Democratic Society

On Wednesday, July 3rd, I had the privilege of participating in a public event titled "The Role of Citizens’ Assemblies in Climate Transition". Celebrating Bologna’s Leadership Bologna has emerged as a pioneer in Italy by adopting deliberative citizens’ assemblies as a new and innovative participatory tool for making decisions of general interest. After declaring a climate emergency with a City Council vote in September 2019, Bologna became the first Italian city to implement these assemblies. During the event, members of the Monitoring Committee of Bologna's Climate Citizens’ Assembly shared their experiences and discussed the next steps. Personal Insights Participating in this event was a deeply enriching experience for me. It highlighted the power of collective intelligence in addressing complex issues and the importance of creating spaces for inclusive dialogue. Witnessing Bologna’s approach and the positive impact of the assemblies reaffirmed my belief in the potential of Citizens’ Assemblies to drive meaningful change. During and after the event, I connected with many individuals who were deeply interested in the work we do at Democratic Society. In my intervention at the event, I focused on four key factors: 1. Conviviality: It is crucial to continue activating spaces for conviviality. Facilitating personal encounters and informal exchanges helps foster a sense of community and democratic engagement. 2. Spaces: Understanding that spaces contribute to generating democracy is vital. Working on the activation and recognition of hybrid spaces is key to democratic health. Promoting participation in a distributed manner across various spaces enhances civic engagement. 3. Emotions: Never forget the role of emotions in our connections and exchanges with others, and consequently, with democracy. Emotions play a significant role in how people engage with democratic processes. 4. Complexity: It is important not to lose sight of complexity. Democratic infrastructures, such as a citizens’ assembly, should not be seen as an opportunity to simplify the relationship between public administration and citizens. Embracing complexity allows for richer, more nuanced democratic interactions. Acknowledgments I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to the Fondazione Innovazione Urbana for their outstanding organization of the event. What truly stood out for me was connecting with so many deeply committed individuals, especially the youth. Their passion and dedication to climate action were truly inspiring. Seeing so many young people engaged and ready to take on the challenge of climate change filled me with hope and joy. c Emily Marion Clancy Mauro Bigi Michele d'Alena Giovanni Mori Giacomo Zattini Valentina Gestaldi Cassandra Fontana Riccardo Balestra Ilaria G. Neirotti Erika Capasso Khadidja Konate Valentina Corona, Extinction Rebellion Bologna, Ultima Generazione

🔊 It’s official — we are looking for new members! We are building an infrastructure that scales up current efforts to advance democratic innovation, and your organisation could be a perfect match. In the conference “Elections on Rewind: Democracy on Fast Forward,” organised by the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD), we presented our membership programme, which aims to build an agile hub of democratic innovators. The announcement was followed by a panel on citizen participation with insights from the European institutions and Nets4Dem member organisations, such as Democratic Society’s Anthony Zacharzewski, Demos Helsinki's Sahib Singh and Democracy Reporting International’s Paul Zoubkov. Read more about the panel and learn how to express interest in our membership programme 🔗 https://bit.ly/3VVxKAF

👥 Sortition for our pilot assembly in Athens has just started!   🌍 Starting today, our partner Sortition Foundation is knocking on doors in eight European countries (Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Germany, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Spain) to invite random citizens to join our first pilot assembly in Athens. Click here for more info: https://lnkd.in/d6_tJykQ   Have a look at the letter citizens receive. European University Institute School of Transnational Governance The Democracy & Culture Foundation Athens Democracy Forum European Alternatives Missions Publiques Mehr Demokratie e.V. Berggruen Institute ELIAMEP (Hellenic Foundation for European & Foreign Policy) Europe Calling e.V. WE MOVE EUROPE SCE Ashoka The Good Lobby ifok GmbH Democracy International e.V. CEPS (Centre for European Policy Studies) Democratic Society Centre for the Politics of Feelings Global Citizens’ Assembly Network #DeliberativeDemocracy #CitizensAssembly #PeoplesAssembly #CitizenParticipation #Deliberation

I am thrilled to share my experience representing Democratic Society at the recent annual meeting of the European Youth Card Association (EYCA) last June in Lecce (Italy). Discovering such an active and dynamic network dedicated to enhancing mobility and cultural access for young Europeans was a delightful surprise. I met incredible people who are passionate about their work in different countries, each contributing to a vibrant and diverse community. The energy and enthusiasm of the young participants, eager to shape a better world, were truly inspiring. For me, this meeting was a valuable opportunity to discuss the importance of addressing the challenges of democracy. We focused on two key elements: identifying and improving the spaces we can activate for democracy and addressing the power of emotions in increasingly polarized debates. I found young people ready to lead a new European era, transcending the digital realm. It was also impressive to hear discussions about a project focusing on youth engagement in rural areas. Learnings and Takeaways 1. Collaborative Projects Across Diverse Systems: I learned that it is possible to generate a common European project from different forms of organization, with diverse laws and legal frameworks across countries. When the common goal is clear and powerful, companies, public organizations, and non-profits can collaborate effectively. 2. The Power of the Right Environment: More than a learning, it’s a reaffirmation! Some individuals have the ability to create the right environment for everyone to flourish. At this event, there were many such people, and the atmosphere was filled with euphoria and positivity. It reminded me of the importance of in-person meetings and leaving space for that euphoria, conviviality, and informality. 3. Opportunities for Democratic Innovation: I clearly see the opportunity to continue building our Democratic Society community of practice focused on democratic innovation in a comprehensive way. I also see a tremendous opportunity to connect with the impressive EYCA youth community, and I genuinely hope we can collaborate soon. A big thank you to EYCA for organizing such an impactful event and to all the participants for their inspiring contributions. Let's continue to work together to make youth voices heard and build a more democratic and inclusive future! cc Corina Pirvulescu Miguel Perestrello Julien Tate-Smith Andreea Denisa Măslină Rita Sezinando Cara Borg Aquilina Tommy Jack Hailey Ciantar Hilary Kidd Giuliana Vargetto Stiven Domi Nikitas Papadopoulos Rowan Emslie Judit Balogh David Costa Alessandro Roggi Sara Cardona Rubio Clementina Barbaro Europe Goes Local Eurodesk Brussels Link @eryca #YouthEmpowerment #ParticipatoryDemocracy #EYCA #DemocraticSociety #CommunityEngagement #DigitalDemocracy #RuralYouth #DemocraticInnovation

With increased scrutiny on verifiable sustainability claims and the risk of greenwashing, credible evidence and disclosures are essential. As part of UNECE Sustainable and Digital Trade Facilitation Week, on 09 July 2024, +100 experts in-person and online joined the 4th working meeting of the UNECE’s Team of Specialists on #ESG #Traceability of #Sustainable Value Chains in the #CircularEconomy to discusss multiple related issues, such as: - #Transparency at scale for #duediligence & #ESG compliance - #ESG data sharing & data ecosystems - Governance of global #ESG data sharing - #Digitalproductpassports - Product #circularity data The draft UNECE Recommendation 49 Transparency at Scale aims to provide policy guidance on implementing traceability & transparency across borders and industries. The meeting identified key recommendations towards a common view of end-goals to scale #traceability & #transparency in critical sectors for the circular economy inc. #textiles #leather #agrifood #criticalrawmaterials. Elisabeth Türk Katrin Perlmutter Thomas Hesketh Ninh Trinh Gregory Sampson Sotirios Kanellopoulos Marie Falk Eric Pol Anthony Zacharzewski Carolynn Bernier Steven Capell Virginia Cram Martos Gerhard Heemskerk Jan Merckx Nancy Norris Nathalie Bernasconi-Osterwalder Harm-Jan van Burg Maria Teresa Pisani Olivia Chassot

