Organized by Fondazione Toscana Sostenibile within the Erasmus EU4YOUTH2ACT project, the focus group was held on January 23.

Meeting after dinner to speak about the European Union might seem odd to many, but not to this dynamic group of young adults of students happy to have their say. Connecting remotely across the boot, they gave their insight on what their peers think about Europe and its institutions.

In line with documented trends in literature, they confirm that the European Union is not a current topic among young people, stressing however the total lack of notions and tools that would allow them to understand more about the subject. In fact, it is seldom given space in school programs; those who know something about Europe learned it on Erasmus exchanges or in university courses in sociology or political science.  This situation would likely improve with a greater effort by schools and the European Union itself in promoting social initiatives and campaigns specifically for young people.

On a different note, when thinking about the European Union, many associate them to concepts diversity, ongoing Improvement, Union, Youth exchange, cultural exchanges, and enrichment. After further reflection, other concepts remind community policies such as the green deal, the National Recovery and Resilience Plans (NPRR), and immigration.