Ever wanted to have engaging conversations about things that actually impact your life, such as elections, youth participation in democracy, or the issues you care about most? A Europe Café is the perfect way to bring people together, share ideas, and reflect on what it means to be young and active in Europe today. It doesn’t need to be formal or complicated, just grab a few friends, pick a topic, and create a space for conversation. You don’t need to be an expert in the topic, just curious and ready to listen, learn and share your view.

What is a Europe Café

A Europe Café is an informal and engaging event where young people come together to talk about important topics linked to the European Union and youth participation in democracy. The format is simple and flexible: it starts with a short presentation on a chosen topic, which can be done by you, someone from your local team, or a guest speaker from an NGO, a local institution, or just someone with experience to share.

After the short presentation (around 10–15 minutes), you move into the heart of the event, a discussion or debate between participants, guided by a few key questions. This part is open and interactive, as people can share personal experiences, ask each other questions, or explore different points of view. You can do this in a big group, smaller breakout groups, or even as a world café where people rotate between tables with different questions.

What you’ll need to organise one

To organise a Europe Café, you’ll need an informal and comfortable space, where participants can talk freely, one speaker or presenter to introduce the topic (this can even be you!), and a set of prepared discussion questions to guide the conversation. It’s helpful to have one or two facilitators to keep the discussion flowing and make sure everyone feels included. Optional extras like snacks, coffee, post-its, or flipcharts can help create a warm and interactive environment. Most importantly, bring open minds and a willingness to listen and engage.

If you don’t know what topic to choose, you can check one of our presentations below or email as at yvote@aegee.eu for more.

A Europe Café isn’t about finding the “right” answers, it’s about asking the right questions, together. It’s your space to reflect, connect, and take the first step toward understanding and shaping the Europe you want to live in.

Attachments

Download complete material

Download complete material

Ready for a fun activity to learn, laugh, and spark conversations about democracy and Europe in an informal setting? Organise a European-themed Pub Quiz with your friends!

At the EU Pub Quiz Night, participants will form teams and compete against each other to answer EU-themed quiz questions. The quizmaster will lead the event, asking questions covering a variety of topics such as EU history, institutions, member countries, and policies.

What you need

All you need is a venue (which can be a pub, a cafe, your office or a student room, with sufficient seating and not too much noise), a quizmaster to host the event and ask questions, groups of 2-5 people, a projector and, optional, answer sheets.

To prepare, secure a suitable venue, where you can project the quiz and you can hear each other. It can be in a pub, but it is not necessary. Make sure to prepare the questions through a presentation (or use ours below) and let the participants know the format, so they can join with friends and form their teams before or during the event.If possible, don’t forget the prizes—everyone loves a little incentive to win!

Tips for prizes

If you have a Europe Direct or European Parliament Liaison Office nearby, contact them for possible prizes with EU-branded merchandise. You can also look for local partners, the pub itself where you will organise it or co-host it with other organisations.

Attachments

Y Vote Pub Quiz Presentation

Y Vote Pub Quiz PDF

We are happy to announce that we created a booklet with activities so you can join our campaign and organise local actions, to bring Y Vote and the 2024 European Elections in your city!

This booklet isn’t just a guide; it’s an invitation to join a movement that transcends borders and ideologies. Y Vote is about more than casting a ballot – it’s a call to action, a testament to the power of young voices shaping our continent’s future.

At its core, Y Vote embodies the belief that change begins with engagement. Every vote, every voice, and every idea matters in shaping the Europe we envision.

As you explore the Local Actions outlined in these pages, remember that change isn’t solely found in grand gestures. It’s the everyday actions of individuals like you, that foster a civic engagement and inclusivity culture.

Behind each initiative lies the dedication of the Y Vote project team – passionate volunteers committed to making a difference. Together, we hold the power to shape our collective destiny. So download the booklet and start your local action!

Attachments

Y Vote Local Actions Activity Booklet

In this interactive workshop, participants can discuss in which areas they are already active, why they find it important to be active and what one can do as an active citizen!

