Apply to the School of Palermo on transnational democracy at the Transeuropa Festival

Transeuropa Festival is a transnational festival of arts, culture and politics organised by European Alternatives since 2007. On November 6-10th, the 2019 edition of Transeuropa Festival, under the title ‘ÜberMauer’ (‘Beyond the Wall – Oltremuro) will land in Palermo in cooperation with BAM – Biennale Arcipelago Mediterraneo, Fondazione Merz and the City of Palermo. In the context of the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall (9th November 1989-2019), the Festival presents a rich program of exhibitions, public lectures, live music and concerts, involving a significant number of historical spaces of the city and world-class artists and speakers.

Within this year’s festival, we invite 30 participants, from Palermo and Europe, to participate in the School of Palermo, an academy on transnational politics bringing together local students and international activists from different disciplines, to explore contemporary European challenges and imagine a world beyond the nation-state. There is no fee to participate, and selected students will have travel costs to Palermo covered (max €200).

The School includes master classes and workshops on three main thematic areas:

• Green New Deal: the Green New Deal is the most comprehensive plan to pull Europe out of the twin crises of austerity and environmental breakdown. How can it be financed and promoted as a global solution for climate change?
• European Democracy: at times when citizens do not feel adequately represented and global commons insufficiently protected, a reform of the European democracy is necessary to tackle global challenges while engaging citizens beyond borders in the decisions that affect their lives. What new model of democracy can Europe introduce to the world and how can it promote and secure global goods?
• Free Movement: the right to freedom of movement is a human right, a right for all. But how can we imagine a future beyond the nation-state, an open borders world? And what are the possible ways of resistance to ensure that the right to protection, to work, to livelihood and to social rights are guaranteed wherever a person settles?

It also includes the participation to the Europe for the Many conference, organized in collaboration with the University of Palermo, a public dialogue gathering academics, journalists, intellectuals, civil society campaigners, politicians and the general public to create new, innovative and practical solutions to the major challenges facing Europe in the twenty-first century.

Our International Faculty in Palermo

The sessions include a wide range of speakers, including Ann Pettifor (Prime Economics), Mary Kaldor (London School of Economics), Kalypso Nicolaidis (Oxford University), Daniele Archibugi (National Research Council of Italy), David Adler (Green New Deal for Europe), Yvan Sagnet (No Cap), Clelia Bartoli (University of Palermo) and many more as part of the Europe for the Many conference.

The Requirements

The call is open to members and non-members of European Alternatives who:

• Have a strong interest in the themes of the School of Palermo (Green New Deal, European democracy, Free Movement) and in connecting with others
• Are proficient in English
• Participate in all the activities proposed (except Sunday), incl. the Europe for the Many conference
• Be able to cover the costs of staying and living in Palermo during the time of the School (we cover travel costs)
• Have an interest in discovering more about Palermo and Transeuropa Festival!

How to apply

The applications to the School of Palermo are now closed.

Any questions?

If you have any questions regarding the School of Palermo, please do not hesitate to contact Martin Pairet, Network and Capacity Building Manager, at m.pairet@euroalter.com

The School of Transnational Activism is co-funded by the Europe for Citizens Programme of the European Union: