EU-PROJECT

“Get on board! Mobilizing young leaders to support the EU enlargement process towards the Western Balkans.”

10 MOST FREQUENT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

  1. What is the project’s framework?

The project will be run within the framework of the PRINCE programme and will build upon the results of the PRINCE project “The EU-Enlargement process: Open your mind and get involved!”. The PRINCE programme is a financial aid instrument designed to provide assistance to implement the information and communication strategy for the European Union. The focus is on information and communication actions on enlargement issues targeting mainly the general public in EU member states.

  1. What is the overall objective of the project?

The overall objective of the project is to contribute to an increased awareness about the benefits and challenges related to the enlargement process with regards to the Western Balkan’s region in the European member states.

  1. What is the specific objective of the project?

The specific objective of the project is:

to mobilize and train young leaders as multipliers to raise awareness about the EU enlargement process towards the Western Balkans.

In order to meet this specific objective, two approaches have been chosen:

-Approach 1 focuses on e-learning activities and the use of modern media as communication platform

-Approach 2 focuses on the implementation of simulation games as instrument to raise awareness on EU enlargement towards the Western Balkans via personal interaction

  1. What is the project’s budget?

Estimated total cost of the project amounts to 239,616.00 Euro. The European Commission covers 80% of the estimated costs. The 20% co-financing will be provided by Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung.


  1. Which countries does the project address?

The project addresses a choice of European countries where euro-sceptic tendencies subsist, in particular: Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Poland and Slovenia.

  1. Who are the partners involved?

The partners involved are:

-Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) as applicant as well as ENoP members from:

-Austria - Political Academy of the Austrian People’s Party

-Bulgaria – Institute for Social Integration

-Bulgaria - Liberal Political Institute

-The CzechRepublic - CEVROLiberalConservativeAcademy

-Netherlands - Alfred Mozer Stichting

-Poland –Robert Schuman Foundation

-Slovenia – Institute dr. Janez Evangelist Krek

  1. Who are the target groups?

Young leaders (age 18-25) have been identified as the main target group of the project.

  1. How should the target groups be composed?

In conformity with the guidelines of the call, target groups should be able to serve as multipliers.

  1. What are themodules of the project?

Module 1“Simulation game”

Together with the project team, experts will develop a simulation game on EU enlargement. It will address two different steps of the enlargement process: a) the process of receiving a candidate status, b) the process of becoming a member state. The simulation game will enable participants not only to learn more about the EU enlargement process but also to experience it by becoming an actor in this process (e.g. as member of the European Commission, of the European Parliament or as part of the delegation from a potential candidate or candidate country). The knowledge about EU institutions, their role in the enlargement process and its procedures are indispensable to understand the extent of the reform process each candidate country has to undergo or has

already completed in order to join the EU. It will help the participants to build their own opinion on EU enlargement towards the Western Balkan countries and to become part of an informed debate about its benefits and challenge. It will also help to prevent the perpetuation of negative stereotypes and preconceptions. The content of this module will be used as materials for the 3-days workshops and as background content of the password secured section of the e-learning platform.

Module 2E-learning platform “EU enlargement towards the Western Balkan states”, public section

Together with the project team, experts will develop the content of the public section of the e-learning platform. This platform will contain a variety of information related to the EU enlargement as well as provide knowledge about the historical, socio-political, cultural diversity of the Western Balkan states and their current reality. It will present their contributions to the European Union and their potential as future EU members. This information will be partly based on already existing materials developed in the framework of the PRINCE 2009 project. It will also contain a database of trainers and show the region they come from on an integrated map. The map will help any external user to find trained young leaders on EU enlargement and Western Balkan countries in their region and to contact them (personal data protection will be guaranteed). Young trainers can use this platform to keep themselves updated on relevant topics, stay in contact with others and learn from them and contact new target groups who want to receive training on the implementation of the simulation game. The public section of the e-learning platform will also provide a test on the topics of the project. The test will be provided in English. This will enable users to learn English expressions related to the enlargement process towards the Western Balkan states. Moreover, a glossary will help to understand the main definitions. By searching the website, users will also be able to learn everything needed to pass the test. Users who have successfully passed the test will be asked whether they are interested in taking the online TTT course on how to implement the developed simulation game with a target group of their choice. Interested users will have to go through a screening process with the help of the developed registration mask and submit an online application from. Project partners will prove the application form according to the selection criteria catalogue developed for the three-days-training workshop. Approved candidates will receive the accession data to the password-secured section of the e-learning platform in order to register for the e-learning course.

Module 3E-learning platform “EU enlargement towards the Western Balkan states – TTT course”, password secured section.

The content of this module will be used as background content of the password secured section of the e-learning platform. This section will enable participants to take an online “train the trainers” (TTT) course on how to implement Module 1 in a group of approximately 30 participants. The course will be provided in English language. Once the e-learning course participant has successfully passed the test, he/she will receive a trainer certificate. The trainer certificate will enable the trainer to download the complete simulation game materials in English and in the languages of project members and use them for the implementation of the developed simulation game.

  1. Whichactivities will be implemented?

The action’s communication plan foresees a number of activities to promote the implementation of the project and its results among a wide range of existing and potential stakeholders and to ensure a wide dissemination of the provided information on EU enlargement towards the Western Balkans.

They are conceived within a robust framework in which dialogue and interaction can take place:

  • The e-learning platform will be the main instrument to ensure the visibility of the action. It will provide thematic information as well as facts and figures around to the project. It will, for instance, contain short summaries of the monitoring reports, contact information of the project partners and trained young leaders as well as a link to the facebook website. The latter will serve as a networking possibility based on the topics of the action, its implementation and its results.
  • Project members will use their networks to promote awareness for the e-learning platform among different media representatives, local politicians, civil society actors, educating institutions and other existing and potential stakeholders. They will place project information on their own websites as well as on the websites dealing with EU enlargement and/or the Western Balkans as well as on the websites visited by the target group.
  • Public discussions during the 6three-days workshops as well as public sessions during the 1-day simulation games will ensure a wider diffusion to different stakeholders and locations by inviting media representatives as well as representatives of the target group specific networks.
  • Trained young leaders will promote the project and the e-learning platform during the simulation games by disseminating project information among their networks and on the websites visited by their respective target groups.
  • Press releases and briefings of mass media and different stakeholders on the project’s topics, its implementation and results will provide a broader audience with information and provoke public awareness for the outcomes.

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