Our Project is on!
The Institute of Research & Training on European Affairs – I.R.T.E.A. implements the project “Digital Civic Participation v2.0 (DCP v2.0)” funded by the program Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values of the European Union (CERV-2021-CITIZENS-TOWN).
Due to the necessity for urgent, flexible decisions during the COVID-19 crisis, regulatory power has substantially shifted toward the government and local authorities, thus creating an imbalance of societal representation in political decision-making. Meaningful participation is critical when it comes to achieving socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable outcomes. Convincing exemplary projects have demonstrated how citizen engagement appeal and digital participation are essential in crisis situations such as climate change and pandemics. The project will explore the relationship between digitally enabled participatory tools and democracy, including such dimensions as citizen demand, state power, collective action, and mobilization. DCP2 v2.0 aims at innovating the civic education process resulting in increased participation of young people in their communities. As part of this innovation, a user-friendly manual will be developed, which will gather and present a collection of known e-participation tools, with practical examples to enhance civic participation. In conclusion, the project attempts to assess whether investing in digital tools to enhance participation during COVID-19 is appropriate. One consideration is whether their use, post-pandemic, will maintain or extend audience participation. Additionally, activities that increase participants’ access to and interaction with planning processes, and the knowledge and data they provide, might also have positive long-term impacts on other stakeholders, such as local communities.
The “DCP v2.0” project also aims to record and analyze digital tools used in EU countries and to establish a user-friendly manual on how and under what circumstances can be used. The purpose of the manual is to be able to be used easily by all, so as to further enlarge its use in the decision-making process at a local level.
The consortium of the project comprises of:
- INSTITUTE OF RESEARCH & TRAINING ON EUROPEAN AFFAIRS – I.R.T.E.A. – Lead partner, Greece
- MUNICIPALITY OF CINISELLO BALSAMO – Italy
- MUNICIPALITY OF STARACHOWICE – Poland
- PONT Group – Romania
- MUNICIPALITY OF KLAIPEDA – Lithuania
The project’s activities concern:
- The study and investigation of existing tools and methods of e-participation tools
- The presentation of these tools to all members of the society in practical and understandable examples to all, making them accessible and achievable.
- Training, education and empowerment of both young and municipal officials with digital participatory democracy tools
- Identify and exchange ‘’ good practices ‘’ in the field of digital participation between European partners
- Enhancing digital participation with the goal of increasing the involvement of citizens with digital tools
During the project, young people from Poland, Italy, Lithuania, Romania and Greece as well as representatives of the Municipalities, will contribute to the above objectives by means of non-formal and formal learning methods and tools in the context of project activities
More specifically, the actions to be implemented are as follows:
- At local level each partner will collect data on the digital tools used
- A transnational conference will then be held in Greece to exchange and promote good practices, between civil society, young participants, and partners, based on the results of the first part
- Finally, an international Hackathon will take place in Greece, with a key focus on the application of digital tools and methods at a local level.
The project will last 24 months, and the target groups are young people 15-30 and municipal employees working in the youth sector, who are interested in being informed and involved in the process of shaping participatory innovative e-democracy tools and innovative for their municipality.
For more information for the project please follow our website and social media.
