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Presentation during the kick-off meeting

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Here we share our latest activities and other findings.

Presentation during the kick-off meeting

Roeselare’s Dialogue Maker: Creating Engagement and Bringing Neighbours Closer Together

In Roeselare (Belgium), a unique initiative is transforming neighbourhoods by building stronger local support networks. The Dialogue Maker is a full-time community facilitator who’s responsibility is to actively help residents both offline and online. He provides residents with information, support,...

The Name Vote: How Oldenburg Engaged Citizens in Shaping Their Urban Space

In Oldenburg (Germany), the opening of a new leisure area turned a simple park into an opportunity for citizen participation. During the “Name Vote” initiative, citizens were invited to help name the area as part of its official opening on August 15th 2025. Around 140 suggestions were collected that...

How Can we Spark Democratic Dialogue in Creative New Ways? Oldenburg Beermats

In Oldenburg (Germany), creative ideas are being used to spark conversations and promote civic engagement. With the “Oldenburg Beermats”, residents were invited to take part in a unique initiative that connected everyday dialogue with broader themes of democracy and inclusion. In this article, the c...

Citizen’s Banquet: How a French Region Started a Yearly Tradition of Citizen and Youth Engagement

On Wednesday July 9th 2025, Bellidée organized the Banquet Citoyen in Saint-Martin-Boulogne (France) —an open-air civic celebration that has become a yearly summer tradition for the region’s social centers. This year, the event brought together up to 650 attendees! This included residents, users of...

LISTEN Project: 5 Principles to Strengthen Youth Participation

The EU Youth Strategy for 2019-2027 highlights a concerning decline in participation among young people in the EU. Given this context, it is crucial to understand barriers to participation and how to foster youth engagement. As part of Interreg North Sea’s LISTEN project, partners from Sweden, Franc...

Co-creation and Citizen Engagement: An Interview with Anne Tortzen

Anne Tortzen is an expert in co-production and citizen engagement and founder of Center for Citizen Dialogue (Denmark). Anne has trained as a political scientist and process- and communication consultant. She has published a number of books and articles on citizen engagement, co-creation and de...

Citizen Assembly Groningen: Citizens decide on a new waste policy

In the municipality of Groningen, a citizen assembly decides over the new waste policy. 120 carefully selected participants engage in dialogue regarding waste reduction, and formulate their recommendations towards the city council. A citizen assembly is one of the highest forms of citizen engagement...