NECE Lab: Youth participation in democracy

In the wake of rising antidemocratic sentiments across Europe, young people are coming together to create bold yet practical and actionable solution packages designed to serve as effective countermeasures. This exchange aims at making populist and anti-democratic attitudes of different EU countries visible and empower young people to devise strategies that foster stronger democratic values.

So, are you between 18 and 25 years old? Do you have a strong connection to, or are you from a rural/peripheral region? Do you have ideas and experiences about how young people can actively counteract anti-democratic sentiments? Are you passionate about strengthening political culture in your local community? If so, then apply now to join the NECE Lab: Youth participation in democracy, hosted by THE CIVICS Innovation Hub in cooperation with the Sofia Platform Foundation and Znanje na Djelu.

Under the theme ‘CIVICS Democracy Toolbox: Future Skills for a Resilient Europe,’ up to 20 young people from peripheral or rural areas in Bulgaria, Croatia, and Germany will convene within Leipzig and its surroundings to examine and contextualise the transnational challenges posed by anti-democratic and populist movements. In the next phase, participants will develop low-threshold and practical solution ideas that can be transformed into accessible content and materials for use in transnational youth work and local democratic action. The results of this innovative and collaborative exchange will be presented to a diverse audience of policymakers, youth advocates, and young changemakers from across Europe at the 18th Deutscher Kinder- und Jugendhilfetag (German Child and Youth Welfare Congress) in Leipzig on the 13th of May.

The age range of participants is limited to 18-25 years to ensure balanced and inclusive discussions and prevent an unintentional overshadow of younger voices by experienced ones - offering a space where all participants feel confident to engage, contribute, and exchange ideas on an equal footing.

NECE (Networking European Civic Education) is a multi-stakeholder network for civic educators to connect, learn and grow. At NECE Labs, our primary objective is to promote and strengthen interdisciplinary and transnational collaboration in civic education. We achieve this by embracing a multi-perspective approach that focuses on essential civic competencies as well as the co-creation of innovative tools for effective civic education.

For this Lab, we invite you to interact with like-minded young change-makers, sharing your experiences and perspectives on how to inspire change in your local community to promote democracy and resilience. You will hear from experts vexed in strengthening democracy and active civic participation as well as be guided by an experienced design-thinking moderator to guide you in developing practical ideas for promoting democracy that suits your local context. Additionally, getting selected for this Lab guarantees you an automatic participation slot at the prestigious German Child and Youth Welfare Congress and grants you access to all its working sessions!

Have we pricked your interest? Then fill out our application form and apply with a few details about yourself and your motivation until 27 Feb 2025 (11:59 pm CET). If our selection panel votes your application as one of the best 20, you will be invited to participate in the Lab, with all travel and accommodation expenses covered.

We look forward to receiving your application and making democracy happen by participating, together! If you have questions, contact the NECE Labs team at nece-labs@thecivics.eu.