Our News

On May 20th, Speak Up hosted a webinar on Hoogkerk’s (Netherlands) innovative participatory budgeting method. Through community dialogues and voting, this initiative enables citizens to have a say on some of the village’s budgeting expenses, directly responding to their needs. This event featured Ma...

On June 4th 2025, over 60 participants gathered in Skive for the conference Driving Climate Action Through Citizen Engagement, organised by Skive Kommune and VIA University College. It was the second external conference hosted by the Speak Up partnership. The event brought together local practitione...

In the heart of the Marlborough neighborhood in Saint-Martin-Boulogne, France, a modest café named Le Nid has blossomed into a symbol of community empowerment and cohesion. Entirely managed by local residents, Le Nid began as a response to the community's desire for a welcoming space to connect. Wit...

On Tuesday 20 May, Speak Up will host its second webinar. During this webinar, the municipality of Groningen will talk about the citizens' budget they have established in a village in their municipality. The citizens' budget is called Sterk Hoogkerk (Strong Hoogkerk) and is a unique participation pr...

Digital tools can be a great way to improve engagement between government and citizens. In this article, we speak with Luuk Davidsz (Groningen Municipality), Anne de Zeeuw (Province of Drenthe) and Jasmien Wellens (Roeselare Municipality) to learn more about how digital platforms help their organisa...

On April 1st, Speak Up successfully hosted its first webinar, bringing together around 50 participants. The event featured Louise Bonnevier (City of Malmö) and Julia Jokiaho (Stockholm Environment Institute), who introduced their innovative approach to community-based dialogues in Malmö. These dialo...

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In this interview, we have the pleasure of speaking with Holger Højlund and Jens Ulrich who are both actively involved in the field of education and research at VIA University College in Denmark. VIA University College is a well-known institution offering education for various public servi...

In October, 40 citizens in the Swedish city Malmö participated in a local climate assembly to speed up the city’s climate transition. During a weekend, the participants developed 26 proposals across six thematic areas, which they later officially handed over to the City of Malmö. This climate a...