February News: Digital participation, funding calls & our new democratic governance
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February News
Here’s the latest news from People Powered and participatory democracy worldwide. This month features:
Launch event for digital participation ratings
Guest post on Open Government Partnership
People Powered upgrades its democratic governance
Final call for PhD fellowship opportunity
News from our members and partners, and more!
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Join the Launch of the 2024 Digital Participation Ratings!
What are the best tools and platforms to enhance your digital participation program today? What criteria should governments and organizations use when selecting a digital participation tool? To help democracy practitioners decide, People Powered will launch its 2024 ratings of digital participation tools on March 14!
The 2024 edition is now updated for the third year with the input of independent experts and hundreds of users and developers. It features new platforms, methodological improvements, and a revamped Airtable presentation. Learn how to use the ratings to improve your digital participation program.
How can governments engage people in meaningful decision-making online?
What are good practices for including all voices in digital participation, especially those most affected by policy decisions? How can we harness the benefits of rapid technological change while guarding against threats like disinformation? These questions sit at the intersection of digital governance and public participation, two focus areas of the global Open Gov Challenge.
In a guest blog post for the Open Government Partnership, People Powered’s Nikhil Kumar and Melissa Zisengwe explain how we can better support organizations working on digital democracy globally, in ways that adapt to rapidly changing technologies and contexts.
People Powered Upgrades its Democratic Governance
People Powered is a member-driven, democratically governed organization. Our members decide on organizational plans and priorities, and staff then implement those priorities. We recently updated our governance system, including strategic planning, our annual decision-making process (People Powered Decides), regional hubs, and thematic committees. As part of this change, we phased out the Global Participatory Budgeting Boards to transition to broader support of diverse participatory and deliberative practices. If you’re interested in democratic governance in organizations, read more about our model.
Only two more weeks to apply to be our learning and evaluation specialist!
Applications for the fully funded two-year postdoc fellowship for a learning and evaluation specialist are still open. People Powered was selected as a host organization by the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) for its prestigious Leading Edge Fellowship program. The learning and evaluation specialist will help us understand, communicate and grow the impact of our work, in order to accelerate transitions to participatory democracy around the world.
Apply by 9 p.m. ET on Monday, March 13, 2024 (2 a.m. UTC on Tuesday, March 14, 2024). Applicants must be authorized to work in the US for the entire duration of the fellowship term.
The Urban Ecology Centre, in Montreal, Canada, is partnering with Bye Bye Béton!, in an innovative participatory demineralization program. Participants will decide how to remove asphalt or concrete over spaces chosen upstream and plant plants in these demineralized spaces.
Aaron Tanaka, the founder and executive director of the Center for Economic Democracy in Boston, United States, is embarking on a new journey as the co-director of One Project, a key funding partner of People Powered!
Citizens of Ankara: Re-Assemble!, which was initiated and led by our member Savaş Zafer Şahin in Turkey, has been chosen as a finalist in the category Democracy in The Innovation in Politics Awards 2024!
Involve UK launched the evaluation report for the first stage of the Local Climate Engagement program that trained and supported 21 local authorities across England in engaging their communities.
People Powered and our members Delibera Brazil, Democratic Society, Healthy Democracy, i4Policy, MASS LBP, and National Civic League, were recognized as ‘Pioneering Practitioners: Democratic Innovation Organizations to Watch’ by the Apolitical Foundation.
Participation Factory, in Czechia, turns 5 years old! They share their lessons learned and progress made.
Bertelsmann Stiftung publishes its Policy Brief 1/2024 – The EU’s participatory enlargement.
William and Flora Hewlett Foundation launches its Evidence-Informed Policymaking (EIP) strategy for 2024 to 2017.
The Open Government Partnership releases new ways that it’s making data accessible. Government reformers should also join the Open Gov Week happening May 27 to 31.
Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI) shares our collaboration on strengthening inclusive fisheries policy-making in Seychelles and Madagascar.
March 14: Launch of 2024 Digital Participation Tool Ratings (webinar)
May 15-18: Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy (Bucharest, Romania)
May 19-22: People Powered Member Convening (Warsaw, Poland)
May 22-23: e-Governance Conference 2024: Unlocking Digital Success (Hybrid, Estonia)
June 12-14: 5th Public Participation and Deliberative Democracy Festival (Brussels, Belgium)
June 12-13: TICTeC 2024: The Impacts of Civic Technology Conference (London, UK)
August 26-29: Local Democracy Academy (Lund, Sweden)
European Union: Citizens’ Engagement Platform allows people across Europe to shape EU policy on energy efficiency.
Innovation Growth Lab: The survey results on citizen engagement with 4600 people from six EU countries.
Ada Lovelace Institute: Meaningful public participation and AI
National Endowment for Democracy: Grants to advance democratic goals and strengthen democratic institutions (Deadline: March 11)
German Marshall Fund: Central Europe—Building Resilience in Civil Society (CEBRICS) project supports efforts to advance democratic freedoms and security with grants ranging from $10,000 to $25,000. (Deadline: March 15)
IDRC: Funding opportunity for research on climate change and health solutions that are co-created with local communities. (Deadline: March 15)
Global Partnership for Social Accountability: Green Accountability Tech Accelerator applications are now open. (Deadline: March 21)
MySociety: Call for proposals for the TICTeC, The Impacts of Civic Technology Conference (Deadline: March 22)
Mariam Assefa Fund: Elevating Migrant Leadership: Building Inclusive Futures Funding Opportunity for US-based organizations (Deadline: March 25)
Kofi Annan Foundation: Nominations for NextGen Democracy Prize are open for young democracy leaders aged between 18 to 30 (Deadline: March 31)
Swedish International Centre for Local Democracy: Call for scholarship applications for researchers to attend the ICLD 4th Local Democracy Academy in Lund, 26-29 of August (Deadline: March 31)
Multitudes Foundation: Open call for incubation and scaling grants for organizations building more inclusive politics in Europe (Rolling deadline)
