Free CPD course

From 10 to 14 July 2023, we will run an  in-person CPD course on BFGTOEU in UCC. It will be free of charge and EPV approved. It will be divided into interactive lectures in the morning on EU topics and workshops on how to teach BFGTOEU throughout active learning and hands-on activities.

From 21 to 25 August 2023, we will run an in-person CPD course on BFGTOEU, EPV approved and free of charge, in NUI offices on Merrion Square.

eTwinning project coordinated by expert

We have an exciting project on eTwinning focused entirely on discovering and discovering each other’s local history, culture, folklore, food and much more. Aoife Hegarty will be coordinating this project that she piloted at 3rd/4th class between Ireland and Italy. All resources, activity sheets, slides and instructions will be provided. Aoife will also be there to support you! We are very excited to have her expertise on board.

Europe Day Zoom Quiz

We will organise on 8 May 2023 Europe Day Zoom Quizzes with classrooms from Ireland and across the EU.

There will be a quiz for each level: 1st & 2nd class, 3rd and 4th class, 5th and 6th class. Children love seeing their counterparts in other countries and even across Ireland! It’s a great opportunity to have fun while learning a little more about the EU.

Interactive event with MEPs

Members of the European Parliament will contribute to one live event through Zoom. Children will be able to submit their questions in advance.

Individual and school awards

With BFGTOEU, you can build up your achievements. We have individual awards, the European Citizenship Award and the European Star Teacher Award. We also have school awards to reward European Citizenship Education: the Expert Citizen School Award, the Eager Citizen School Award, the Emerging Citizen School Award.

When registering, please select the ones you would like to do. All criteria can be found here.

Collaboration with Design for Change

We are so excited to launch our new collaboration with Design for Change, a programme encouraging our young citizens to develop socially innovative projects. If you register for the Expert Citizen School Award, BFGTOEU will support projects which demonstrate socially innovation which have a local and European impact.

Two BFGTOEU CPD courses will be held face to face in Cork and Dublin. These CPD courses are EPV approved and will run in the usual format of 20 hours over 5 days, from 9.30 to 2pm. They will be provided FREE OF CHARGE, including some EU resources and free tea, coffee, and lunch on each day. REGISTER by CLICKING HERE.

We will run an online 3 hour CPD course which is not EPV approved. This aims to support teachers who cannot attend the CPD courses in Cork or Dublin in a more light-touch way. This CPD course will count towards training which is required for the BFGTOEU award scheme.

As usual, the CPD course focuses on developing critical thinking and deliberative skills among our youngest citizens through hands-on, fun and engaging activities and games.

Since places are limited and to avoid over-registration, there will be a deposit of €25 requested from the registered participants to hold their place. This deposit will be refunded at the end of the course within 10 days. The participants will be contacted regarding the payment of the deposit once registration is finalised.

The EU has become so much part of our daily life through Brexit, searching for solutions to climate change, the energy crisis, the migration crisis, and working together on Covid vaccines, for example. It is time that we get our young members of society talking about it and Ireland’s place in it!

INDIVIDUAL TEACHER AWARDS – REGISTER by clicking HERE

REGISTER HERE and you get a European Citizenship Award plaque (see below) if you submit a class KWL before 8 May 2023. If you are a BFGTOEU teacher for three years in a row, complete a CPD course during this period and gives updates on each class engagement with BFGTOEU on social media tagging @HubEuropCitizen, then you will receive our European Star Teacher Award. In October 2022, our European Star Teachers will receive their award at the launch of the Hub in Active European Citizenship.

Once registered, you will have access to your personalised account through the Teachers’ Log In page, accessible in the menu and here.

SCHOOL AWARDS – REGISTER by clicking HERE

The BFGTOEU award scheme rewards individual teacher with the European Citizenship Award and the European Star Teacher Award. It also acknowledges the work put in by schools to empower their students and make active citizenship a reality. BFGTOEU offers three European Citizenship Education award levels:

    • Expert Citizen School – collaboration with Design for Change
    • Eager Citizen School
    • Emerging Citizen School.

To learn about the criteria, click here   

Criteria for the Emerging Citizen School

  1. Register a minimum of two classes for BFGTOEU
  2. Register for the Europe Day Quiz
  3. Develop a Europe Day project, per class or school
  4. Subscribe to EU TV Junior
  5. One in every two teachers must complete one BFGTOEU CPD in a three-year period
  6. Take pictures of each lesson engagement and post on Twitter or Facebook tagging @HubEuropCitizen

Criteria for Eager Citizen School

  1. Register a minimum of two classes for BFGTOEU
  2. Develop a Europe Day project per class or school
  3. Register for the Europe Day Quiz
  4. At least one class registers for our eTwinning project
  5. Subscribe to EU TV Junior
  6. One in every two teachers must complete one BFGTOEU CPD in a three-year period.
  7. Take pictures of each lesson engagement and post on Twitter or Facebook tagging @HubEuropCitizen

Criteria for Expert Citizen School

  1. Register a minimum of three classes for BFGTOEU
  2. Register for the Europe Day Quiz
  3. Develop a Europe Day project per class or school
  4. Develop a minimum of one project with Design for Change per school
  5. At least one class registers for our eTwinning project
  6. Demonstrate engagement with the local MEP or a stakeholder at European level
  7. Subscribe to EU TV Junior
  8. One in every three teachers must complete a BFGTOEU CPD in a three-year period.
  9. Take pictures of each lesson engagement and post on Twitter or Facebook tagging @HubEuropCitizen