As part of the At the School of Open Cohesion programme, a series of interactive workshops has been taking place in numerous high schools across Slovenia to provide high school students with deeper understanding of cohesion policy. By taking a quiz, they get to better understand how cohesion policy works and what impact its investments have on local communities. At the same time, they explore EU-funded projects that have already been carried out. They engage in brainstorming sessions to come up with concrete ideas about how to use cohesion policy funding to improve their local environment and boost development in different areas such as transport, environment, education, and digitalisation.
The workshops are designed to foster critical thinking and active citizenship. Once the students gain information from different sources, they can engage in meaningful discussions about the needs of their communities, trying to find ways to address local challenges. Moreover, young people get to see first-hand how they can actively participate in policy-making and decision-making processes and how they can be part of choosing projects for a better future. The At the School of Open Cohesion programme thus aims to raise awareness of the importance of cohesion policy among young people. It provides them with insight into a range of opportunities available to them for making their ideas come true.
The students can take part in group activities, which allows them to nurture creativity, teamwork, and entrepreneurial thinking. They gain valuable skills they can fully use later in their life. The workshops are also a perfect opportunity for meeting with people who have first-hand experience with implementing EU-funded projects. This gives the students insights into real-life projects boasting excellent performance figures.
The At the School of Open Cohesion programme is not just an educational project. It is an initiative that gives young people a chance to engage with a wider community and make a meaningful contribution to its development. It is also an initiative that creates greater awareness of the importance of solidarity and working together throughout the European Union. Last but not least, it boosts visibility of the opportunities offered by the European Union for a better quality of life in local communities.