Connecting Greek schools with Europe: 6 YEPs, 100 students in Pieria region

More than 100 students from four schools in Pieria, Greece - the 1st General Lyceum of Katerini, the General Lyceum of Kolindros, the General Lyceum of Kato Milia, and the 7th Gymnasium of Katerini - had the opportunity to experience Europe up close through the initiative 'New Voice: Youth in Europe'. The event was organised in April-May 2025 by Anna Tzika (EL/EPP), Regional Councillor of Central Macedonia and member of the 2024 Young Elected Politicians (YEP) Programme at the European Committee of the Regions (CoR).

As part of the 'Europe comes to your school' initiative, six YEPs participated in this hands-on engagement with local students, aiming to bridge the gap between EU-level politics and young people in local communities. Ms Tzika, who spearheaded the initiative, stated "that bringing Europe to school is not just symbolic. It is a way to get young people involved in politics, where they really have a voice. I hope that this experience will motivate and inspire them to seek new ideas on how they can take part in similar EU programmes, and seek opportunities, to travel, and to dare do things that have an impact."

The idea took off when Ms Tzika reached out to her peers in the 2024 YEP cohort, inviting them to join her project. Responding to her call were Claudiu Constantin (RO/EPP), Mayor of Lopătari, Theodoros Sidiropoulos (EL/EPP), Deputy Mayor of Ampelokipi-Menemeni in Thessaloniki, Pedro Pereira da Silva (PT/EPP), Member of the Assembly in Vila do Conde, Diana Voutyrakou (EL/PES), City Councillor of Athens, and Matteo Lori (IT/ECR) City Councillor of Mandela, who collectively helped bring the vision to life.

YEPs reflect on the experience

Reflecting on the personal and educational value of the experience Mr Constantin said that "talking with students about my experience with local politics and administration was refreshing and a good personal exercise". He also underlined that he learned a lot from the other speakers while congratulating Anna for her project idea and execution. "I hope we'll see more of this across the EU. I surely was inspired to organise something similar in Romania.", he added. 

As a PhD candidate in Robotics researching gender biases in AI, Ms Voutyrakou explained to the students how science and politics are more connected than many assume. She shared how her involvement in local politics and the YEP programme allowed her to meet EU-level stakeholders, bringing the needs of her municipality and research expertise into European discussions while gaining insights on current and future STEM policies.

Last but not least, Mr Sidiropoulos from his capacity as Deputy Mayor for Health, Welfare, Social and Youth Policies highlighted the value of youth engagement: "Engaging with students is always a meaningful and inspiring experience. This initiative gave us the opportunity to spark students' interest in engaging with politics at both local and European level."

Inspiring the next generation

This educational outreach marks a significant effort to inspire the next generation to participate in democratic life, connect with European institutions, and understand the value of civic engagement. Through direct interaction with young elected representatives from across Europe, the students had the chance to learn that their voice truly matters whether in their local community or on the European stage.

This news item was written in framework of the CoR Young Elected Politician Programme.