On the 9th and 10th of September was held in Cyprus the kick-off meeting of Agorà, a project funded by the European Union aimed at raising awareness among young people on issues such as active European citizenship, the sharing of values and cultures and Euroscepticism.
It has been a unique training experience, which has seen many young people from different European project’s partner countries come together, get to know each other and discuss, through a non-formal educational approach: the municipality of Cinisello Balsamo, Italy; IRTEA association, Greece; the municipality of Athienou, Cyprus; the municipality of Santa Maria de Feira, Portugal; the municipality of Smolyan, Bulgaria.
The days of activities were divided into formal reflection activities, such as presentations of the partners and lectures on the European Union held by experts in the field; there was also room for a method of non-formal education, through group activities and direct interactions with the community of Athienou.
The real strength of the project could be seen from the high participation of young people at the meeting, who were very interested and involved in all phases of the exchange. Thanks to the time spent together and the mutual sharing of ideas and experiences, a special bond was created among them, which will surely be strengthened during the next meetings.
Praise must also be given to the hospitality and efficiency of the partners in Athienou and the entire Cypriot community.
For Agorà it was an important first step, full of content and spirit of initiative, that we of the Europe office and the municipality of Cinisello Balsamo can’t wait for it to develop and concretely reach our territory.