Among the many voices emerging from the 2025 edition of the EUdemos Brussels Summer School, the reflection shared by Luciana Carrasco stands out for its sincerity, depth, and ability to capture the very essence of what this project aims to achieve. Her words remind us that EUdemos is not only an academic journey into the heart of the European Union, but also a human experience capable of shaping personal growth, intercultural understanding, and long-lasting connections across borders.
Luciana describes her July 2025 experience in Brussels as one of the most unforgettable moments of her year — a six-day immersion into the institutions, values, and cultures that give shape to today’s European project. Visiting the European Parliament and the European Commission offered her and her peers a rare opportunity to understand EU governance directly from those who work within it. As she recalls, stepping into the Parliament’s hemicycle — the very room where debates, votes, and EU laws are shaped — felt almost surreal.
“I felt like a diplomat” she writes, capturing the excitement and empowerment that many students feel when seeing European democracy in action.
But Luciana also reminds us that EUdemos is not only about institutions and policies. Her journey included exploring the cultural richness of Belgium through visits to Euractiv, the Chocolate Museum, and the charming cities of Ghent and Bruges, places that left a lasting impression and expanded her understanding of Europe’s diversity.
Yet the most transformative aspect of her experience was the human one. Luciana openly shares that, at first, she found it difficult to open up to new people. But the multicultural environment of EUdemos — gathering students from Italy, Poland, Portugal, Greece, and Spain — inspired her to push her boundaries.
By choosing to be “as extroverted as possible,” she discovered new friendships, exchanged stories about different countries and lifestyles, and built a sense of community that grew stronger day by day. These conversations, simple yet meaningful, became the emotional core of her journey.
Her account of the final farewell is perhaps the most touching part of her reflection. Saying goodbye was difficult not only because the group had bonded so deeply, but also because it signalled the end of an experience that had been rich, empowering, and full of learning.
Her message concludes with a feeling shared by many EUdemos participants over the years:
If given the chance, she would join again without hesitation.
Luciana’s testimony beautifully captures what EUdemos stands for:
a unique combination of civic education, cultural discovery, and genuine human connection. Through her eyes, we are reminded that Europe is not only an institutional architecture — it is a community of young people curious about each other, willing to learn, and ready to build a shared future.
Her story is a powerful affirmation of how international experiences can change perspectives, build confidence, and create lifelong memories — exactly what the EUdemos project strives to offer to every participant.
