EVENT IN SERRES

• “Understanding the European Union – Roles and functions of the EU institutions”
• “Teaching EU values to students”

Throughout these specific workshops, the participants had the opportunity to learn more about the history of EU institutions as well as about good practices on how to promote the EU’s motto “Accepting diversity, promoting Unity” in classrooms.

Moreover, most presentations in the event included sections on the diversity within the EU, namely:

• Presentation: “Promoting the cultural heritage of European Cities”
• Presentation: “Promoting cities and regions in the EU” (Team Europe)
• Presentation: “Informing citizens about the European Union – the role of Europe Direct”

Last but not least, the two Greek partners are organising a series of side events in the framework of project DOCPIE which will include trainings on the history and diversity of the European Union.
The main focus of the event was to explore how civic participation is necessary for regional development within the framework of the European Union and vice versa.

SPECIFIC AIMS OF THE PROGRAMME TARGETED BY EVENT:
Raising awareness of remembrance, common history and values and the Union's aim that is to promote peace, its values and the well-being of its peoples by stimulating debate, reflection and development of networks.

The event included a study visit to Fort Roupel, which is one of the most important WWII landmarks in northern Greece. The participants had the opportunity to discuss with the tour guide and local representatives the importance of historic remembrance and the place the specific landmark holds within the local historic context.

Fort Roupel is a fortress at the north border of Serres Prefecture,built in 1914. It became part of the fortifications of the Metaxas Line- a new line of defence that was built to repel an invasion into Greece from Bulgaria- in the 1930s and became famous for its defence during the German invasion of Greece in April 1941.

The fort became famous during WWII, when the advance of the German and Bulgarian armies was stopped in front of this fort. For three days the fort held out against German attack and was only abandoned by its men after the surrender of the Greek army in Thessaloniki.

Today one of the fortification's galleries is open to visitors, as is a small museum and the pavilion the visitors, the observatory and memorial of fallen soldiers. In the gallery, the visitor has the opportunity to feel the moments of the battle. Walking the wards and in the side aisles there are dioramas that depict the Greek fighters battle forts (gunner, doctor to doctor's caring for injured, the sergeant in his office and the office of captain and more).

Through the organization of event “Development of regions and cities through civic participation in the framework of the EU” the participants had the opportunity to:

•        Familiarize with the EU decision- making process
•        Familiarize with how EU promotes joint problem solving for cities and regions / how it promotes             cooperation
•        Find new ideas of cooperation
•        Exchange know-how and good practices
•        Feel connected to the other cities and regions of EU
•        exchange ideas on how civic participation can transform the face of a city

Working methods applied:

Throughout the two days of the event, the participants attended workshops, round tables and presentations on regional development and civic participation on an EU level, and were also presented with informative material from Europe Direct and the National Contact Point for Europe for Citizens.

16 speakers from various sectors, including Higher Education, Ministries, Municipalities, Europe Direct, NGOs and Managing Authorities of European Territorial Cooperation Programmes presented a multi-disciplinary overview of the topics discussed.

A two-day program took the participants from trainings on how to teach children about the European Union, to discussions on how to seek trans-European solutions to local challenges. Study visits, case studies, presentations and round tables gave the participants an opportunity to discuss and debate on: 

• How can cities/regions network with other European cities/regions and
• How to engage citizens in participatory activities in the context of regional development.

 The event in numbers:

• 16 multi-sectors speakers
• 17 net hours of event implementation throughout 2 days (speeches, presentations, round tables etc.)
• 183 participants, including minimum 100 multipliers (regional experts, teachers, local authorities’ representatives, NGOs, EU-funds experts)
• 13 participant countries  
• 3 parallel events (Exhibition “The Route of Olive Oil”, Informational stand of Europe Direct, Kids’ corner)
• Transmission of event in 3 local tv stations, 2 radio stations and 5 newspapers (multiple publications per newspaper)
• 3 press releases
• Reach out of aprox. 9.000 people through social media promotion
• Reach out of further (estimated) 1.000 people through paid advertisements (banners leading to project website) on 2 prominent local online media outlets for a period of 1 month

In addition to the multi-national representation of participants, the theme of the event was also of a pan-European nature, as it stressed the way the European Union works and reaches out to inform citizens, good practices on transnational cooperation and last but not least presentation of funding opportunities through transnational programmes.

Mid/long term effects produced by the event:

• The Municipality of Serres (P9) has expanded and strengthened its network of civil society organisations, including tighter cooperation with Club Serres for UNESCO (P10);
• all partners had the opportunity to further strengthen the project network;
• good practices were presented and new initiatives were debated;
• partners have been motivated for the transfer of know-how to their home countries;
• participants were motivated to actively participate in the development of their local communities and democratic procedures;
• teachers have been motivated to incorporate good practices about EU education and active citizenship in their classrooms;
• participating local authorities are actively seeking to further expand their regional development and civic participation initiatives through new Calls of Europe for Citizens and other European projects.

The participants were encouraged to participate in an active dialogue with speakers throughout the event. Certain parts of the presentations were especially interactive and required active participation, such as the workshops and round table.
The study visit to Fort Roupel also actively involved the participants in a discussion with the tour guide and local representatives.
Last but not least, the participants were asked to complete the DOCPIE survey during the event and encouraged to pose questions about its content and structure. 

Aside from the general public and multipliers, the event targeted participants that are traditionally far from the centers of power and control. The selected target groups were:

• Women
• Senior citizens
• Students
• Youth
• Migrants
• Unemployed, especially unemployed youth
  

Event 3

Participation: The event involved  183  citizens from 13 countries, including:

1.         155 participants from the city of Serres, Greece
2.         1 participant from the city of Athens, Greece
3.         4 participants from the city of Thessaloniki, Greece
4.         8 participants from the town of Šmartno pri Litiji, Litija, Ljubljana, Slovenia
5.         2 participants from the town of Veliko Turnovo, Bulgaria
6.         2 participants from the town of Breznički Hum, Croatia
7.         1 participant from the town of Kistarcsa, Hungary
8.         1 participant from the town of Kriva Palanka, Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia
9.         1 participant from the city of Madrid, Spain
10.       1 participant from the city of Guadix, Spain
11.       1 participant from the city of Dresden, Germany
12.       1 participant from the city of Köln, Germany
13.       1 participant from the town of Backa Topola, Serbia
14.       1 participant from the city of Ecully, France
15.       1 participant from the city of Warwaw, Poland
16.       1 participant from the city of Brescia, Italy
17.       1 participant from the city of Tallinn, Estonia

Location / Dates: The event took place in Serres, Greece from  30/6/2015 to 1/7/2015.

Short description:  Through the organization of the event: “Development of regions and cities through civic participation in the framework of the European Union” the participants:

• Were familiarized with the EU decision- making
• Were introduced to new ideas of cooperation
• Exchanged know-how and good practices
• Felt connected to the other cities and regions of EU
• Exchanged ideas on how civic participation can transform the face of a city 

The aim of the event was to:

• Showcase the interconnection between active citizenship and city/regional development
• Explore local solutions and encourage the exchange of good practices and know how among partners
• Inform on EU regional cooperation initiatives and policies
• Strengthen transnational ties among the participating countries/regions

Throughout the two days of the event, the participants attended workshops, round tables and presentations on regional development and civic participation on an EU level, and were also presented with informative material from Europe Direct and the National Contact Point for Europe for Citizens.
16 speakers from various sectors, including Higher Education, Ministries, Municipalities, Europe Direct, NGOs and Managing Authorities of European Territorial Cooperation Programmes presented a multi-disciplinary overview of the topics discussed.
The event is expected to create an important added value in the hosting city of Serres, as the hosting partners are already discussing ways of mainstreaming the event’s results in local activities and interregional networks of cooperation.
 

 Development of regions and cities through civic participation in the framework of the European Union