Security, tolerance, and migrations: foster cooperation among member states for a greater sense of security, implement better migration policies and address long-standing nationalism to nurture a more tolerant society, reduce discrimination; especially towards women and minorities, enhance social justice, promote gender equality and tolerance towards minorities and religions, increase democratization and ensure citizen safety and responsiveness to public opinions, promote cultural diversity, implement stricter controls for violations.
Better living standards: stagnate inflation and improve living standards, increase wages and job opportunities, lower the cost of living, harmonize product prices throughout the EU, invest and improve education, healthcare, and police, foster innovation and technological advancement, strengthen the economy by supporting small and medium-sized enterprises, implement projects involving young people.
Environment: strengthen policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to ensure environmental protection, focus on sustainability, reduce pollution, promote the use of renewable energy, and create more parks and green spaces.
Transportation: improve public transport and transportation connections, make public transport free or low-cost for public
speed up membership processes for certain countries
offer occasional free meals at selected fast-food restaurants
legalize marijuana