Over 100 Students from Four European Universities Master the European Citizens’ Initiative through the Innovative “ECI from A to Z” Project

For more than two years, the universities of Coimbra (Portugal), Göttingen (Germany), Iasi (Romania), and Vigo (Spain) joined efforts to promote the European Citizens’ Initiative and contribute to developing citizen competencies in university students in the framework of a project funded by Erasmus+. The result: more than 100 trained students, two ECI Models, one online course that will remain open for the next five years, the publication of a book on the ECI, four research papers, and a strong net of academic cooperation to continue fostering engagement and active citizenship in the EU. The final event took place at Coimbra on the 27-28 March 2023 with about 200 participants.

On 30 December 2020, the project: „European Citizens‘ Initiative: A Tool for Engagement and Active Citizenship | ECI from A to Z” started to run in four universities across Europe. The project, funded by Erasmus+, aimed at developing competencies and skills of students from higher education institutions to contribute to filling the gap in formal curricula in universities to promote civic engagement and participation in several spheres of public life.

‘ECI Model’: How Students Learn to Become Active European Citizens in Practice

Researchers and tutors from the participant universities designed and developed an online course, ran peer learning activities online and onsite, organized two ECI models, wrote research papers, and published a book on the ECI. The project successfully concluded with a final event on the last 27-28 March 2023 that gathered expert researchers and practitioners on the ECI in discussion panels. During the event, the final outcomes of the project were presented, and around 200 attendees including students and teachers from different high schools in Coimbra participated in several games and didactical activities on the ECI.

The expert panels discussed the key issues on the ECI and the projects and platforms that focus on promoting the ECI at different levels. After the keynote speech by Prof. Elena Danescu (Luxembourg University), in the first round table, Daniela Vancic (Democracy International), Silvia Kersemakers (European Commission), Yilly Pacheco (University of Göttingen), Christian Huesmann (Bertelsmann Stiftung), and Isabel Valente (University of Coimbra) discussed on the different views on the European Citizens’ Initiative.

The second round table addressed the different projects and platforms that focus on promoting the ECI at different levels. From the role of the European Citizen Action Service to ECI national contact points and particular projects such as ECI from A to Z, the panelists Vasiliki Mustakis (ECAS), Carlos Ribeiro (Portugal Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Julio Teixeira (Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions), João Sousa (Lifelong Learning Platform), and Ana Maria Bercu (Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi) discussed the importance of such projects and platforms to strengthen citizens engagement and participation all over Europe.

The final event also served as the official launching of the book “European Citizens’ Initiative: A Tool for Engagement and Active Citizenship | Workbook ECI: From A to Z“, one of the project’s main outputs. The book, available online for open access, gathers contributions to understand better and further develop the European Citizens’ Initiative and describes the methodology followed and results reached under the Erasmus+ project ECI From A to Z. More than that, this publication is a practical toolkit for all who wish to know more about the European Citizens’ Initiative and how to put it in motion. The book, published by Göttingen University Press, was coedited by Dr. Yilly Pacheco and Prof. Dulce Lopes. The authors are researchers from the partner universities as well as invited expert professors from other universities, representatives from civil society organizations, organizers from ECIs, ECAS and representatives of the ECI National Contact Points.

With the final event, the team of “ECI from A to Z” confirmed that a strong net for academic cooperation to continue fostering engagement and active citizenship in the EU academic has the potential to contribute to filling the awareness gap of the ECI among young people and university students. Learning, teaching, and training activities successfully resulted in over 100 university students being empowered with citizen skills.

Interested in getting to know more about the project ECI from A to Z and its results? Visit our website and found more information about the project, partners and participants, outcomes, news, and more! 

• ECI from A to Z | Official Website: https://eci-az.eu
• Download Workbook: https://univerlag.uni-goettingen.de/handle/3/isbn-978-3-86395-585-4?locale-attribute=en
• Dissemination Event – Keynote speech and First Round Table (Full video): https://www.youtube.com/live/snz34l55GYo?feature=share
• Dissemination Event – Second Round Table (Full video): https://www.youtube.com/live/5ryZYzyg9-c?feature=share
• Dissemination Event – Games and Pedagogical Activities with high school students: https://youtu.be/1yVdyoUVsDs