If you have some people in mind that are volunteering a lot, either by being active in a political party, being a board member of a youth organisation or similar, invite them to share their experiences! In that case, please download the version with externals. Otherwise there’s a version without externals 😉

Workshop Outline with externals

Workshop Outline without externals

Attachments

How to participate? With externals

How to participate? Without externals

Have you ever wondered what the EU was like in the beginning? How was voting in the first EU elections in 1979? Either ask your own grandparents, or invite someone who experienced this time to a discussion round! Maybe an alumni remembers how the EU was like in the first years of AEGEE?

Mehr erfahren!

This workshop was created by the Civic Education Working Group of AEGEE-Europe. It engages the participants in a fun way to reflect on their own participation in society, and what shows what kind of possibilities there are to be an active citizen.

Aim of the workshop: Participants should understand that for participation in society everyone is needed and come up with specific examples to increase his/her participation.

In the pdf document, there is the link to the citizenship pizza template!

Attachments

Citizenship Pizza

You are interested in organising a whole week filled with European events? Here is our suggestion for how it could look like:

Monday

Get everyone started with campaigning on a bus to find out how many people in your city know about the EP elections! Some AEGEEans tried it in Tallinn, read how it went.

Tuesday

Before going on, everyone should be on the same page. So give a workshop on the EU institutions! We have a basic and and advanced version for you.

Wednesday

Now that everyone has some knowledge, let the discussions start! Invite a professor or politician for extra fun. Read how Benni from AEGEE-Aachen organised a panel discussion. We also have info on how to invite a speaker and how to organise a fishbowl discussion.

Thursday

By day four, everyone should be in the mood for another fun street action. Check out our examples and choose the best one – or make up your own!

Friday

End of the week? Almost! Why not organise an after-work Cultural European Night? Everyone brings some food from their home region and a big feast is about to start. Everyone from the same town? Let people choose the country with their favorite food 😉

Saturday

Let’s get serious again! Elections are about to happen – but political participation can be much more than voting. What influence can we have as a citizen, and what do your participants think about voting? Our workshop about participation is just what you need!

Sunday

Last day! Why not end the week with a brunch? And to top things off, invite an MEP! Either just have an informal chat or check out the other discussion formats we gathered for you.

 

Additional info a.k.a. Money, Money, Money:

The EP is giving extra funding for organising a European Youth Week. Get in touch with your National Erasmus+ agency to get more info, specific for your country!

Only few days left until the elections! Don’t let them go by wasted – you can still convince a few people to vote! Here are a few simple ideas:

Talk to those you know

Post about voting on facebook. Use the frame by the European Parliament’s campaign #ThisTimeImVoting and change your profile picture for a few days signalling you will vote. Send a mass WhatsApp, talk to your friends and sports team, your family… There are many options! Maybe your grandparents even have a cool story to share about the first time they voted?

Get informed

Not quite sure whom to vote for yet? Check different resources to make your decision:

  • https://www.euromat.info
  • https://www.voteswiper.org/de/germany/european-election-2019
  • https://yourvotematters.eu
  • https://www.politico.eu/interactive/youvote-eu/
  • Check party programs.
  • Check newspapers, they often have special sections for the elections.

Use your social media outreach!

You post almost everyday on facebook, instagramm or another channel? Or maybe you don’t posting but could imagine changing your profile picture? Use your outreach! The European Parliament’s campaign This Time I’m Voting has prepared a few designs to make this easier, here’s what they offer:

  • Facebook: Before the elections, a reminder of the elections will appear on users’ timelines, and on elections day, a ‘I voted’ button will be available.
  • Instagram: On the 20th or 21st, Instagram will launch stickers for stories that will appear on the top of the creative tools that people use when creating their stories. We have also created editable templates for Instagram, available here.
  • Snapchat: Last week, Snapchat launched their filters ‘I will be voting’, which will change into ‘I voted’ on election day. They will also have some special built-in GIFs surrounding the elections
  • GIFs: We have a range of GIFs that can be used on the most popular social media channels. They can be found here.

