Sometimes a single sentence captures an entire journey.
In his follow-up message, Peter from Poland described his EUDEMOS experience in Belgium as “a one-of-a-kind wonderful experience… I would go again.” Behind this cheerful, immediate reaction lies something much deeper: a week that reshaped perspectives, created connections across borders, and offered young people the chance to experience Europe not as an abstraction, but as a living community.
Peter’s words speak of joy — the beauty of Brussels and Bruges, the excitement of discovering new places, the pleasure of meeting peers from different countries. But beneath this enthusiasm sits the real heart of EUDEMOS: learning to see Europe through the lens of diversity, cooperation, and shared citizenship.
During the Brussels Summer School, Peter and the other participants were not just tourists or spectators. They stepped inside the institutions where decisions shaping their future are made. They learned how the European Union works, why its structure is unique in the world, and how ordinary citizens — including young people — influence its democratic life.
But perhaps the strongest part of Peter’s message emerges between the lines:
“I realised how cool and unique all of the cultures and their people are.”
This realisation is at the core of EUDEMOS. It is the moment when Europe stops being a definition from a textbook and becomes a network of faces, stories, friendships, and shared meals. It is when cultural differences stop feeling like distances and begin to feel like bridges.
For Peter, the friendships formed in Belgium were as important as the institutional visits. The EUDEMOS environment encourages exactly that: conversations that continue long after workshops end, spontaneous exchanges where English becomes the common ground, and the discovery that other Europeans — regardless of their origin — bring new ways of thinking, living, and understanding the world.
His wish for the programme to be longer reflects what many EUDEMOS participants experience. When learning becomes meaningful, when discussions deepen personal beliefs, and when a group of strangers becomes a temporary family, time suddenly feels too short.
Peter reminds us that European identity is not built through slogans or formal lessons alone. It grows through shared experiences — laughing together, debating together, learning side by side, and seeing the EU not as a distant institution but as a community that includes each of them.
His final line, “I would go again,” is more than a humorous rating. It is a declaration of belonging. A sign that EUDEMOS is succeeding in its mission: giving young Europeans the knowledge, confidence, and emotional connection needed to feel at home in Europe.
And that is the greatest victory of all.
” My EUdemos trip to Belgium was truly a one of a kind wonderful experience. It was both a very enjoyable and productive time. Not only did I get to experience the beauty and uniqueness of Brussels and Bruges and learn more about the European Union, I also got to meet and befriend cool people coming from different countries and made friends for life! I feel like I learned a lot being there, most importantly I realised how cool and unique all of the cultures and their people are. It was such a pleasure to be part of it. If I could change anything about this program, I’d only make it longer. I would go again.”
Peter from Poland
