From 2 to 6 March 2026, the Erasmus+ project DebateCiti – Debate as an Informed Citizenship Practice held its Transnational Project Meeting in Slovenia, bringing together students, teachers and project representatives from Italy, Slovenia, Lithuania and Belgium.

Hosted by Srednja šola Josipa Jurčiča Ivančna Gorica, the meeting marked an important step in the project’s shared European pathway: helping young people become more informed, reflective and active citizens through debate, media literacy and critical thinking.

The Slovenian meeting focused on one central educational theme: learning how to argue well. In the context of DebateCiti, argumentation is not understood as simple persuasion or public speaking technique. It is a civic competence. It means learning how to analyse a motion, identify relevant issues, build clear reasoning, use evidence responsibly, listen to opposing views and respond with intellectual fairness.

A European classroom for debate and citizenship

The programme opened in Ivančna Gorica with a welcome session at the host school, followed by an introduction to the project and to the debate format. The first workshop was dedicated to motion analysis, a key phase in any debate activity. Students and teachers worked on how to read a motion carefully, clarify its meaning, identify the main areas of clash and prepare a debate case in a structured way.

The work continued through practical group activities, where participants moved from theory to debate practice. The mixed international setting gave the activities particular value: students and teachers did not simply work within their own national groups, but entered a shared European learning environment where different languages, school cultures and debating traditions met.

On the second day, the focus shifted to argumentation. Participants explored how arguments are built, how they can be tested, and how they may be improved through feedback and comparison. The activities supported one of the project’s core aims: helping students understand that a strong argument is not just a personal opinion expressed confidently, but a claim supported by reasons, evidence and logical structure.

This approach reflects the broader educational purpose of DebateCiti. In a public sphere increasingly shaped by fast communication, disinformation, emotional polarisation and simplified messages, young citizens need more than information. They need tools to evaluate information, organise thought and participate responsibly in democratic discussion.

From workshop practice to long-term educational resources

The Slovenia meeting also played a key role in the development of the project’s eBook Toolkit, one of the central outputs of DebateCiti.

During the project team meeting held on 3 March 2026, partners reviewed the first draft sections of the Toolkit and discussed how to make the material more useful for teachers, debate clubs and schools. A shared conclusion emerged: the Toolkit should be strongly practice-oriented, with activities that educators can use directly in classrooms and debate clubs.

The partners therefore agreed to revise the material with a clearer focus on ready-to-use educational activities. This decision strengthened the connection between the transnational training meetings and the project’s final pedagogical outputs. The work done in Slovenia did not remain limited to the days of the meeting; it became part of the wider process of producing resources that can support debate education beyond the partnership itself.

Cooperation among partner schools and organisations

The meeting involved the four project partners:

• Hubruzzo – Fondazione Industria Responsabile, Italy;

• Srednja šola Josipa Jurčiča Ivančna Gorica, Slovenia;

• Vilniaus Senvagės gimnazija, Lithuania;

• ASO Spijker, Belgium.

The Slovenian host school created a learning context in which formal training, school-based activities and cultural exchange could be connected. Students had the opportunity to experience debate as both an educational method and a form of European cooperation.

Cultural activities were also part of the programme. Participants visited places of local and national interest, including the area of Stična and the city of Ljubljana. These moments were not separate from the educational aims of the project. They helped participants understand how European citizenship is built not only through institutional knowledge, but also through encounter, dialogue and mutual recognition.

Project coordination and next steps

The transnational project meeting also allowed partners to coordinate the next stages of DebateCiti.

The project team discussed:

• the revision of the first modules of the eBook Toolkit;

• the development of more practical resources for debate clubs;

• the continuation of online support among partners;

• local dissemination activities in each country;

• the organisation of the next transnational meeting in Lithuania;

• the planning of the final project meeting in Abruzzo, Italy.

The partners also reviewed the dissemination work already carried out. In particular, the Debate Academy organised in Pescara in January 2026 was recognised as an important opportunity to promote the project among teachers, students and local stakeholders in Abruzzo. The event contributed to strengthening the public visibility of DebateCiti and to connecting the Erasmus+ partnership with local educational communities.

Debate as informed citizenship

The Slovenian meeting confirmed the central idea behind DebateCiti: debate is not only a competition format. It is a way of educating students to think before speaking, to check before sharing, to reason before judging and to listen before replying.

Through activities on motion analysis and argumentation, participants worked on skills that are essential for democratic life:

• distinguishing claims from evidence;

• recognising weak reasoning;

• constructing coherent arguments;

• responding to opposing views;

• collaborating across languages and cultures;

• using debate as a method for civic and media education.

In this sense, the Slovenia meeting was both a training event and a civic learning experience. It showed how schools from different European countries can work together to form students who are better prepared to face public debate, misinformation and complex social issues.

Looking ahead

After the Slovenia meeting, the DebateCiti partnership continued its work toward the next international stages of the project. The following transnational meeting was scheduled in Lithuania, with further activities involving students, teachers and debate clubs. The final meeting will take place in Abruzzo, where the partners will bring together the results of the project and continue the dissemination of its educational resources.

The experience in Slovenia strengthened the partnership and gave concrete shape to the project’s mission: promoting debate as a practice of informed, responsible and active European citizenship.