There are also frames for your facebook profile picture available!

Booth crawl

Yes, you have heard correctly! No pubs this weekend, but booths! Invite your friends and AEGEE-members, get on your bikes, take snacks and Europe flags and go vote together! Voting doesn’t have to be boring, it’s what you make of it!

Flashmob

Spice up your mensa or local town square or whichever place seems public enough! This can be a fun reminder for everyone present that the elections are coming up.

Check out these (very cool) examples from the internet:

  • You might not have an orchestra or a choir at hand, but the idea to use music to raise awareness for the elections, and especially the hymn to remind people of unity is not the worst. Check out the example from Nurnberg . Don’t be afraid to rewrite the lyrics of ‘Ode to Joy’ or a different song. Whatever rocks your city.
  • Does your city have a partner city or do you have a twin local? Y not organise something happening simultaneously in different places together?
  • Adapt this cool idea from Canada to raise awareness on the importance of recycling, to raising awareness on the importance of voting!

Bus campaigning

People passing by on the street don’t have time? On the bus they have nothing to do anyways! Prepare a few questions, jump on a bus, ask passengers, hop off at the next station and gather results.

Sample script for bus talk

Hi, I’m from a local youth organisation and we want to make people aware of the EP elections in 2019.

  1. Do you know about the elections of the EU parliament in May 2019?
  2. Will you vote? Why/ why not?

Use the contact form below to tell us what today’s passengers said!

“I will vote”

Make a  “I will vote”  frame or poster and ask people if they would take a picture with it, upload it to their Facebook page and link the Y Vote page! Also you could use the flyers that the “This time I’m voting” campaign of the European Parliament Liaison Offices. Find out more about our cooperation with the European Parliament and This Time I’m Voting and how it can be useful for your local.

Eyecatcher

If you start a street action, you need to make yourself visible! Get creative! Ideas: big signs with statistics that attract attention, costumes, spinning wheel with different prizes (e.g. borrow from bank or similar), think about where people have time to talk to you, e.g. pedestrian alley, shopping street on weekend, bus, waiting areas, people that are relaxed.

Kahoot Quizzes

Get other members hyped for the elections? Want to pump up your weekly social drink? Make sure you have a projector and test everyone’s knowledge! Have a look at our kahoot quiz, or make your own. Also see our cheat sheet for the quiz with the login info.

Write to your (former) teachers

A voter who votes the first time they are allowed to is likely to stay voter all their life, whereas whoever doesn’t use this chance might never make use of it. Your teachers from high school are in touch with many first-time voters! Ask them to take a few minutes from their lesson to remind students of this opportunity.

Politicians twister

You want to make people laugh at your next AEGEE event? Here’s an energizer for you: Instead of colorful circles, put faces of politicians on a twister board. E.g. faces of old politicians that are closely connected to the EU integration – Adenauer, Churchill, Monnet, Spinelli, and connect it with a quiz. Then it starts: “Put your left foot on Churchill”.

You want your participants to experience how the European elections work first-hand? Step into the shoes of a politician, organise a campaign and discuss a proposal in the parliament? Try this simulation!

In this simulation the participants can get experience on how the European Parliament election actually takes place. They will learn how it is to be a politician and campaign and how the results from the member states are put together to create the European Parliament. Additionally, they will discuss a proposal in the parliament. This simulation includes only three countries of different size in order that also smaller groups can carry it out. Still, also in other regards it is not completely the reality but resembling it very closely.

Attachments

Outline of Simulation

Download complete material

Need help with Slido?

You want to engage your audience and let them exchange opinions, arguments and facts? Check out this collection of formats and choose which one suits your event best! At the bottom of the page you can find additional information, in case you want to organise one of these.

