Gaia Manco’s Post

On May 14, during ALDA General Assembly and Festival 2024, ALDA Secretary General, Mrs. Antonella Valmorbida, moderated the panel “Local Democracy and Participatory Democracy” at El Born, in Barcelona, Spain (🇪🇸). The session was the occasion to discuss participatory democracy at a local level and civic engagement, with a specific focus on the Defense of Democracy Package adopted by the European Commission to enhance transparency and encourage citizens participation. 📣 🟪 Speakers highlighted the importance of democratic participation and its associated challenges. 🔸Vincent Vandersmissen emphasised the need for transparency and inclusion of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in decision-making processes. 🔸Jose Manuel Ribeiro shared insights from his experience as a mayor, stressing the value of "proximity democracy" and the role of freedom in participation. He noted that local-level participation remains grounded in genuine community interaction. 🔸Mathis Dippon discussed innovative participatory practices, advocating for diverse and inclusive approaches to bridge societal gaps. He emphasised proactive engagement for more impactful outcomes. 🔸Serena Menozzi addressed the challenges faced by migrants, sharing successful measures to build trust and promote change through active participation. Overall, the panel underscored that participatory democracy can significantly enhance public policies and foster a more engaged society. 🌍🤝 #ALDAGeneralAssembly2024 #LocalDemocracy4GlobalImpact #ParticipatoryDemocracy 

Thanks to Antonella Valmorbida & Adrien Licha for the invitation and the interesting discussion on participatory democracy, I enjoyed it more than it appears in the photo 😂 Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to participation and it is true that a bad participatory process can do more harm than no participation at all. But there are certain principles for successful participation:      🏁 Self-efficacy Participants should experience that they are making a difference. This can be achieved with a smart design and political support.  🏁 Diversity We should bring people from different groups together and activate silent groups in particular. Instead of deepening the participation gap, the wealth of perspectives is needed. Therefore, we can engage the social infrastructure, address underrepresented groups directly and test new formats. As a side effect, this also reduces polarization in society.  🏁 Joy Participation should be fun. Being able to shape the own living environment can be an uplifting activity. The local level is ideal for this and different formats enable new perspectives, innovative approaches to solutions and also personal growth.

"In Europe, the focus of political debates has shifted towards who possesses power in certain domains, instead of what is the purpose of government, and how political power can be directed towards the common good. The principle of subsidiarity shall be brought to the frontline to rethink our systems of checks and balances in Europe. Nation-states, as well as European institutions, should show political self-restraint, aiming to find common causes through which the future of Europe may be advanced." Our newest blog contributor, Illés Katona, contemplates what it would take to bring Europe out of its current state of decay back on a path toward resilience, strength, and beauty.You can access his full article on our website. https://lnkd.in/dCbsbMuK

Discover how Austria, the UK, Brazil, and Zimbabwe are leveraging Legislative Theatre to create more equitable policies, boost citizen engagement, and rebuild public trust. 🌍 Dive into their stories here: https://ow.ly/8atp50U2bmG

Join us in Brussels on 5 December at 4:00 PM for a public debate "Shielding European Democracy: Scenarios from Central Europe" with Ionela Maria Ciolan, Magda Jakubowska, Rasto Kuzel, and Wojciech Przybylski. 👉 Key questions include how Europe can balance its commitment to democratic values with the need for security, and how domestic and international priorities can be aligned. https://lnkd.in/dBFhyYdt

🌍 Shielding European Democracy-Scenarios from Central Europe: Join the Conversation 🌍 Democracy in Europe is at a crossroads. The recent report by Visegrad Insight, Shielding European Democracy: EU Values from Central Europe, highlights the urgency of addressing democratic vulnerabilities. It calls for a comprehensive approach that prioritizes: ✅ Societal cohesion ✅ Enhanced defense capabilities ✅ Support for civil society ✅ Countering malign influences The report identifies the Europe Power scenario, which emphasizes robust military and societal strategies, as the most viable path forward to fortify Europe’s democratic foundations and resilience. Tomorrow (5 December), I’ll be joining Magda Jakubowska, Ionela Maria Ciolan and Wojciech Przybylski in Brussels at Martin’s Hotel EU to discuss how to turn these insights into action. Among other things, we will discuss: ➡️ What are the main barriers preventing smaller NGOs from accessing CERV funding? ➡️ What strategies can we implement to lower these barriers? ➡️ What improvements would make the CERV funding mechanism more inclusive and accessible for NGOs? And how to: 🔹 Build societal readiness for EU-wide initiatives. 🔹 Counter anti-EU sentiment through education and strategic communication. 🔹 Enhance transparency and combat foreign and domestic interference.

Be it after the election, or before: we are working for a Europe of openness, solidarity and democracy. The election results are depicting an increased support for far-right parties and ideologies – also among young people. We seek to counter that by strengthening young Europeans, providing democratic citizenship education, promoting a pan-European understanding and combatting right-wing extremism, anti-Semitism, racism and other forms of discrimination. In order to join forces within civil society, we signed the position paper „Our Europe“ together with more than 80 other organisations. It is a call to action in response to the rise of far-right, threatening core European values like democracy and equality. It calls for unity, fostering inclusive, sustainable, and democratic governance, addressing climate change, and upholding human rights, urging all democratic forces to protect and strengthen Europe. Join us is in building a Europe that is democratic, diverse, and united! A Europe we want. A Europe we need. ℹ More information on the paper can be found here: https://lnkd.in/eMwtszkr __ #OurEurope #YoungEurope #SchwarzkopfFoundation

Preparations of Refocus Local Actions started! 🏁🎯 With this activity we will provide resources and space to young progressive organisation in Eastern Europe to refocus their political vision by creating strategies, policy documents or campaigns 🌍💪 We will support 7 local actions, including: 🟢 Sowing Season by Zelena Omladina Srbije – the knowledge-transfer event between the former and future decision-making structure within the Green Youth of Serbia. 🟢 Democratic Politics for Youth by Green Youth of Ukraine – creation and distribution of political manual on the political participation of youth in Ukraine. 🟢 Rising Voices: Shaping the Future Political Agenda by Protests – creation of Protests' political platform through democratic and inclusive process. 🟢 Green Youth Academy 2.0 by Youth for a Green Future – capacity-building and team-building event to empower Bulgarian youth activists to be effective agents of positive change in their communities. 🟢 Mobilisation for Transformation by Young Greens of Georgia – inner organizational meetings to discuss the existing challenges in Georgia, and redefine organisation's mission, strategy, and future goals. 🟢 Revitalizing the Youth: Animal Liberation in Local Authorities by Young Greens of Turkey – the workshop to create the proposal of policy response to the new legislation on stray animals in Türkiye. This activity, as well as the Work Plan this activity is a part of, is carried out with funding from the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe @coe_youth #eyfcoe.

🌍 The African Union is changing the way it engages with civil society. 📝 Currently, a process is underway to propose a new formal engagement framework - but how will this impact civil society in Africa? Read the full brief 👉 https://bit.ly/3JOvZQ3 🔍 Analysing the formal and informal mechanisms, Martin Ronceray and European Partnership for Democracy (EPD)'s Andrew Songa argue that the accreditation reforms led by the AU Economic, Social and Cultural Council might fundamentally impact civil society-AU relations. #AU #civilsociety #Africa

Jonathan A. Chu, Eddy Yeung, and I wrote a short explainer in The Conversation UK about how people understand democracy around the world, with references to China, Egypt, and the United States. Read it here! https://lnkd.in/dmkPG2NK