In Greece, on Crete, Erasmus+ strengthens democracy in an inclusive and participatory way, where it was born 2,500 years ago
How can Erasmus+ promote democratic engagement, civic participation and social inclusion? This issue, which is increasingly crucial today, takes on even greater significance when addressed in Greece, the cradle of democracy, where it was born over 2,500 years ago.
These questions were the focus of the international seminar Unlocking Democracy: Inclusive Participation through Erasmus+, organised by the Greek National Agency IKY and held in Chania (Crete) from 18 to 21 November 2025. The seminar, which was part of the TCA–Training Cooperation Activities and attended by around 80 participants from 20 countries (from the sectors of Higher Education, School Education, adult education and VET-Vocational education and training), was one of the stages of the 2025 of the long-term PEACE+ project, focusing on civic engagement and European values and coordinated by the INDIRE National Agency.
The aim of the event? To provide inspiration, tools and methods for creating the partnerships needed to develop meaningful Erasmus+ KA1 (Key Action 1: Learning Mobility of Individuals) and KA2 (Key Action 2: Cooperation among Organisations and Institutions) projects that promote active citizenship, inclusion and participatory learning.
During the international seminar in Chania , key aspects such as intercultural dialogue, community resilience and European values were explored in depth. Participants also had the opportunity to exchange ideas, reflect on challenges such as exclusion and under-representation, and work together on practical, cross-sectoral solutions that empower individuals and strengthen communities. In addition, during the event, there was also discussion of how participation first and foremost requires information in order to develop and nurture critical thinking, especially in an era increasingly characterised by digital media and the growing spread of artificial intelligence.
As Paraskevi Afentaki, director of the Greek agency IKY, explained: “We are delighted to host, in the land where democracy was born, an international conference to promote, explore and integrate democratic values and civic engagement, which are one of the great missions of Erasmus+.” (HERE is her video contribution)
The three-day event in Crete took place on two fronts: on the one hand, presentations by experts to inspire the audience and provide tools for developing critical thinking; on the other, working groups among participants to lay the foundations for new projects in the field of TCA.
Among the keynote speeches was one by Timos Sellis, director of the Archimedes Research Unit at the Athena Research Centre, on How Artificial Intelligence can be used towards satisfying Human Needs or Maslow’s pyramid reinterpreted in the context of the AI era (see HERE for the slides of his speech and HERE for a short video on how AI can safely help civic participation in the context of European learning) and Paul Blokker, professor of Political Sociology at the University of Bologna, with a speech entitled Civic and Democratic Engagement as a way of “Living” EU values (HERE for the slides). In addition, Pafsanias Karathanasis of the IKY National Agency provided participants with details on one of the four horizontal priorities of the Erasmus+ Programme, namely Participation in democratic life, Common values and civic engagement (HERE are the materials).
During the working groups, a number of ideas emerged, including one focused on Key Action 2, whereby student representatives should be involved in exchanges with partner institutions in the context of school mobility, in order to learn about the processes for electing student representatives in other schools.
But strengthening democracy and EU values can also be achieved through fun learning, as Caroline Burm explained when she previewed the EU Values Escape Game, an hour-long online game for young people, to be played alone or in groups, developed by the Flemish National Agency EPOS, which introduces beneficiaries to European values, democratic citizenship and civic engagement in a fun and interactive way. The game will be part of the learning module developed as part of the LTA PEACE+ (HERE is the presentation and HERE the page to register to receive credentials and information to participate in the game).
Finally, participants in the event had the opportunity to enjoy a cultural visit to the Archaeological Museum of Chania, which opened its new premises in 2022.
Source: Erasmus+ Italia