From challenges to solutions - Barcelona is calling all government officials 📣 Registrations are now open for the first edition of Nets4Dem’s Democracy Lab, taking place in Barcelona from 17 – 19 September 2024. This pioneering event is a unique opportunity for local government officials and democracy practitioners from across Europe to engage in collaborative problem-solving and foster democratic innovation at the local level 🏛️ The Democracy Lab aims to: 🔹 Empower citizens to actively participate in decision-making processes 🔹 Tackle complex societal challenges through innovative solutions 🔹 Facilitate peer collaboration and engagement with democracy experts For this inaugural event, organised by Eurocities and host city Barcelona within the framework of the European Capital Of Democracy #ECoD#ECoD, the spotlight will be on ‘Democratic innovation in digital transformation’ 🌐 📅 Deadline for application submission: 15 July 2024 Why Join the Democracy Lab? The Democracy Lab provides a platform to: ✔️ Address societal challenges in a democratic spirit ✔️ Engage with diverse perspectives and enhance understanding of real-world issues ✔️ Co-create action plans with peers, experts, and community representatives Learn more and apply now 👉🏽 https://bit.ly/3RKuPJS

Where the hell are the unusual suspects? One of the things that has become clear to us in Democratic Society after several years of working on climate is that CO2 reduction is a complex problem that requires many people working in a similar direction. It is difficult to achieve systemic change by always counting on the same stakeholders; changes of this magnitude require more organizations and people, skills and resources, and new approaches and experiences. But where and how to find them? A few weeks ago at the #NetZeroConference meeting in Valencia, we had the opportunity to put together a session titled Breaking the Mold Finding the Unusual Suspects. It was the last session of the event, after lunch, in a remote room without air conditioning, to our surprise the room was filled and people stayed until the end. In this session: 🔹 The city of Valladolid, through its councillor Alejandro Garcia Pellitero, told us how they are connecting with the industrial sector, how they are integrating culture into their processes and how they had gotten the city's soccer team (Real Valladolid FC) to join to the mission.  🔹 Daniel Freitas from Porto was working with CF Porto to convert their facilities into a climate laboratory. 🔹 Isabel Freitas Loureiro and Carlos A. Ribeiro explained how the city of Guimaraes, using #RapidMassEngagement, had managed to connect with the industrial sector. 🔹 Alejandro Gómez Gil from the city of Valencia explained his citizen laboratories and how to include ordinary citizens in decisions and designs. 🔹 Cristina Robledano Noreña from the Porticus Foundation showed several examples of how foundations could serve as a connector between cities and the third sector, weaving projects and alliances between initially disconnected realities. 🔹 Annemie Wyckmans presented several experiences where art and culture managed to channel languages and narratives to audiences of all ages and conditions. At the end of the meeting, 4 takeaways were highlighted:  🔺 Facts that accompanied speeches: The examples shown were very tangible and you could learn from direct experience.  🔺 From cosmetic signatures to tangible action: The unusual suspect didn't just want to appear in the photo, they were looking for a real change. The alliances had been woven with common objectives and each of these stakeholders was contributing from their capabilities and competencies. 🔺 Impact networks were being created: they were not actors contributing in isolation but rather connected (among themselves, with the administration, with other programs, etc.) so that the impacts and resources enhanced each other. 🔺 The unusual suspects are institutions, yes, but people: Although the agreements are usually between entities, it is the people who inhabit them who facilitate and give meaning to these collaborations. If we add a committed person to institutional values, the ability to connect is much easier and its impact is greater.

💡 Do you want to know how cities incorporate citizen engagement initiatives into their climate work and how the Cities Mission helps them do it? Hear from NetZeroCitiesEU experts! 🌳 Ensuring a just, inclusive, and green transition is critical as we journey towards climate neutrality which is why NetZeroCities offers important support and resources to cities to make sure that citizens are at the centre of climate strategies. Hear from our experts from Democratic Society on what they do and why citizen engagement is essential to climate goals ⬇ #MissionCities #EUMissions #HorizonEU