July 7 - July 19, 2012 - Prague, Czech Republic
School goals
European Summer School is a short-term educational project for students launched by EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy. The main objective of the programme is to enable its participants to improve their knowledge on the Central European EU member states, of their views on different policies and their perception of some issues, which are tackled by both the national governments and the European Commission. One specific objective of this summer school is to examine whether and to which extent the stances and visions of Central European countries differ from those of Western European ones. As with the previous Summer Schools, also ESS 2012 will provide participants with a floor for discussions on the topic areas and the possibility to share their opinions and ideas.
The aim of the school is to bring together students from diverse international and educational backgrounds to interact and exchange experiences, which, together with the knowledge acquired during the workshops, should generate new ideas and thoughts. This should enable participants to answer a number of questions about the future of integrated Europe and especially about the increasing co-operation that takes place in many areas.
Students from a wide range of nationalities have a great opportunity of enhancing their cross-cultural communication skills by learning from each other's experiences in ways that can benefit their educational and professional development. American and other non-European students are provided with a chance to discover different cultures and to receive first-hand information on Central Europe in the context of the EU integration process, whereas students from Western and Eastern Europe have a possibility to encounter and better understand new EU partners from Central Europe. Participants of the School will come together in the classroom to contemplate how the new EU member states can become more active in respect to the challenges they are currently facing and are still going to face.
Students will leave the School as members of an emerging network of Alumni that are living throughout the world. The Summer School will serve as a networking event for young leaders who would like to share their relationships and intellectual resources that will prove to be beneficial throughout their careers.
Last but not least, besides the academic knowledge and intellectual training, we also want students to enjoy their free time in Prague by enabling them to take part in various special events and tours organized by the school's staff.