The fifth edition of the network's annual conference was attended by 125 scholars, practitioners and policymakers from every continent. The Youth Cafe staff were happy to have participated in this event. Network members came from the US, Brazil, Mexico, Kenya, Nigeria, Mauritius, Israel, India, Taiwan, Australia and 13 European countries, including Ukraine. Titled "Innovating Deliberative Democracy", the conference” dealt with three key themes: political participation, inclusive participation and democracy in (times of) crisis.
The Youth Cafe (TYC) is an example of leading African Youth Governance Architecture. Governance and political inclusion is a central area in the work of the Youth Cafe and is among The Eight Thematic Areas of the Youth Cafe’s work.
TYC provides a platform for young people and youth-led organizations to interact with the world. A transparent, democratic, and accountable environment is what The Youth Café is all about. We are here to ensure that you are part of the decision-making process because it is time for Africa's young people to take control of their future.
Together with two other German Democracy R&D member organizations, Nexus Institute and Mehr Demokratie eV, Bertelsmann Stiftung and The Technical University of Berlin played a leading role in organizing and hosting the conference.
From September 28th to 30th, 2022, 125 leading democracy experts from all over the world met at the annual conference of the Democracy R&D network in Berlin. The event showed that the field of participatory democracy is not only growing but also continuously changing.
The conference program was a result of collaborative design. More than half of the participants were involved in organizing program items. Some offerings addressed the state of (deliberative) democracy in specific countries, such as Ukraine's experience of wartime democracy or Taiwan's successful use of digital deliberative measures.
Other sessions dealt with concrete projects such as the Conference on the Future of Europe or Israel's first-ever Citizens' Assembly. Further sessions focused on the joint development of new methods (e.g. enclave consultations) and new strategies (e.g. climate assemblies and multilingual citizens' assemblies).
“Five years ago, we were still considered exotic in the political world. In the meantime, we have seen a wave of citizen participation that is spreading worldwide. That spurs us on to keep going.”
Two sessions specifically, aimed to engage politicians in the conversation to bridge the gap between ideals and political reality. On September 28th, a high-level dialogue took place on the future of participatory democracy with Gisela Erler (former State Councilor for Civil Society and Citizen Participation in the State Ministry of Baden-Württemberg), Gesine Märtens (State Secretary for Democracy, Europe and Equality, Saxony) and Colin Scicluna (Head of Cabinet to EU Vice President Dubravka Šuica, European Commission)
On the second day of the conference, half of the participants attended a meeting in the Bundestag with three MPs: Helge Lindh (SPD), Leon Eckert (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen) and Ralph Edelhäußer (CSU).
Political participation: How can citizen participation be better embedded in regular political processes?
Crucial to political support is building trust, both on the part of citizens and politicians. Politicians must accept that town hall meetings can lead to outcomes they disagree with. Leon Eckert assured: "The wisdom of the many can strengthen local authorities. We should also use this potential for our political processes at the federal level.
Ralph Edelhäußer from the CSU added that as participation in elections and party politics is falling, innovative methods such as deliberation processes are needed to involve broader sections of society in public decision-making. Deliberation and representation are not in competition, but deliberation can strengthen representative democracy.
“ It’s not only about listening to the citizens, but also about implementing what is proposed.”
Now is the time to move from experimentation to integrating innovative citizen participation into stable democratic structures. The state of Saxony has provided funds to support municipalities with finance and know-how in initiating citizen participation and incorporating it into regular processes.
“In Brazil, more and more local governments want to hold town meetings - so many that we can hardly keep up with our support! It’s great to see governments starting to see deliberative participation as a resource rather than a burden.”
Inclusive Participation: How deliberative processes can reflect the diversity of society.
Throughout the conference, members of the network and politicians alike emphasized that deliberation processes must be carefully designed to increase the inclusiveness of the political system.
“Citizens’ assemblies should not only be a tool for those who are already powerful but above all for those who are usually less involved, who don’t usually take part in decision-making processes.”
To achieve this goal, the German Bundestag will organize citizen assemblies, which not only German citizens can attend, but everyone who has lived in Germany for more than three months. And not only adults but also young people from 16 years of age.
Democracy in (crisis) times.
Democracy faces various crises. Polarisation, fragmentation, inequality, and lack of trust between politicians and citizens - these facets of the problem of democracy were highlighted by the three politicians at the high-level event. Gisela Erler, Gesine Märtens, and Colin Scicluna agreed that deliberative instruments could help to reduce social divisions.
“In Europe, we are trying to get at the forefront of the deliberative wave by involving citizens’ assemblies in the shaping of European politics.”
During the three days of Democracy R&D's annual conference, it became clear: Given the various crises, we must create a modern democracy that meets the expectations of citizens and the challenges of our time. According to Colin Scicluna, such a democratic renewal requires vision - and visionary political leadership is lacking. Here, then, the importance of civil society is even greater than usual, as it provides much-needed innovative proposals and keeps politicians on their toes.
"Seeing is believing": The experience of collective action is the key to democratic change.
We must constantly work to develop democracy further. This requires collective learning and openness for a constructive dialogue between politicians and citizens. Experiencing new forms of collective action and dialogue is the key to democratic change.
Democracies are built through co-creation and collective action, across silos or national borders, and with an openness to listen and learn from one another. By fostering this type of transnational learning and community building, Democracy R&D's 2022 Annual Conference played an essential role in strengthening democratic networks and developing visions for a new democratic future.
About Democracy R and D.
Democracy R&D is an international network of organizations, associations, and individuals that helps decision-makers make difficult decisions and build public trust. The network members jointly develop, implement and promote ways to improve democracy, from the local to the global level.
Democracy R&D works towards democracies where citizens are involved in critical public decisions that are difficult to make with our current structures - through a representative, deliberative, free-from-manipulation, informed and influential processes.
Each year, members of the Democracy R&D network come together to exchange ideas, spread knowledge, meet new people and renew existing relationships at the Democracy R&D Annual Conference. Previous editions have taken place in Madrid (2018), Paris (2019), Manchester (2020) and online (2021). The Youth Cafe has been a member of the network since 2021.