THE VENTOTENE MANIFESTO: 85 YEARS ON

EUROPE DIRECT VESUVIAN AREA CITIZENSHIP WORKSHOP

In May, EUROPE DIRECT Vesuvian Area organised an Active Citizenship Workshop dedicated to the Ventotene Manifesto, in collaboration with Twoplustwo and the Sac. Giovanni Alagi Municipal Library of San Giorgio a Cremano.

The initiative brought together students and local residents for a non-formal learning experience based on debate, open discussion and creative reinterpretation.

The Ventotene Manifesto, officially entitled “For a Free and United Europe. A Draft Manifesto”, is the seminal document that laid the historical foundations for European integration and, ultimately, the European Union. Eighty-five years after it was written, the text remains remarkably relevant. It envisioned a united federal Europe built not through the force of arms, but through peoples' willingness to cooperate, offering a valuable perspective for understanding and addressing the challenges of the present day.

The programme unfolded over three afternoons — 19, 20 and 27 May — taking participants through a dynamic and engaging learning journey.

During the first session, the group explored the historical roots of the Manifesto through shared readings of key passages from the text.

In the second session, the focus shifted to the challenges facing contemporary Europe, prompting in-depth reflections on rights, democratic participation and the role of young people in society.

Finally, the last workshop transformed historical memory into practical creative work. Participants reinterpreted the ideas and concepts that had emerged during the previous sessions through stencil art, creating graphic works that gave visual form to their personal messages about the Europe of tomorrow.