Building Bridges - Sharing European Values

forthcoming

Türkiye has been an EU candidate country since 1999, but this prolonged status has negatively impacted public opinion, with only 43% of participants in the 2024 German Marshall Fund Survey supporting EU membership. The survey highlights that young people primarily view EU membership through an economic lens, with limited knowledge of the EU’s values, such as democracy and human rights. To address this gap, the Building Bridges Project aims to educate students and teachers about the EU, fostering active citizenship and a sense of belonging to the Union. This project is particularly significant for an Armenian minority school in Türkiye, where understanding the EU’s approach to minority rights can empower students to participate more effectively in democratic processes and advocate for progress in Türkiye’s EU membership journey. The project identifies three informational gaps about the EU: Its structure and functioning. Its values and policies and their impacts. The issues it addresses, such as global warming, migration, and minority rights. To fill these gaps, the project will focus on: The EU’s foundation, history, structure, and cultural heritage (art, music). Core EU values, including human dignity, democracy, and equality, as well as policies on social and environmental issues. Current challenges like global warming, migration, and minority rights from an EU perspective. The project’s content will be integrated into the national curriculum across various subjects (science, social sciences, art, music, language) and supported by extracurricular activities, such as school clubs, seminars, workshops, virtual exchanges, and visits. This comprehensive approach aims to empower students and teachers with the knowledge and skills to engage in democratic processes, foster a deeper connection to the EU, and contribute to addressing social and environmental challenges.