How to support youth participation e-tools for democracy - Final version

EUROPEAN STUDENTS’ FORUM

HOW TO SUPPORT YOUTH PARTICIPATION: E-TOOLS FOR

DEMOCRACY

Andrea Ferrara – AEGEE-EuropeNils Altland – Liquid Democracy e. V.

Kyiv – 15th October 2015

HOW TO SUPPORT YOUTH PARTICIPATION: E-TOOLS FOR

DEMOCRACY

I. Democracy and participation in Europe

II. New ways of participation

III.E-tools to support participation

IV.What’s new in AEGEE?

AEGEE-EUROPE / EUROPEAN STUDENTS' FORUM

WHAT IS DEMOCRACY?


∆ήµος + κράτος“Rule of the people”

Source: https://goo.gl/3Mf3t2

I. DEMOCRACY AND PARTICIPATION IN EUROPE

Political participation broadly is about taking actions to bring change in society.

It can take different forms:

�Participation in representative democracy and political parties;

�Participation in participatory structures, such as youth organizations or issue-based NGOs or volunteering;

�Participation in debate on community issues.


�Participation in representative democracy and political parties

Crisis of representative democracy



Voters turnout in European Parliament elections¹

1 Source: Results of the European elections

European parliament website http://www.europarl.europa.eu/elections2014-results/en/turnout.html



II. NEW WAYS OF PARTICIPATION

Despite (or because) the crisis of the representative democracy, citizens found more and new (and/or old) ways of participating and acting to change society.

�Civil society;

�Protest / demonstration / riot;

�Participation in campaign.


“aggregate of non-governmental organizations and institutions that manifest interests and will of citizens”

Organizations in a society which are independent of the government(s)



Organizations are working to make a change in a specific sector or for a certain group of people

e.g.

- Direct actions

- Lobbying

- Research



Other examples…





Action by a mass group or collection of groups of people in favor of a political or other cause- Marches - Rallies- Picketing- Sit-ins



# Establishment with less ability to

generate consensus than ever

# Politicians elite who just care

about keeping privileges and other interests

# New movements affirming that political parties and movements are tools, not ends in themselves



# not endorsed by any large

political party, trade union or

traditional political organization

# Organized by ad-hoc platforms



“The most democratizing aspect of the internet is the ability of the people to organize and communicate in groups”

Steven Clift in “Democracy is online”, 1998



Organized effort aimed to influence the decision making process within a specific group.

The campaign can be spontaneous or organized.



Connective action ≠ Collective action

# Communication becomes a prominent part of organizational structure

# Digital media enable people to share and diffuse resources across social networks without formal commitment to organizations

Organizations loose the central role in resource mobilization, a central feature to mobilization processes in the past



E-tools are used to collect and discuss citizens’ views with the aim to better represent their interests and need.

E-Participation ≠ informing/consulting

�Engagement in the decision making process

�Empowerment the participation in the democratic governance


III. E-TOOLS TO SUPPORT PARTICIPATION

Use of social media to support participation:

• Twitter, FB and Instant messaging for information dissemination, sharing initiatives;

• Google Hangout and Skype for small meetings, discussions, consultations;

• Blogs for soliciting input;

• YouTube to promote initiatives;

• On-line surveys, newsletters, web forums etc.



Innovative use of applications:

• Emergency broadcasting texting;

• Social media pages to collect citizens’ input on services and to report issues to government;

• Apps to vote on local initiatives and to collect input on proposed policy change.





Governments’ commitment to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to strengthen governance.

�e-Democracy and e-Participation

e-Campaigning, e-Voting, Consultation Platforms

�e-GovernmentOpen-data, e-Government services

�Security and Privacy

Identity management, digital rights, cyber attacks, cyber crimes (NSA, “safe-harbour” etc.)

�Social, legal and ethical issuesSurveillance Technologies and Legal Implications, digital divide, freedom of expression and of information (…)



23

Some good reasons not to use commercial social media…

24

• You’re not the customer, you’re the product!

• Keep control of your personal data!

• Mind the Snowden leaks…

IV. WHAT’S NEW IN AEGEE?

Vision AEGEE strives for a democratic, diverse and borderless Europe, which is socially, economically and politically integrated, and values the participation of young people in its construction and development.

Youth participation in democratic process¹AEGEE promotes and supports the involvement and engagement of young people in their communities all around Europe.

Active political participation of all citizens, and especially of all young people, is the basis for a well functioning European society.


1 Source: http://www.aegee.org/position-paper-in-youth-participation-in-democratic-processes/


� Project aimed to get more young people involved in political decision-making and increase youth trust in European political institutions.

