Association Euni Partners hosted the fifth consortium meeting for the EUth project from 23rd to 26th June in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria. The event brought together partners from Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Greece, Italy and Slovenia to reflect on the progress of national workshops, evaluate project outcomes and define next steps for collaboration. A key goal was also to prepare the suggestions and recommendations from the youth that will be presented to the European Parliament in Brussels.
During the meeting on 24th June, partners shared insights and results from the national workshops, assessing project implementation, local needs, challenges and success. Another key aspect of the meeting was project impact evaluation and planning for future cross-border collaboration, highlighting a commitment to long-term cooperation and continuous learning.
On 25th June the meeting began with partners experiencing the powerful activity: The Sculpture of Oppression, an innovative exercise based on the 3E Method. In this activity, participants were invited to represent internal barriers – such as fear, limiting beliefs or other invisible forms of oppression – using others as “clay” to build a living sculpture. The creator did not explain their sculpture, instead, others were asked to interpret the meaning behind it. Once guessed, participants were invited – not through words but through movement – to modify the sculpture in a way that symbolically represented a solution or liberation from the identified fear or limitation. This exercise sparked profound reflection and deepened the partners’ empathy, insight and connection.
Later the same day, the project team held an Open Space Technology session with students from the High School of Science and Mathematics “Acad. Sergei Korolev”. The topic was the education system, explored through the eyes and experiences of students. Four working groups were created, each guided by a project partner. Together, they explored:
- Problem identification;
- Root causes;
- Opportunities for change;
- Challenges;
- Possible solutions;
- Stakeholders needed;
- Defined final solution.
The level of insight, critical thinking and honesty demonstrated by the students was truly inspiring. Each group presented its conclusions, showing both a clear understanding of the systemic issues and a creative, hopeful approach to addressing them.
Most importantly, this session reaffirmed the core belief that youth voices matter. Listening to their experiences, fresh ideas and visions is essential not only for shaping the future of education but also for forming policy recommendations for the European Parliament.
The transnational meeting in Bulgaria was not just a milestone within the project – it was a space of learning and knowledge exchange. Together, we are shaping change.
