The Historical Archives of the European Union offers tailor-made educational programs designed and developed for students of all ages, from kindergarten to university, in accordance with both the guidelines for teaching European civic education and the recommendations established by the European Parliament for the implementation of citizenship education initiatives. These initiatives aim to enable younger generations to learn about the historical events of the EU, its complexity, and the functions of European institutions.
To introduce students to important topics concerning the history and current developments of the European integration process and European institutions, our program focuses on the educational use of the funds preserved in the Archives on the principle of transparency, which preserve the cultural and historical heritage of the European integration process. The EU institutions are responsible for safeguarding the fundamental rights of European citizens, such as freedom, human dignity, equality, the rule of law, solidarity, and citizens' rights.
The program creates social spaces for interactive reflection, critical thinking, discussion, and learning about issues related to the European Union, democracy, and European citizenship.
A full description of our activities in Italian can be found here.
European Union Civic Education Programme
The HAEU Educational programme is organized in collaboration with the Association of Former Members of the European Parliament (FMA). This collaboration involves former members of the European Parliament who meet with Florentine students and share their direct experiences in the world of European politics and their opinions on the European Union.
The educational program collaborates with other local institutions such as: Chiavi della Città, Metropolitan City of Florence, Tuscan Regional School Office, University Association of European Studies, Europass Teacher Academy, Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze, the Municipality of Ventotene, the University of Florence, the Carlo Bo Higher School for Language Mediators (SSML), the Tuscan Historical Institute of the Resistance, the Ernesto Rossi and Salvemini Institute, the University of Eastern Piedmont, and other new institutions outside Tuscany, such as The House of European History and the European Studies Center-University Center for International Studies of the University of Pittsburgh.
Educational offers for students
The HAEU educational programme is aimed at children and youth from kindergarten to high school. Learning takes place both on and off-site, and participating students visit the Archives for a guided tour and laboratory.
The educational offer explores the construction of a free, peaceful and united Europe, focusing in particular on the concept of European citizenship and the appropriation of Europe's heritage.
Teachers working in kindergarten, elementary and secondary schools in the Florence area wishing to enrol their class can refer to the Chiavi della Città platform, while all other interested schools can send their request to [email protected].
To see our work with primary schools in action, please have a look at our video.
Uno, due, tre. Eu-ro-pa! Laboratorio sulla memoria orale e visuale dell'Europa
If you wish to visit the Historical Archives of the European Union with your class or your group, our Educational team is at your disposal. We also organise tailored projects on different topics related to the European Union and our archive, also for schools from across Europe. Please send us your proposed project and possible dates and we will make you an offer depending on the resources and availability of our educators.
For further information, please send an email.
Training offers for teachers
In the context of its educational programme, the HAEU’s education team offers a series of online training sessions for school teachers. The project is organised in collaboration with the Direzione Istruzione del Comune di Firenze e l'Ufficio Scolastico Regionale Toscana.
The training sessions focus on many topics related to the European integration process, and also teach innovative pedagogical methods. The online sessions bring together all levels of school teachers and discuss the issues the European Union is currently facing. These include challenges to democracy and citizenship, freedom of movement, solidarity, migration, civic education, and sustainable development.
Each session consists of a 90 minute video conference, divided in three parts:
- a substantive presentation by the HAEU on the topic
- specific pedagogical approaches and materials for teaching the topic
- a roundtable discussion with all participants, where teachers have the opportunity to interact with others, debate, deepen their didactic experiences, and develop new teaching skills.
To register and to read the full programme of this training cycle for Italian schools, consult the Chiavi della Città platform.
We welcome further suggestions for teaching offers here.
Opportunity for trainers on educational projects at the HAEU
The HAEU is hiring external trainers to support the implementation of educational projects on the history of the European Union and its institutions for young people enrolled in primary and secondary schools (Scuole elementari, scuole secondarie di primo e secondo grado) in Florence and its surroundings.
Call for expressions of interest
Documentation and resources
For an analysis of our work with lower and upper secondary schools, please refer to the evaluation report on the 2024-25 academic year.