“Stories of a Possible Europe” is the name of a European project which was accomplished from January 2009 till January 2010 through institutes of adult education in 6 countries (Italy, Spain, Portugal, Slovenia, Great Britain and Germany) with the support of the Europe for Citizens program of the European Commission. The aim was to work on the theme of inter-cultural dialogue in Europe, through cooperative and autobiographical methods. The particularity of the work methodology was that it took as its starting point the telling of stories by European citizens not only as individuals but also as collective groups – as a form of participation and interaction in “constructing an ever closer Europe”.

Europe – what do we have in common? What is different? Telling the life-stories of people is a way to explore and make known the different cultures which make up Europe, a contribution to a possible Europe. Moreover the stories can contribute to the knowledge of the values and representations which are the basis for building a sense of European identity. The storytelling method represents a bottom-up process, for building knowledge closer to the real experiences of European citizens.

Project coordination: UPTER Italy

Funded by: The Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA)

Websites: www.europa-erleben.net, www.possible-europe.eu