presentation

Presentation of Spazio Europa

Spazio Europa is the European public space opened in the building that houses the European Parliament’s Office for Italy and the European Commission’s Representation in Italy.

Situated in the heart of Rome, Spazio Europa is a public space, jointly run by the European Commission and the European Parliament, aiming to promote the knowledge of European issues and to stimulate debate, with a special focus on subjects raising young people’s interest. It is a multifunctional, informal and interactive space for events, meetings, conferences, exhibitions, as well as training and information activities about the European Union. Spazio Europa is a meeting venue for young people and education representatives which is meant to host debates and exchanges of best practices in the field of learning, mobility and active European citizenship and to raise young people’s awareness on the value of multilingualism and cultural diversity.

As far as school pupils are concerned, Spazio Europa offers several edutainment facilities helping them learn about the European Union, its history and its policies through games, quizzes and videos that stimulate their curiosity and encourage debate.

These edutainment facilities, offer school pupils aged 8 to 18 the possibility to discover the European Union by getting to know its history, values and institutions, by understanding that the EU countries have both distinctive and common characteristics, by appreciating cooperation and mutual aid as inspiring principles of the EU and by developing a sense of belonging to one big family of democratic countries. Pupils must be accompanied by their teachers (at least one teacher per class).

The circuit comprises two sets of edutainment facilities: one set is suitable for younger pupils (age range: 8-12), while the other is suitable for older pupils (age range: 13-18). Each set is made up of three modules. The modules are run by professional facilitators who try to animate games and activities with the younger pupils, so as to raise their curiosity and interest on the EU in an entertaining and interactive way, and to stimulate discussion with the elder pupils by providing them with accurate information about the EU. One of the aims pursued is to motivate pupils and teachers to further investigate the topics addressed in the modules.

The three modules for younger pupils (age range: 8-12) are:
– “Nasce l’Unione europea” (The EU is born), a delightful and colorful cartoon where the Moon, who has been watching human activity from time immemorial, tells the main facts about the history of the EU.
– “Anch’io sono europeo?” (Am I a European too?), an area where 27 faceless silhouettes represent children from each Member State; the pupils are invited to put their faces into the face holes and to listen to the recording associated with each silhouette, thus favoring a sense of belonging to a common area characterized by unity in diversity and by solidarity.
– “Parlamento Quiz”, a quiz game about the EU in general and the European Parliament in particular.

The three modules for older pupils (age range: 13-18) are:
– “Europa By Bus”, a video telling major facts about the history of the EU.
– “Quanto siamo europei?” (How much European are we?), comprising 1) a debate where pupils are invited to discuss two diverging opinions (a pro-European one and a Euro-sceptical one) and 2) a quiz game by which pupils get useful information about the EU Member States.
– “Di’ la tua!” (Speak your mind!), a debate where pupils are invited to discuss matters most relevant to them, such as environmental protection, health, studying and working abroad or the economy, and are led to discover how the EU deals with these matters.

In addition to these, the Directorate General for Translation’s Field Office at the Commission’s Representation in Rome has helped conceive and run a language module aimed at highlighting the EU’s multilingualism and stressing the importance of learning foreign languages.

Similarly, Spazio Europa intends to develop activities in conjunction with other sectoral DGs in order to provide more in-depth information, notably as regards the EU environmental objectives, the Economic and Monetary Union as well as rural development and healthy food.






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