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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

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...

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...

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...

How to Start a Food Council? Experiences from Groningen

We spoke with Berber Snippe, who recently completed an internship with the Speak Up project at the municipality of Groningen. Her work focused on researching how food councils function, and how Groningen could found one. In this interview, we discuss her main findings and the transnationality of suc...

A Look Back on "Your Neighbourhood Your Voice" Webinar

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...

Driving Climate Action Through Citizen Engagement Conference

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...

Empowering residents: How a local café transformed a neighborhood

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...