We applied for this project in order to encourage the younger generation to take part in the debate about Europe in line with the Commission's political priorities.We aimed at helping build a democratic EU by proposing activities promoting rights and values at local, regional and national level. We aimed at using Initiative and innovative approaches and tools to help the youngsters in upper secondary education to make their voices heard and publicly exchange views on some areas of EU action, via the use of digital tools (e-democracy).

The project, led by Mariagerfjord Gymnasium from Denmark, gathers 5 secondary schools around Europe from both urban and peripheral areas: Denmark, Italy, Slovakia, Spain, Romania and Halmstad University from Sweden to provide expertise in the development of PBL methodology to be used in lesson plans for the classes and implementing the curriculum .The countries represent different historical enlargements in the history of European integration with different democratic histories.

Enhancing Education with PBL

Accordingly, the main objectives of the project are:

• to teach and prepare the students for active participation, joint responsibility, rights and duties in a society based on freedom and democracy while supporting intercultural dialogue among the students
• to develop educational materials and methods for upper secondary education institutions. It is significant that Pbl activities create possibilities for experience, absorption and an urge to learn, so that the students develop awareness and confidence in their own capabilities and a background for forming independent judgment and taking personal action. Besides, Pbl methodology can train and empower teachers to integrate democracy, critical thinking, media literacy in teaching their subjects - reach higher levels of media literacy, recognition of trustworthy information sources between pupils using SoMe platforms.

To begin with Problem-based learning methodology approach workshops for teachers were conducted by Halmstad University at the beginning of the DID project in order to make the participating teachers familiar with this methodology. Two PBL lesson plans were created independently by each participating school and their learning outcomes were decided jointly in the transnational meetings. By ensuring that the two lesson plans were firmly anchored in the national curriculum obligations, we could adopt them as part of the school curriculum and we plan to potentially disseminate it to other schools. They are cross- or single-disciplinary modules and have been experimented with a significant number of students in each school. All partner schools, including staff and students,were informed about the overall work of these lesson plans as well as the headlines of the project. The teachers involved got the proper training in order to implement complex real-world problems as the vehicle to promote student learning.