Participation: The event involved 46citizens, including 3 participants fromthe city ofAltea (Spain), 31 participants from the city of Warsaw (Poland), 2 participants from the city of Noto(Italy), 2 participants from the city of Athienou (Cyprus), 2 participants from the city of Brussels (Belgium), 2 participants from the city of Ljubljana (Slovenia), 2 participants from the city of Sofia (Bulgaria) and 2 participants from the city of Elassona (Greece).
Location/ Dates: The event took place inWarsaw (Poland), from 21/02/2019 to 22/02/2019
Short description: Euroscepticism between truth and lie”
Day 1st: 21st
February 2019
During the workshops, young people from, among others, Bulgaria, Italy, Cyprus and Spain discussed how Euroscepticism manifests in their homelands. Their task was to focus mainly on whether the national media in general focus on the problems of the European Union and how they describe them. The participants worked in mixed groups, thanks to which everyone could get acquainted with the situation of a state in a completely different part of Europe.
The conclusions were very similar, and among the problems mentioned was weak interest and ignorance of citizens about the function and structure of the European Union, blaming it for crisis in such countries, prejudices in connection with the conflict. There appeared also the thesis, that in many cases, these negative opinions are the responsibility of the media, which base their message on false and selected information, thus manipulating public opinion.
Day 2nd: 22nd
February 2019
During the workshop “Euroscepticism between truth and a lie”, guests played the role of journalists. They were divided into teams and went on the streets to ask citizens, what they think about the European Union. After the probe was completed, all groups presented their results.
On the same afternoon, the Creative Lab took place on the use of new technologies in the fight against the phenomenon of Euroscepticism and the possibility of promoting proeuropean attitudes in the EU Member States. The participants had the opportunity to become familiar with marketing tactics as well as the possibilities offered by individual social media.
The workshop plan also included a place to discuss the differences between persuasion and propaganda. They were presented on the basis of an internet campaign before the last presidential election in the United States. At the end, participants were given two tasks to develop in two-person groups. The first concerned a campaign on social media, which would strengthen the European community in local communities. The second task was to develop a website layout for YOUrope Project.
