During academic year 2013-2014 Polish European Community Studies Association conducts nationwide education project „Academy of Young European”. The project is financed by European Commission through Lifelong Learning Programme – Programme Jean Monnet and by the National Bank of Poland.
The goal of PECSA is to help create self-conscious society of young Europeans starting from a high school level. Its aim is to share scientific knowledge on the process of European integration in new international and regional environment. To help foster those goals we have created an innovative educational project – Academy of Young European. The project is aimed at different beneficiaries, but particularly at high school students, their teachers as well as university students in Poland.
The European Union does not collect information at the moment on how, what and where young people learn about European integration. Young people learn about EU predominantly through media, therefore their source of knowledge is not sufficiently precise and competent. It is only at universities that competent scientist instruct young people about European integration. Therefore if we want to educate young people so they were true citizens of Europe who know what their rights are and what possibilities they have, we need to work on promoting and broadening the knowledge of European Union at earliest possible level of education.
Additionally, broadening of student's knowledge of international economy and changing economic environment, particularly those factors that are important to Europeans, such as Euro Zone, is very important to different group of beneficiaries.
The Academy is an informal educational project that fills the gap in equal access to knowledge by high school students from towns and villages, therefore it helps to create equal opportunities for young people at the start of their adult life. Open formula of the Academy assures broad access to knowledge.
The project includes some actions:
- webinars for high school teachers, pupils and university students
- textbook for high school teachers entitled “The EU – basic knowledge”
- lessons in high schools from 6 voivodships by PECSA-affiliated scientists and academic lecturers
- lectures for students and pupils at some universities in Poland (eg. Warsaw, Gdańsk)
- „Poland in the EU” competition (consisting of 3 rounds and a final during Day of Europe at Faculty of Economics at University of Gdańsk)
- Day of Europe conference
Both webinars, lessons at high schools and textbook will provide basis for a variety of issues, including:
- Globalization
- Basics on market economy
- Basics on entrepreneurship
- Fundamentals of European integration
- Politics of European Union
- European culture
- Citizens of European Union
- EU for youth
- Internal market
- Euro
For more information on Academy of Young Europeans please consult our website in Polish.
If you have any questions do not hesitate to write at biuro@pecsa.edu.pl (French, English, Polish).