Bringing Europe and the Euro into the Hearts of the People:

15-20 year olds from all over Europe express their visions of the future

“Bringing Europe and the Euro into the hearts of the people” - True to this motto, ICCA (Institute for Corporate Culture Affairs) and the Frankfurter Zukunftsrat (Future Think Tank) are coordinating My Europe workshops in all European countries.

In these European Scriptoria, students aged 15 to 20 work closely with representatives from newspapers and the business world as well as with experts on Europe. After discussing European affairs with the experts, they learn how to express their visions of the future in newspaper articles. All contributions are part of an international writing competition.

Prominent support is ensured by Viviane Reding (Vice-President of the European Commission), patron of the project. Furthermore, one high-profile figure assists the project in each country, for example Professor Annette Schavan (Federal Minister of Education and Research) in Germany, Mr. Mugur Isarescu (Governor, National Bank of Romania)in Romania and Mr. Egemen Bağış (Minister for EU Affairs) in Turkey. These respected patrons in participating countries from the fields of business or politics provide local support and are thereafter joined in the pan-national “Board of Patrons for European Youth” carrying the initiative and its outcomes in the future. High-profile business leaders and academics complete this committee.

The project wishes to open the hearts of young people for Europe and the Euro. By writing about European topics, the students’ horizons are widened. More complex thinking processes are encouraged, and a new perspective on Europe is offered. In order to uphold Europe’s strength, we need the understanding of European structures and a high level of education among the teenagers of today, who will shape our continent tomorrow.

The project creates a transnational network as young Europeans work together and exchange their views. In this way Europe does not remain merely a loose patchwork of cultural groups but is regarded as a single unit with a common responsibility.

The Frankfurter Zukunftsrat and the Institute for Corporate Culture Affairs are looking for participants/schools as well as supporters and sponsors for the European Scriptoria initiative.