Four activities will take place as part of the event:
- international conference,
- Promotion of citizens’ rights and gathering of opinions at the NGO Festival – Lupa,
- Training for the development of project ideas and applications for the Europe for Citizens Program and
- International evening.
Participation is free. The DOCPIE project is co-financed by the European Union with the Europe for Citizens program.
civic participation in the EU at a time of mistrust
international conference
When: Thursday 24. 9. 2015 between 9:00 and 1:00 p.m.
Where: conference hall, Ministry of Culture, Maistrova 10, Ljubljana
At the international conference within the ‘Civil Society University’ event, we will present the possibilities of democratic participation and successful methods, as well as ways to encourage the involvement of citizens in decision-making processes at the level of the European Union.
According to the latest results of the Eurobarometer, it can be seen that confidence in the EU is still a low 40%. At the conference, the problematic aspect of democratic responsibility and civic participation in Europe will be highlighted, as distrust in elites and institutions has a strong emotional charge and it is necessary to talk about it.
Tools will be presented, as well as examples of good practices in partner countries. In the last part, the participants will practically test the methodology for directing the dialogue on current European topics.
conference agenda:
| 08:30 | Registration of participants |
| 09:00 | Introductory address and greeting; Gabrijela Babič, president of the Association for Rural Development Laz Welcome address; Zoran Janković, Mayor of the Municipality of Ljubljana |
| 09:15 | funds of democratic participation in EU affairs and e-democratic participationMethods of democratic participation in EU affairs, presentation of cases and experiences related to the citizens’ initiative and consultations, Simon Delakorda, INEPA Decision-making in the EU and the role of the European Commission among citizens, Nataša Šip, Representation of the European Commission in Slovenia |
| 09:45 | active democratic involvement of individuals for and against Discussion of participants Moderator: Tina Michieli |
| 10:00 | A coffee break |
| 10:15 | Methods to increase citizens’ participationWays to increase civic participation – the experience of an NGO, Maja Selan, Robert Schuman Foundation, Poland View into European topics through projects, Endre Balassa, Municipality of Bačka Topola, Serbia self-organized district and Local communities of Maribor, Gregor Stamejčič, Initiative City Assembly, Maribor, Slovenia Activation of young people, Antonio Davitkovski, Egri Kriva Palanka, Republic of Macedonia Opportunities of EU financing for municipalities and NVO- How to build a sustainable and vital network of cities, Bela Zsolt Gergely, municipality of Kistarcs, Hungarian Promotion of civic activity of citizens, Zoran Hegedić, Municipality of Breznički Hum, Croatia |
| 11:15 | Workshop ‘Civil Society Open University’ Learning about the moderation method and a guided discussion about trust, inclusion and solidarity in the European Union and among European citizens Moderators: Gregor Stamejčič and Lucija Govedič Initiative City Assembly |
| 13:00 | End of Conference |
All questions and discussions that will develop during the conference will be published on social networks (FB, Twitter), and the lecturers’ presentations will be available in the printed version in the project brochure and on the project website. In this way, learning, exchange of experiences and good practices will take place.
Simultaneous translation will be provided at the conference.
Training for the development of project ideas and applications for the Europe for Citizens Program Calls
Workshop
When: Thursday 24. 9. 2015&nsp;Honey 13:30 and 17:00
Where: conference hall, Ministry of Culture, Maistrova 10, Ljubljana
During the training, participants will learn about the possibilities of financing projects with European Union funds, especially the Europe for Citizens program. Some successful projects financed from set 2 – Democratic operation and civic participation (measures: twinning of cities, network of cities, project of civil society) will be presented.
Methods to promote democratic participation of citizens will be presented, as well as innovative methods for project development and approaches to build international partnerships.
Performers: Darja Sekula Krstič, the meeting point of NGOs of Central Slovenia; Tina Michieli, project consultant
Workshop agenda:
| 1:30-14:00 | an opportunity for active citizenship with the help of EU programs Presentation of project funding opportunities within EU programs, Especially the Europe for Citizens program |
| 14:00-15:00 | Presentation of good practices of active citizenship projects through the Europe for Citizens program Presentation of successful program projects within set 2 – Democratic operation and civic participation (measures: twinning of cities, urban networking and civil society projects) |
| 15:00-17:00 | Developing project ideas through group work |
See more about the workshop and registration Here.
Promoting citizens’ rights and gathering opinions
When: Thursday 24. 9. 2015&nsp;Honey 11:00 and 20:00
Where: Docpie stand, Prešernov trg, Ljubljana
DOCPIE promotional events within the framework of the LUPA festival are aimed at informing about the possibilities of civic participation and civil rights in the EU, as well as collecting opinions on the participation of citizens at the EU level.
The LUPA festival is a traditional presentation of Slovenian non-governmental organizations that connect around one million inhabitants throughout Slovenia. The festival coincides with the week of civic participation.
- Info point on civil rights in the EU and getting to know the EU (Kiosk Europe)
- Youth debate: Active democratic involvement of individuals for and against (at 2 p.m., on stage at Prešeren Square)
- Presentation of the method of work of the Maribor City Assembly initiative
- Interactive promotional activities for visitors
- Collecting opinions using questionnaires
- ‘European Children’s Corner’
International Evening
When: Thursday 24/09/2015 at 8:00 pm
Where: Gostilna Pustov mlin, Cerovica, Šmartno pri Litiji
The all-day event will be concluded by a meeting of 15 project partners from 13 countries at an intercultural evening. The hosts, members of the LAZ Society, will present a part of Slovenian culture with the Javorje Folklore Group and traditional cuisine. Also, the project partners will present their countries through cuisine, singing, dancing, etc. The evening will be dedicated to the diversity, tradition and richness of the cultural and linguistic environment in Europe.
Attend one or all events and contribute to the promotion of active citizenship.