March news: How to engage youth & women, RFP & mentorship deadlines!
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Hey there!
This month’s news features stories on youth and women’s inclusion, new ratings of digital participation tools, a call for proposals for consultants, a final call for Rising Stars Mentorship applications, and more!
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Our members are working to include youth in participatory budgeting across Eastern Europe
How can we adapt our current political participation and education models to include youth voices? Youth participatory budgeting gives us a compelling way to achieve that. People Powered members have joined forces to expand youth participatory budgeting to schools across four Eastern European countries. Learn more about the challenges and impact of their efforts, and how People Powered supports this work.
How participatory programs can better include women
In Santa Ana Tzacuala, Mexico, like in many rural areas around the world, decision-making typically excludes women. Things changed when our member, Ollin, arrived to run a participatory budgeting program designed to include women every step of the way. What resulted were innovative ideas from women and children to protect the environment and create spaces for families. Learn the best practices that made this process a success and how you can better include women in participatory programs. Read the story and watch our video!
We compiled the best digital participation tools of 2024
Every year, we evaluate the world’s leading digital participation tools together with independent tech experts and with the input of hundreds of developers and users. We’ve just released the 2024 ratings featuring 30 platforms designed to help you run digital participation programs, from participatory policymaking to citizens’ assemblies and more! Find your new participation tool today.
We’re seeking consultants to take us to the next level
People Powered seeks a suite of consulting services to support a recent leadership transition to a Co-Executive Director model and advance strategic organizational priorities. A generous capacity-building grant is allowing us to increase our internal capabilities in fundraising, partnerships, and community building.
The consultant(s) will work on elevating our engagement strategies with donors and renewing our membership strategy to boost our value to our global community. Review the Request for Proposals (RFP) and share it with your networks. Deadline: April 8.
Tomorrow is the last day to apply for Rising Stars Mentorship!
Launching or improving a participatory program is challenging work. How do you design processes that are effective and impactful? What’s the best way to gain support from policymakers? Our expert mentors in participation worldwide could answer questions like these — Apply by March 27 to be accepted into the program!
Involve launched its first series of online training masterclasses on Public Engagement 101, Facilitation Skills, and Equitable Engagement. Join them if interested.
Urban Ecology Centre launched the 3rd edition of Montreal's PB, where citizens will decide how to allocate $45 million citywide for development or equipment projects! So far, it is the biggest PB in North America.
Bareedo Platform held a workshop on Building an Inclusive Democracy for local nonprofit organizations and introduced an online self-paced training course developed by People Powered and a consortium of member organizations, which is part of the Building Inclusive Democracy program.
Smarter Together and Dreamocracy - Collective Creativity for the Common Good, our latest members, orchestrated a vibrant workshop where 30 participants, including citizens, NGOs, tech experts, and communication specialists, generated numerous fresh, bold, and imaginative ideas for citizens to advocate for sustainable fisheries.
Platoniq Fundación launched the WilderJournal #2 on Future Culture: Creativity and Democracy. Take a look and enjoy the fascinating articles included in this volume.
The International Observatory on Participatory Democracy (IOPD) accepts nominations for the 18th edition of the IOPD Award for ‘Best Practice in Citizen Participation’ until May 15.
The OECD’s Public Governance Division wrapped up a two-day conference in the European Parliament on the role of democratic innovations in Parliament and democracy support.
The Open Government Partnership supported the Summit for Democracy, and analyzed the past commitments from it and how they compare to OGP commitments.
April 2: Barcelona vs. Bogota: What Is the World's Most Democratic City? (Zoom)
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)
See the highlights on digital participation from our Resource Center
Digital tools and PB in Scotland. A research report on the use of digital tools to support participatory budgeting in Scotland, this resource offers vital learnings and recommendations to consider when implementing digital participation.
Digital Democracy: A guide. This resource is full of advice for local governments on how to get started with existing digital tools for democratic decision-making based on practical experiences and insights.
Montevideo Decide. This case study demonstrates how digital participation was used to give the people of Montevideo, Uruguay, power over local policymaking through debates, surveys, and project initiatives.
If you are looking to engage your community online, make sure to check out our Guide to Digital Participation Platforms, which provides practical information and tips to plan your next digital participation program!
Center for European Policy Studies: Participatory democracy in the EU should be strengthened with a Standing Citizens’ Assembly
The Guardian: Analysis: Irish referendum fiasco puts future of lauded citizens’ assemblies in doubt
The Economist: Will climate change win the 2024 elections?
UN Foundation: Strengthening citizen participation in global governance
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)
IDRC: Funding opportunity for research on climate change and health solutions that are co-created with local communities. (Deadline: April 5)
National Endowment for Democracy: Grants to advance democratic goals and strengthen democratic institutions (Deadline: June 3)
Multitudes Foundation: Open call for incubation and scaling grants for organizations building more inclusive politics in Europe (Rolling deadline)
