The educational programme "80th Anniversary of the drafting of the Ventotene Manifesto: an innovative idea for the united Europe of the future" aimed to explore the history of this text, on the occasion of its 80th anniversary, focusing in particular on the figure of Altiero Spinelli and the realization of the project for a federal Europe.
The project aimed to introduce students to the history of European integration, dealing with the federalist project and the idea of a European constitution. Spinelli’s federalist project, although not fully realised, remains a valuable legacy for young people who approach European issues, and represents a model of citizenship and active participation in European dynamics. The main objective of the project was to provide young people with the tools to be able to answer the question "What does it mean to be European today?", starting from the added value of European citizenship and the rights and duties of European citizens.
The analysis of primary archival sources was at the centre of this programme: a selection of documents was presented to the students, starting with the Ventotene Manifesto. The students worked individually, in small groups, and with the entire class group. A creative writing project involved the students in the creation of a glossary (for lower secondary schools) or in the drafting of a new "Manifesto for a Free and United Europe" (for high school students) for the new generations of Europeans. This Manifesto addressed present and future challenges in line with the policies promoted by European institutions and the struggles carried forward by citizens for gender equality, environmental protections, and to build a more inclusive and fairer Europe in terms of rights. During the workshops different creative languages were used (musical, bodily expression, visual).
The preparatory activities carried out in class by the students before the visit were supported by the following didactical materials, provided by the HAEU Educational Programme team:
- Didactical sheet on the Ventotene Manifesto.
- Didactical sheet on the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.

The didactical materials were formed based on sources stored in the following HAEU fonds: AS-3, AS-210, AS-36, EEA-369, ME-140_15