People Powered

This year, we’ve seen just how powerful participatory democracy can be. We’ve worked alongside communities to tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges—and proved that real change happens when people have a say. 🌿 Climate action: Communities in Zimbabwe and Brazil co-created policies to protect forests, prevent landslides, and build stronger local leadership. 📱 Digital governance: Civil society organizations stepped up to tackle issues like AI ethics, misinformation, and data privacy, ensuring technology works for everyone. 🌈 Inclusive democracy: Women, youth, and displaced people led the way in shaping decisions that matter in Kenya, Cameroon, and beyond. And that’s just the beginning. Participatory democracy transformed lives in 2024, and there’s so much more to come. Learn more ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gFY5xFKw Together, we’re making sure every voice is heard and every community has the power to create change. Let’s make 2025 even bigger! 💪 #ParticipatoryDemocracy #ClimateAction #DigitalInclusion #InclusiveGovernance #PeoplePowered

We’re excited to welcome five incredible leaders to People Powered’s Board of Directors! Elected by our members through the People Powered Decides process, these individuals bring diverse global perspectives and a shared commitment to participatory democracy. Their expertise will guide us as we tackle our bold priorities for 2025 and beyond: 1️⃣ Colombina Schaeffer (Chile): Advocate for sustainability and participatory democracy. 2️⃣ Donata Secondo (USA): Leader in participatory budgeting and democracy strategy. 3️⃣ Kudzaiishe Seti (Zimbabwe/South Africa): Climate action and community engagement expert. 4️⃣ Reema Patel (United Kingdom): Innovator in AI governance and deliberative democracy. 5️⃣ Srikanth Viswanathan (India): Visionary in urban governance and civic participation. Learn more about their inspiring stories and the strengths they bring to our mission 👉 https://lnkd.in/d7k9eiQM #ParticipatoryGovernance

What does 2025 have in store for participatory democracy? 🔮✨ Through our People Powered Decides process, members have set bold priorities for the year ahead, ensuring our community’s voice shapes the future of our movement. Here’s what we’ll focus on in 2025: 1️⃣ AI & Participation: Providing new guidance on using AI ethically and effectively. 2️⃣ Global Reach: Expanding our work in Europe and Latin America. 3️⃣ Defending Inclusion: Protecting marginalized communities’ right to participate. 4️⃣ Climate Action: Supporting community-led responses to the climate crisis. 5️⃣ 2025 Convening in Nairobi: Uniting the global community for transformative change. The next year will be critical for our work. Join us as we expand participatory democracy around the globe. 👉 Read more and learn how you can get involved: https://lnkd.in/dksv6MGv

Has People Powered connected you with the resources, support, or inspiration to make change in your community? Have we helped you expand your vision for democracy? If so, we have a request: can you help us in return? While it’s been a tough year for electoral democracy, interest in participatory democracy is booming. Next year, we’ll be working with over 100 governments worldwide to empower citizens in shaping public budgets, laws, and policies. Together, we’ve driven progress on urgent issues like climate action and inclusive governance. Right now, your contribution can have 4x the impact! Thanks to a special matching program, every dollar you give will be quadrupled. This is a rare chance to maximize your support and fuel the movement for participatory democracy. Here’s how you can help: 🔹 Join us: Become a member of our growing community working to build a better democracy. - https://lnkd.in/e-Wxxf8E 🔹 Donate: Fuel the movement with a contribution that goes four times as far - https://lnkd.in/gzudVz5P If our work has helped you, let’s keep building together. Take action now to create a future where every voice matters. 💪

At our recent Remixing Democracy webinar, we explored how participatory practices—like citizens' assemblies, digital engagement, and legislative theater—can be blended to create stronger, more inclusive ecosystems. Key takeaways include: 1. How legislative theater in Brazil empowers communities to take ownership of policy solutions. 2. Lessons from social movement assemblies in the U.S., bridging grassroots activism and democratic processes. 3. How digital tools can expand reach and inclusion, as shown in Germany’s Forum Against Fakes. 4. Practical strategies for integrating diverse approaches to tackle global challenges. Whether you’re a practitioner, policymaker, or advocate, these insights offer actionable ideas to strengthen democracy in 2025 and beyond. Read the full recap and watch the recording to dive deeper: https://lnkd.in/g4iRC9yf

🌎 América Abierta 2024: Conexión Sin Fronteras Esta semana estamos presentes en América Abierta 2024, un evento que reúne a líderes y expertos de todo el mundo para dialogar sobre transparencia, acceso a la información, Estado Abierto, tecnologías cívicas, periodismo de datos, gobierno digital y otras herramientas clave para fortalecer la democracia a través de los principios del Estado Abierto. En este marco, llevamos a cabo el taller “Transformando los modelos mentales de la democracia para un Estado Abierto en las Américas”, liderado por Fundación Corona, con la representación de Diana Dajer y Armando Navarro, y People Powered. El espacio contó con la participación de actores de la sociedad civil y entidades públicas de distintos países de la región, generando un diálogo enriquecedor sobre cómo construir democracias más inclusivas y participativas. ¡Felices de ser parte de estos espacios enriquecedores y claves para seguir promoviendo Estados cada vez más abiertos! ________________ Este año, América Abierta se celebra en Brasilia, Brasil, como parte de una iniciativa global impulsada por el Open Government Partnership.

