The Future of the European Union: A Student-Led Talk Show

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On Wednesday, April 30th, 2025, Kpedu´s Media Center LIME successfully hosted a highly engaging and insightful live talk show that explored the future of the European Union. The event, which was streamed from 10:00 to 11:00 AM CEST, brought together students from across Europe to discuss critical issues affecting the EU, such as artificial intelligence, enlargement, international relations, climate change, and defense.

The event was conducted on the Teams platform, and was designed to provide an interactive environment where students from various partner institutions could present their perspectives on these pressing topics. Each participating school had the opportunity to present their conclusions based on recent debates held within their classrooms, using short PowerPoint presentations as visual aids.

The event’s format was simple yet effective: each partner institution was allotted five minutes to present their findings. These topics were carefully debated by students beforehand, ensuring that each presentation reflected thoughtful analysis and critical thinking. The presentation topics were as follows:

KPEDU (Finland) kicked off the talk show with a presentation on Artificial Intelligence and its potential impact on the EU’s future.
INSIGNARE (Portugal) followed with a discussion on EU Enlargement, focusing on the process of integrating new countries into the European Union.
SEHIT RAMAZAN CANIGÜR M.T.A.L. (Turkey) presented on the topic of International Relations, exploring the EU’s role in global diplomacy and cooperation.
SABA (North Macedonia) highlighted the urgent issue of Climate Change, focusing on how the EU can lead in combating environmental challenges.
ESCOLA PIA MATARO (Spain) concluded the presentations with a session on Defense, analyzing the EU's security strategies and defense cooperation.

In addition to the presentations, students from all participating institutions actively engaged in the conversation by sharing their thoughts and reflections through Padlet, an online collaboration tool. This allowed students to interact with each other's ideas and contribute to the ongoing debate. The Padlet links for each topic were shared with the classrooms ahead of time, encouraging students to jot down their ideas during the presentations.

The event was not only an educational experience for the students involved but also a valuable opportunity for them to collaborate and exchange ideas with their peers from different countries. The dialogue around such essential topics, driven by young minds, contributed to a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities the European Union faces.

The talk show was made available to the public for free, both as a live stream and as a recorded session on LIME’s YouTube channel. This ensured that anyone interested in the future of the EU could access the content and benefit from the insightful discussions.

A key element of this initiative is the Euro4VET project, which is part of the Erasmus+ program. The project aims to enhance the knowledge of European youth regarding the European Union and encourage them to engage more actively in European citizenship. Along with Kpedu, vocational institutions from Spain, Portugal, Turkey, and North Macedonia are involved in this project, working together to create a more informed and connected European student community.

The talk show was a resounding success, providing students with a platform to voice their opinions and engage in meaningful discussions about Europe’s future. The feedback session following the presentations allowed for reflection and further dialogue, ensuring that the event was not just a one-time occurrence, but a step toward fostering deeper understanding and cooperation among European youth.

For those who missed the live event, the recording is available for viewing on the LIME YouTube channel: Watch the Talk Show.

This event truly highlighted the power of student-led initiatives and the importance of fostering a collaborative, forward-thinking mindset among young Europeans. It was a perfect example of how educational projects can bridge cultural and geographical divides while addressing some of the most critical issues facing the European Union today.