Complex contexts call for social innovation to reinvent democracy generating new models of collaborative governance. The existing paradigm is being challenged since it does not respond to the needs of nowadays social actors – politicians, citizens, experts, entrepreneurs. An unexpected opportunity to link a participatory workshop with a political decision making body (BurgerKabinet Brussels) emerged offering a space for action based on knowledge and experimentation.  Associating a group of active citizens with a team of professional facilitators, taking advantage of European networks, the ground is ready to build joint political proposals. A Participatory Citizen Cabinet with direct link to a decision-maker – a fundamental issue to engage, galvanize and revive democracy in cities and municipalities around Europe – plays the central role for this initiative. This Citizen Cabinet is receiving a great response. It will happen this coming April 1st in Brussels. Lia Vasconcelos (www.wteamup.com) from the New University of Lisbon and a member of the Portuguese National Council for the  Environment and Sustainable Development (CNADS) will be responsible for the group dynamics and professional facilitation of the Collective Intelligence Workshop closely with local teams, namely Miguel Magalhães, Guy Janssen, Guilherme Serodio, Davide Castro, Franzis Wimmer, Erik Edman, Marie Naas, from various organizations working in Belgian.

Workshop in Brussels, April 1st, on DEMOCRACY in Action - Amplifying Citizen Voice in Public Policy, with the participation of Lia Vasconcelos

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