Democracy Fitness

Advocate Europe | Damian Boeselager (Spitzenkandidat VOLT)

We all have democratic muscles! But like muscles in general our democratic muscles require training not to become weak – risking weakening the entire democratic body of Europe. Democracy Fitness is simple, active and motivating training. Each training session takes 30 minutes and focus on one democratic muscle.

Culture & Well-being – A pragmatic Approach to move between European and local Politics through Culture

A Soul for Europe: Guido Ferilli, Frédéric Meseeuw, Mahir Namur, Rarita Zbranca, Yves Mettler | Arne Lietz (MEP)

How do we define well-being and what role does culture play for the well-being of citizens? As new ways to address urban development, citizenship, difference, disability, happiness or meaning are needed for the future of Europe, we want to discuss an alternative approach to local politics through culture, articulated around the notion of well-being. Together we aim to form an informal group of people interested in discussing the topics further in the future.

Importance of women for European (cultural) policy on the basis of their presence in the European Parliament (past, present and future)

A Soul for Europe: Miguel Martin Ramos, Giusy Chierchia | Pia Locatelli (former MEP) | Prof. Abram de Swaan (Academy of Yuste) | Ophélie Omnes (JEF Europe) | Diva Ricevuto (Associazione sulle Regole)

In 1979, the first European elections were held and female candi-dates were strongly motivated and mobilised to run for European Parliament. The European institutions, in particular the European Commission, but also the civil society and many other associations and movements fought to make women more conscious of their rights and supported female candidates. The results of the elections were unbelievable: the presence of women increased from 6% to 16% and the European Parliament had its first female president, Simone Veil. Starting from these reflections, the idea of the workshop is to find ways and actions to increase women’s consciousness about the im-portance of the next European elections.

“Europe Talks & Europe Listens“

Das Progressive Zentrum | ZEIT ONLINE | Helmut Scholz (MEP)

There is much talk about Europe today – at events organised by political organisations in metropoles or in an academic context. In these for-mats, one usually meets similar people and hears the same people speak. However, Europe doesn’t only matter to citizens in big cities – it matters to citizens all over Europe. This workshop explores possibilities to boost direct dialogue between EU citizens on Europe. It will discuss these potentials on the basis of two projects: “Europe listens” and “Europe talks”. In addition, the workshop will exchange best-practices with participants to find new ways to foster dialogue and bring the results to decision-makers.

Relying on the power to digitally connect people, the project “Europe talks“ by ZEIT ONLINE and 15 other European media partners engages thousands of Europeans in political one-on-one conversations. Via an online algorithm, European citizens are matched with a European neighbour who holds differ-ent political opinions. On May 11th, thousands of people will meet either in person or online to exchange their views.

Opting for an analogous way, the project “Europe listens – a journey for dialogue” (Europa hört – eine Dialogreise) toured through ten German villages far off the political centres. Via innovative formats, it motivated participants to exchange their views, hopes, and fears on Europe. Afterwards, the project team of think tank Das Progressive Zentrum analysed the results and presented them to decision-makers.

Can there be a European culture of remembrance?

European Academy Berlin | Michael Cramer (MEP)

1989 – so close and yet so far away… The children of those days are grown up, the adults reached the retirement age and a new generation, born after the fall of the Berlin Wall, is entering the labour market. This year has become part of our collective memory like hardly any other event of contemporary history. It has become a so called realm of memory. The 30th anniversary of 1989 is a perfect occasion to take a look beyond national boundaries and focus on Cultures of remembrance in Europe. There are in different countries – and also among different generations – countless perspectives on this decisive moment of recent history.

How do we remember 1989, what do we remember – and what do we forget? How memories are changing over time? Can there be a European Culture of remembrance? And can a common culture of remembrance serve as a “social cement” holding together Europe? These and other questions serve as a starting point to discuss collective memories, transmission of memories within the family and Cultures of remembrance all over Europe – by means of the Fast Networking method.

Spaces for Assemblies: Scripts/Protocols/Formats

Evens Foundation | in cooperation with raumlaborberlin

We assemble because we are divided by matters of concern and want to come to a sort of provisional (dis)agreement. But how can we negotiate, debate or deliberate, and sometimes come to a compromise between people with widely divergent views? How can our differences – some of them irreconcilable – allow a collective discussion?

This workshop invites participants to explore and bring into being spaces for assemblies. Through a series of embodied exercises, we will develop and test different modes of assemblies and decision-making processes. Some questions we would like to reflect upon are: What kind of spaces encourage assemblages of collective activity? Can we design spaces or create situations that allow us to speak different? Are these flexible enough to facilitate more than one position? Which spatial protocols can provoke a responsive, accessible and caring assembly?

The workshop is led by Rosario Talevi (raumlaborberlin) and Anne Davidian (Evens Foundation).

Beyond “the others” – At home in Black Europe

Polis180 | Moshtari Hilal | Johny Pitts | Antje Scharenberg

What does being European or being “at home” in Europe mean? How can Europe be defined as a political community rather with than against “others“?

Polis180 discusses these questions with Johny Pits, photographer and founder of Afropean, a London-based initiative that aims to connect the Black Community throughout Europe, and Antje Scharenberg, researcher at Goldsmiths University and activist at European Alternatives. The workshop explores a notion of Europe that is based on alternative transnational subjectivities, and communities that are under the radar of mainstream public discourse. Besides the discussion, Johny and Antje will share pieces of their work that involving the fields of photography, literature, activism and research.

Cultural Policy from Below: Bottom-up Process for a European Cultural Governance

Polis180 | Carl Grouwet (ALDE-Candidate Berlin) | Sven Skoric (Goethe Institute Brussels) | Hannes Swoboda (former MEP)

Which Cultural Policy, if any, should the European Union pursue? We strongly believe that artists and cultural actors should be influential in elaborating an answer to this question.

The workshop Cultural Policy from Below will focus on a series of propositions elaborated by young cultural actors during a participative discussion (Workshop, crowdsourcing platform Policy Kitchen) organized ahead of the conference A Soul for Europe.

We will discuss those propositions with experts and leading actors of EU’s Cultural Policy, as well as reflect the points of tension emerging in the process of elaboration of those propositions.

As part of the workshop, Moshtari Hilal will exhibit a fragmented self-portrait which she uses as a projection screen for what concerns her about Europe: (Neo)Colonialism, Democracy, Prosperity and Migration.

Squaring the circle – How to unfold a European media sphere 

eurotopics | n-ost | Wir sind Europa! | Silke Gebel (MP) | Volker Grassmuck | Marjin Duijvestein

For a number of years the (European) media have been facing multiple problems: Subscription numbers as well as ad revenues are shrinking, in several countries press freedom is threatened by the influences of oligarchs and other stakeholders and many users lose trust in traditional media and turn to social networks where they are exposed to disinformation and fake news. Yet European democratic societies need media that are independent, trustworthy and dare to look beyond national borders. How can transnational (online) publication platforms and cross border investigations contribute to a European media sphere? What kind of progressive and trustworthy media spaces are imaginable and what are the preconditions for their emergence? And to what extent should the EU support independent media outlets with a European focus?

Towards the European Elections

Alliance4Europe | thistimeimvoting | Die Vielen e.V. | Europa Machen | Tracking Exposed European Elections | European May | Nicht ohne Uns! | Pulse of Europe

In the light of the upcoming European Elections, we assemble strong pro-European campaigns and give them a platform. The workshop will not only grant the campaigns an opportunity to share their approach and narrative but rather connect and interact with each other.