Netzwerk

The Understanding Europe educational network is currently active in the following European countries, also beyond the EU borders: Armenia , Belgium , Germany , Greece , Italy , Austria , Portugal , Romania , Spain , Turkey and Ukraine .

Our youth initiatives and local associations implement the project locally and carry out the educational work. They are led by the coordinators: they manage the trainers and are responsible for contact with teachers, schools and other local partners. They adapt the project to local needs, circumstances and key topics, because they know best what the reality looks like on the ground. The peer educators are responsible for the educational work. They train local trainers and thus ensure that new volunteers become part of the project.

A European network that works locally

Understanding Europe sees itself as a European network that operates and is anchored locally – the members work closely together in their countries but also across Europe and exchange information about their activities. For example, they organize themselves independently in working groups that address current topics and needs, and organize transnational events and courses. Three times a year, at the two Coordinators‘ Meetings and the European Summer School , the Schwarzkopf Foundation organizes events at which all youth initiatives come together, develop the project further and take part in training courses together.

In ten countries, our local youth initiatives are linked to the organizational structures of the European Youth Parliament . In Germany, Understanding Europe is implemented by the association Understanding Europe Germany , which was founded and set up in 2020 by former trainers from the Schwarzkopf Foundation.

Network building

Through networking and collaboration with other European education initiatives, policy makers and organizations such as Connecting Europe , PEGAP Consortium and NECE, the network stays close to current events, is encouraged to innovate and collaborate, and offers its members training opportunities beyond the network.

The network follows the approach of diversity-oriented organizational development, which we see as an integral part of our educational approach : promoting political participation for all and strengthening young, marginalized voices. We take this into account not only in the implementation and development of our educational work, but also in the network building process.