As the FiTI pilot project on participation in fisheries transparency wraps up, we’re thrilled to celebrate the progress made with multi-stakeholder groups (MSGs) and national governments in Seychelles and Madagascar. 🌟 Together, we developed action plans to boost stakeholder engagement, improve data transparency, and build capacity for more inclusive governance. From discussing and planning national and regional dialogue platforms to exploring ways to enhance public awareness through education and outreach, these efforts set the stage for sustainable, participatory fisheries management that aligns with both national priorities and local needs. 🎯🌊 The project also revealed important trends: participation often remains consultative and provides limited to no space for co-design and decision-making for stakeholders and the general public, institutional coordination is fragmented, and capacity gaps hinder meaningful engagement. 🚧 On top of that, logistical challenges like limited internet and budget constraints restrict community involvement. But the work doesn’t stop here! We’re optimistic that national governments and MSGs will carry this momentum forward, ensuring fisheries governance becomes a model of transparency and inclusion. 💡🛶 We're proud to have contributed to this project as part of our cooperation with Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI), reinforcing our commitment to transparent and open governance. It’s also a reflection of the principles we champion through People Powered—empowering inclusive participation for stronger communities worldwide. 💪✨

We had a fun workshop on "Transforming Mental Models of Democracy" at the América Abierta 2024 event! ✨✨ Together with Fundación Corona, we facilitated discussions on identifying and shaping mental models of democracy in Latin America. This work is part of a joint effort with Open Government Partnership and FrameWorks Institute. Participants came from governments and civil society organizations in Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay, Spain, and more! 🔍 Key learnings: The most common mental models identified included abstention regarding elections or public participation and distrust in governments. These contributions are key to helping us keep shaping our project, and we now have a bigger network of people and organizations keen on working with mental models of democracy. Big thanks to our facilitators Diana Dajer, Armando Navarro and Luiza Jardim, and incredible partners for making this event possible. If you are in Brasilia, join our panel discussion at America Abierta on Dec 5, 10 am, on “Reinventing Citizen Participation in Latin America”! #AméricaAbierta

🎙️ Looking for a new vision for the future of democracy, in podcast format? The good people at SALAR just released a fantastic short podcast interview with me, on how to renew democracy and on my white paper From Waves to Ecosystems: The Next Stage of Democratic Innovation. It’s a fun and inspiring discussion about how we can move from a crisis of democracy to a smorgasbord of new democratic practices. Check it out! “We’re seeing people voting against the party in power because they want change. They elect a new party, then get tired of that party. They vote for change again, and it just goes back and forth. The problem is that they’re not really getting the change that they want.” Learn about what that deeper change can look like on the podcast. While the webpage is in Swedish, don’t worry - the podcast is in English after a quick intro. And if you want to support this work to build a more participatory democracy, today (#GivingTuesday) is a great day to make a donation: https://lnkd.in/eFdm_SUH Big thanks Anders Nordh & Nils Munthe for hosting the podcast, and Sveriges Kommuner och Regioner for hosting People Powered in Stockholm! https://lnkd.in/evm_8UB6

🎙️ Looking for a new vision for the future of democracy, in podcast format? The good people at SALAR just released a fantastic short podcast interview with me, on how to renew democracy and on my white paper From Waves to Ecosystems: The Next Stage of Democratic Innovation. It’s a fun and inspiring discussion about how we can move from a crisis of democracy to a smorgasbord of new democratic practices. Check it out! “We’re seeing people voting against the party in power because they want change. They elect a new party, then get tired of that party. They vote for change again, and it just goes back and forth. The problem is that they’re not really getting the change that they want.” Learn about what that deeper change can look like on the podcast. While the webpage is in Swedish, don’t worry - the podcast is in English after a quick intro. And if you want to support this work to build a more participatory democracy, today (#GivingTuesday) is a great day to make a donation: https://lnkd.in/eFdm_SUH Big thanks Anders Nordh & Nils Munthe for hosting the podcast, and Sveriges Kommuner och Regioner for hosting People Powered in Stockholm! https://lnkd.in/evm_8UB6