� develop an open and easy-to-use online participation platform along with different mobile tools and apps for smartphones and tablets.



Challenge 6Europe in a changing worldInclusive, innovative and reflective societies

Societal and political engagement of young people and their perspectives on Europe


EUth is funded by the European Union under the research programme Horizon 2020

The European Commission funded this project with 2.5 million € (N.B. AEGEE is getting a very little part of this budget!)




Despite (or because…) of this distrust, young people are more active in associations than in political parties²

¹Standard Eurobarometer 77 Spring 2012

Decreasing trust of young people towards EU and institutions in general¹

The EC put in place the EU youth strategy aimed: - To provide opportunities for young people- To encourage young people to actively

participate in society

² Eurobarometer Flash European Youth: participation in democratic life’ 2013 (n°375)

Request to develop a tool to facilitate the participation and the engagement to enable public authorities and organizations to open their decision-making processes.


Voters turnout in European Parliament elections¹

1 Source: Results of the European elections

European parliament website http://www.europarl.europa.eu/elections2014-results/en/turnout.html




TOOLS IN AEGEE FOR E-PARTICIPATION

MAILING LIST…



1 - The project addresses one of the main priorities of AEGEE: the participation of young people. The software that will be produced by the consortium will facilitate the involvement of young people in taking decisions.

2 – It is a great chance for AEGEE to improve the communication within our huge network. The EUth software can become the main consultation and participation tool.

WHY IS AEGEE IN EUTH?

YPART ‘LIQUID DEMOCRACY’

• Collective Text-Writing

• Agenda-Setting

• Proposal and Amendment-Voting

FLASHPOLL‘FLASHMOB VOTING’

• On-Spot Voting

• Geographical Limitation

• instantaneous sets of public opinion


ACTIVITIES


Alfstore

WHAT IS LIQUID

DEMOCRACY ?

a set of democratic principles, which are supported by/realised with the help of digital media technology and software

a means to digitally structure democratic discourses in an open and accessible way, driven by its users/citizens

time, place and intensity independent

a flexible (,liquid’) combination of direct and representative democracy

Delegated voting

Levels & implementation of Liquid Democracy

theoretical concept

software solution

use cases

development of new software features

1

2

3

Our tool: the free and open source software Adhocracy

Adhocracy

github.com/liqd/adhocracy/

Currently realized processes and use cases

• Collecting Ideas

• Collaboratively drafting texts

• Land-use planning

43

45

49

50


Liquid Democracy

Collective Text-Writing

Geographical Target

On-Spot Voting

Complex Consultation

Processes

EUth

One App

Online Agenda-Setting


Shared decision making process

Preparing proposals

Propose statute’s changes

To vote on delegates

and CD

Consultation of members

One App

Prepare the Agenda of meetings

For AEGEE

AMBITIONSPilot the app with 1800 students in

AEGEEIncrease youth e-

participation

Implement EUth tool as

the main consultation

and decision-making tool

Equip students with e-participation

skillsIncrease internal discussion and participation

Improving internal and external democracy processes

METHODOLOGY

Publishing and Promotion of Results

Testing at Agora Online-Voting, Online-Discussion

Training and Preparation in NWMsVoting and E-Participation Simulation

Testing in Locals3 locals with various sizes

Training of TrainersCommunity Managers

TIMELINE

Autumn 2015

Preparation of Pilot

Winter 2016

Pilot EUth in 3 locals

February 2016European Planning Meeting Leiden

May 2016

Pilot at Spring Agora Bergamo

Summer 2016

Best-Practice Guide

PREPARATION OF THE PILOT

To inform the local members of AEGEE-Europe of the involvement of the association in the project EUth, the members of the comité directeur and the project manager of the project EUth will deliver presentations during the Network Meetings. Below the calendar: • 24 – 27 September - Firenze

• 29 Oct – 01 Nov –Athina• 05 – 08 Nov –Tartu• 05 – 08 Nov –Tbilisi• 12 – 15 Nov –Cluj-Napoca• 13 – 15 Nov – Valencia• 19 – 22 Nov – Berlin• 20 – 23 Nov – Delft• 26 – 29 Nov – Kraków• 26 – 29 Nov – Sofia


PILOT

• Test with 3 locals

• EPM, Leiden

• AGORA, Bergamo


HOW TO GET INVOLVED?


Join Online Consultation for Methods

Apply to be one of 3

testing localsJoin ITC

Become Community

Manager


WWW.EUTH.NET


Andrea [email protected] [email protected]

EUROPEAN STUDENTS’ FORUM

THANK YOU FOR YOUR

ATTENTION!

Documents

How to support youth participation e-tools for democracy - Final version