Grant to broaden local knowledge of European Union

January 31, 2013

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida Center for European Studies was awarded a grant from the European Union Delegation to the U.S. as part of an effort to familiarize the public with the significance of the EU-US transatlantic partnership.

The center will use the $68,000 grant to spread awareness about Europe in the local area through a number of initiatives and events, including a festival called, “Viva Europe!”

“Viva Europe!” will be held from11 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 23 at the Bo Diddley Community Plaza in downtown Gainesville and will showcase Europe’s cultures and customs through dress, cuisine, music, dance and a marketplace equipped with products and handmade crafts from Europe.

Long-term initiatives will include a partnership with the UF European Union Club to bring European knowledge to K-12 students in area schools.

The UF EU club will be assisting Gainesville High School in starting its own EU Club and training students to participate in a Model EU competition.

A project called “Neighbors” will challenge students at Eastside High school to use photo and video to collect oral histories from local community members with ties to Europe. Students will be helped with the project through classroom workshops starting in the spring. Projects will be displayed at the Thomas Center in spring 2014.

“Many of us have a European background,” said Gail Keeler, outreach coordinator at the Center for European Studies. “It is useful to keep that connection going and to know our background, to cherish it and to learn something about it.”

The center will also be teaming up with UF’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research to start a website about “Florida’s Economic Relationship to Europe.”

For more information about any of these events or future events visit the “Getting to Know Europe,” website at http://www.ces.ufl.edu/GTKE/index.shtml.