Schools and communities · Since 2007
From your local community
to the heart of the European institutions
A learning journey that begins at school, comes to life in Brussels and continues in the local community. To understand Europe, experience it first hand and imagine your future.
Schools Municipalities Unions of Municipalities Foundations
An experience that builds knowledge and skills
Europe feels closer when it connects with young people’s lives, their questions and the places where they grow up.
Since 2007, Focus Europe has worked with schools and organisations on European education, combining citizenship, learning through experience and guidance for future choices. Preparatory activities involve the classes; where included, a visit to Brussels builds on this work and provides material to share with the community.
Each edition begins with a discussion of students’ ages, educational goals, available resources and local priorities.
Two programmes, one shared approach
Content, language and activities respond
to the questions students are asking.
Preparing in the local community · Gerrei, 2024Citizens of Europe
A programme for the third year of lower secondary school in Italy: discovering how the European Union began, the values it shares and what it means to be an EU citizen.
An upper secondary school experience · Capoterra, 2022Europe in your future
For the fourth and fifth years of upper secondary school in Italy: active citizenship and guidance, with tools to understand European opportunities and make informed choices after leaving school.
Ages are indicative; programmes are defined by the year attended in the Italian school system. Any formal school recognition is agreed with the school.
Before, during and after
Three connected stages.
One educational programme.
Sessions in the classroom or at a shared local venue. Materials and workshops introduce young people to the EU’s history, values, institutions and opportunities.
Knowledge comes to life in places central to European democracy and history, through visits, guided activities and opportunities for discussion.
On their return, students make the experience a shared resource. They reflect on what they have learned and present it to classmates, families and local representatives.
European Parliament hemicycle · Focus Europe archive, 2026Learning becomes experience
Brussels offers opportunities to connect classroom learning with the decisions, history and people that shape Europe.
European Parliament and ParlamentariumRepresentation, democratic debate and citizenship.
House of European HistoryThe shared events that have shaped contemporary Europe.
Meetings with MEPs and/or EU officialsConversations on topics agreed with the school, focusing on education, youth participation and European opportunities.
The city as a place to learnCultural heritage, multilingualism and everyday European life.
These places have featured in previous editions. Each new programme, including visits and any institutional meetings, is developed according to its objectives and availability, subject to confirmation by the hosts.
An approach developed through experience
European education with schools
and communities since 2007.
Unione dei Comuni del Gerrei
“Alla scoperta dell’Europa” — Discover Europe — grew from cooperation between the Unione dei Comuni del Gerrei and Focus Europe. Local learning activities prepare students for their European experience and connect local communities with Brussels.
In July 2026, nine students took part in the educational visit from 13 to 17 July, following preparatory activities. In 2025, the programme had involved the comprehensive schools of San Nicolò Gerrei and Senorbì.
Read about the 2026 edition (IT)With the Istituto Comprensivo di Ozieri, European citizenship education enters the classroom through participatory activities and a project shared with the local community. Europeizziamoci 1 and 2, supported by Fondazione di Sardegna, are examples of this work with schools and communities.
View the project profile (IT)An initiative promoted by the municipal administration for lower secondary school students. Across several editions, preparatory learning and the programme in Brussels connected the school, the local community and first-hand knowledge of Europe.
The experience and its sources (IT)In 2022, fourteen students from IIS Sergio Atzeni took part in the Brussels visit within “In Europa con l’Europa 4”, supported by Focus Europe. This is one example of Focus Europe’s wider work with upper secondary schools on European institutions, educational opportunities and professional development.
Read the report (IT)These are some of the activities carried out since 2007. The examples shown here are a selection of Focus Europe’s educational work with schools and communities, including upper secondary schools.
Our archive, their experiences
Photographs of activities delivered by Focus Europe. This gallery shows the Gerrei 2026 experience.
A proposal for your local area
The programme can be promoted by a school,
a municipality or a group of municipalities.
We can develop a programme with schools in your municipality, defining the participants, local activities and a possible experience in Brussels.
A proposal funded by the municipality, the Union of Municipalities or the school, with objectives and costs agreed together.
Several municipalities and schools share the programme, coordinate participation and pool resources.
The project can be developed as an application aligned with a funding call or support programme, subject to a review of its requirements, deadlines and eligibility.
The availability and award of funding depend on the funding organisation’s rules and decisions. The initial proposal helps identify the most suitable route.
Focus Europe’s role
We connect schools’ work, organisations’ priorities and the European dimension, with responsibilities set out in the proposal.
About Focus Europe ETSNeeds analysis, participants, programme, schedule and budget outline.
Teaching, workshops and tools suited to the classes involved.
Liaison with the school and families, educational programming and organisational support for the visit.
Closing activities, a report and materials to support the documentation required by the promoting organisation.
Practical information
The programme can begin with local learning activities. The visit can be developed as a later stage or included from the outset, depending on the promoting organisation’s objectives and resources.
There is no single number for every edition. Learning activities may involve several classes or schools; the size of the visiting group is agreed with the promoting organisation. Where places are limited, selection criteria and procedures are defined transparently with the school and promoter.
These depend on the number of classes and students, learning sessions, dates, the length of the experience and the services included. Focus Europe prepares a tailored programme and budget outline. Requesting information does not commit you to the project.
The project sets out liaison with the school and families, accompanying adults, permissions and required documentation. Visit arrangements and support measures are agreed before departure, taking account of participants’ ages and needs.
Each programme is developed for its particular edition. Access, visits and any meetings depend on the schedules and confirmation of the host venues and contacts. The proposal identifies planned and confirmed activities.
For upper secondary schools, the programme can be developed with guidance objectives. Any formal recognition, agreements or inclusion in the curriculum are assessed and formalised by the school; participation does not grant them automatically.
The next programme can start here
Tell us about your local area, the classes you would like to involve and the idea you want to develop. We will contact you to discuss your needs and how to take the programme forward.