Citizens make Europe: Town-twinning meeting

ended

“Citizens make Europe” is a town twinning project. The first event will take place in July 2022 in Günzburg, and will bring together citizens from Lannion (France), Sternberk (Czech Republic) and Neustadt (Saxony) in Günzburg for the first time. The project has the aim to renew the bonds between the cities, to reflect and debate the aspects of Europe and to win more people for the civil engagement. „Citizens make Europe” aims to raise awareness that it is the citizens who think, shape and live Europe. Their thinking and action are crucial to the process of European integration. The partnership meeting is intended to reflect on European issues at the local and civil society level, to stimulus ideas and to motivate participation and commitment. “Citizens make Europe” includes as the main part a conference, that focuses the future of the twinning towns. The conference shell promote communal and civil society collaboration, with the aim to formulate a viable framework and to initiate new projects. Second part is the participatory exhibition “Citizens make Europe” at the Stadtmuseum Günzburg. The exhibition will be developed in advance with the participation of citizens from the four cities. The laboratory character is also continued in the exhibition: Visitors will explore European identity at different stations and can contribute their personal opinions on the history, present and future of Europe. Third part is the Cultural Programme that makes visible cultural traditions and connects the participants through common presentation of the stage programme. Around 250 active participants are expected to attend the conference as well as several hundred visitors to the exhibition and the cultural programme. Numerous associations and institutions from the four cities mentioned are involved both in the preparatory phase of the weekend and in the implementation. A second event will take place in Lannion (FR) in September 2022 (estimated number of direct participants from Günzburg and Sternberk is 40 people). The target groups are citizens who are engaged in town twinning projects, representatives from politics, from the municipalities and from citizens societies.