“Shaping the future of Europe”
On 7 — 9 July 2005 the simulation game on European integration “Shaping the future of Europe” took place in Kyiv with participation of universities’/colleges’ lecturers and NGO activists from around 10 regions of Ukraine. This was a second event within a long-term project launched in February 2005; the first simulation game took place on 7-10 April 2005 in Dnipropetrovsk. The project is aimed at creating a group of around 50 individuals who will launch the practice of carrying out simulation games on European integration at Universities and other educational organisations all over Ukraine. Simulation games are perceived to be an effective component of European education, which supplement traditional curricula on European studies. Development of non-formal education is one of the steps listed in the 2005 roadmap of the Ukrainian government for the EU-Ukraine Action Plan implementation.
The simulation game was held in the form of simulation of the negotiation process between the three countries, which aspire to join the EU (Ukraine, Turkey, Croatia), and the European Union (Commission, Council, Parliament, press) with involvement of professional trainers from Germany. The programme for the training was developed by the research group “Youth and Europe” of the Centre for Applied Policy Studies, Munich University. The methodology is widely applied to promote European studies in EU member states.
The next stage in the framework of the project includes publication of the manual on simulation game methodology and holding advanced workshop and training for selected participants of the project. These individuals are supposed to make up the core group of multipliers to carry out simulation games and disseminate this practice among Universities and other educational organisations all over Ukraine.
The project is implemented jointly by the European Programme of the International Renaissance Foundation and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung in Ukraine in cooperation with the Institute for Euro-Atlantic Cooperation and the Institute of International Relations, Kyiv National University named after T. Shevchenko.
