The Historical Archives of the European Union (HAEU) at the European University Institute presented its European Civic Education Programme at the official launch of Le Chiavi della Città 2026–27 (Keys to the City 2026-2027), held on 24 September in the Salone dei Cinquecento at Florence’s Palazzo Vecchio. The HAEU’s Education team was represented at the event by Education Coordinator Leslie Hernandez and educators Barbara Somigli and Abdullah Ansar. Leslie Hernandez took part in an on-stage interview alongside local primary school teacher Morgana Di Ascenzo and a student, introducing the Archives’ educational projects for schools.
The invitation marks the 13th year that the HAEU has participated in Le Chiavi della Città, the City of Florence’s programme connecting schools with cultural institutions and other educational organisations across the city. Through the programme, around 35 classes from Florence will visit the Archives during the 2026–27 school year, taking part in activities designed around its collections and the history of European integration.
Le Chiavi della Città brings together hundreds of educational and training projects offered by more than 200 public and private partners, providing schools with opportunities to explore subjects and experiences beyond the classroom.
“Strengthening cooperation with long-standing partners such as the European University Institute and INDIRE is important for our city, as these agreements help make educational projects more innovative,” said Marco Materassi, Coordinator of Le Chiavi della Città.
“Le Chiavi della Città is much more than an offering of activities; it is how Florence makes its cultural heritage, expertise, networks and opportunities available to schools,” explained Florence Councillor for Education Benedetta Albanese.
For the HAEU, Le Chiavi della Città has become an important way of reaching teachers and pupils across Florence and introducing them to the history of the European Union—and to their own place within it—through original archival sources.
As the HAEU team explained at Palazzo Vecchio, the Archives are an integral part of Florence, where they safeguard an important part of Europe’s historical and cultural heritage. Their educational projects bring this heritage closer to young people, fostering knowledge, the exchange of ideas and cooperation between academic and school communities. Through these European citizenship activities, the HAEU becomes more than an open archive: it becomes a living archive, where different memories, cultures and histories come together and contribute to the construction of a shared European history.
Teachers, students, trainers and archives
The Archives’ education team works closely with the teachers who select one of the thirteen thematic courses offered by the Archives for their classes. “We organised training sessions with the instructors first,” explains Leslie Hernandez. “It is important the classes complete the preparatory activities that we prepare for them, prior to their visit to the Archives. These activities get the students ready to think critically and speak about the themes we will address, such as European values, European citizenship, the European institutions, and more. The activities are tailored to age-level, and are the start of our relationship with the class.”
Chiara Mannoni, Head of Education, Schooling and Training at Fondazione CR Firenze, also emphasised the importance of cooperation with schools: “The city’s educational network also relies on third-sector organisations, which know how to listen to the needs of schools and teachers. Those designing educational activities must shape them together with teachers: without prior preparation and dialogue, an activity cannot succeed.” She also highlighted the value of “a workshop-based approach that allows participants to put theory into practice,” concluding: “Long live workshops and learning by doing!”
The 2026-2027 educational offer at the Historical Archives of the European Union
The general orientation of the HAEU’s educational programme is one of civic education. With activities tailored to the educational level of the students, from preschool through highschool, teachers may choose from a selection of 13 laboratories found on the Chiavi della Citta website.
The programme includes workshops on historical memory; the peace-centred origins of the European project; European citizenship, institutions and values; inclusion and diversity. Other activities explore identity and cultural belonging, the lives of the women and men who contributed to European integration, and the importance of historical evidence, reliable information and critical thinking in the digital age.
For the HAEU, working with schools means more than introducing young people to the history of European integration. Students are encouraged to become researchers and storytellers, bringing their own questions, experiences and family histories into dialogue with the Archives’ collections.
The “Family Object” activity is a clear example: participants investigate an object connected to their family, reconstruct the memories surrounding it and relate them to broader developments in European history. Their research is then added to the Education Programme’s archival collection, becoming part of the historical record itself. In this way, young people do not simply learn about Europe’s past: they actively contribute to its ongoing story and reflect on their own place within it.