Panel Discussion

Short Description

In panel discussion a few speakers are sitting at the front of the room, talking or discussing with each other. Usually they first introduce themselves (or get introduced by the moderator) and give an initial statement. In a second round, the moderator asks a few questions, giving one or multiple speakers the chance to reply. At the end, the audience can ask questions. However, this can also be adapted of course!

What is needed?

  • 2 – 4 speakers
  • moderator, who checks that every speaker gets to talk and that will also interrupt speakers if needed! (the moderator can be from the team or an external who knows well the topic the organisers imagined)

Advantages and Disadvantages

Especially to inform about a certain topic it can be interesting to have experts giving their opinion. However, it may also be boring for participants. Try slido to make it more interactive!

Fishbowl Discussion

Short Description

A fishbowl discussion is good to generate interaction between participants and let them discuss a specific question. For this, there should be two circle of chairs, where the inner one has less chairs than the outer one. Only the people in the inner circle are allowed to speak, the outside listens. If a person from the outer circle wants to speak, she/he has to get up and ask one person from the inner circle to exchange places. Good discussion questions are open questions (Why?, How? What if?…) which could also bring a concrete outcome like a list of ideas or recommendations that can be put into practise.

What is needed?

  • room with moveable chairs
  • possibly 1-2 speakers (if wanted)
  • active audience
  • possibly moderator

Advantages and Disadvantages

Your audience can be very active in this format, especially if the group is not too big. For bigger groups you might use online tools like slido (check out our detailed description below). For it to work properly, enough people from the audience have to be willing to participate actively. If you want the speakers to give expert’s input, a panel discussion or a speech at the beginning may be a better format. However, if you just want to discuss an issue with your audience and come up with possible solutions, this is perfect!

Oxford Debate

Short Description

“Oxford-Style” debating is a competitive debate format featuring a sharply framed motion that is proposed by one side (pro) and opposed by another (con). Oxford Style debates follow a formal structure, defining the order of speakers, the time for the speech and what kind of questions can be asked by the audience. The winner is deduced by the votes of the audience: they vote before and after the debate on the motion. A winner is declared either by the majority of the audience or by which team has swayed more audience members.

Speakers can be students brave enough to speak in front of an audience, or invited speakers who are experts on the topic. The speakers need to be willing to prepare the topic beforehand.  However, this style requires less preparation and also judging work than the British Parliamentary debate.

What is needed?

  • 3 Speakers Proposition
  • 3 Speakers Opposition
  • 1 Chairman (He is the moderator. The Chairman opens the debate officially, will lead through it and check the speaking time)
  • audience

Advantages and Disadvantages

Through the debate, in depths arguments for the discussed proposal will be presented, so the audience can get a broad view on the topic. Also the speakers in the debate can learn a lot: from critical thinking to argumentation skills. There is involvement of the audience who can ask questions to the speakers.

British Parliamentary Debate

Short Description

A Parliamentary debate is conducted under rules derived from British parliamentary procedure. A concrete proposal is discussed (“should xxx be established?”). The debate consists of four teams with two speakers each, called factions, with two teams on either side of the case. There are certain criteria to fulfill for the team. In the end there is a winning team.

What is needed?

  • Participants:  Total 8.
    • Government side (2 teams- 4 speakers; Opening Government Team+Closing Government Team)
    • Opposition side (2 teams- 4 speakers; Opening Opposition Team+Closing Opposition Team)
  • judge(s)
  • moderator (time watcher)
  • audience

Advantages and Disadvantages

Throughout the debate in depths arguments for discussed proposal will be presented, so the audience can get a broad view on the topic. Also the participants in the debate can learn a lot: from critical thinking to argumentation skills. 

This style of debate requires many motivated participants who prepare themselves for the topic. Speakers can be students brave enough to speak in front of an audience, or invited speakers who are experts on the topic. Also, if you want to do it in competitive format, judges are needed. So, it is more effort to prepare and carry it out than other formats. Also it is a very strict format which not everyone may like.

Attachments

How to invite a speaker

Need help with Slido?

Fishbowl discussion

Debating Toolkit – CEWG 2017

Panel discussion