Hi members,

In this April member update, join one of the People Powered committees, check out a recap of the Citizens’ Assembly impacts workshop, find more information on the next member workshops on talking about democracy when it’s under attack, and read the latest publications from the community, and welcome new members. 

April Member Workshops:

Framing Participation: How to talk about democracy when it’s under attack—and why it matters

April 24 & 28

Democracy is under attack—from rising authoritarianism to shrinking civic space—how can we still talk about democratic participation in a way that moves people? Join us to explore how we can frame participatory democracy as a powerful way to have our voices heard. Together, we’ll share practical messaging strategies, learn from global case studies, and contribute to a growing narrative of democratic renewal.

Including communications experts from Fundación Corona, SNF Agora Institute, and more!

📅 Date: April 24, 2025
⏰ Time: 8 AM - 9 AM ET 
📍 Location: Zoom

📅 Date: April 28, 2025
⏰ Time: 12 PM – 1 PM ET 
📍 Location: Zoom

Webinar: Strategies for Renewing Democracy Globally with Mainstreaming Participation

Around the world, trust in institutions is declining and participatory innovations often remain isolated events. But what if public participation became a sustained pillar of governance—strengthening democracy, building trust, and driving systemic change?

Join People Powered and global partners for a webinar about how governments and civil society are mainstreaming public participation to reshape governance and create lasting democratic impact.

Discover the tools, research, and strategies that are reshaping democracy from the ground up—and learn how you can be part of this systemic transformation.

See our amazing members in action including: Ciudadania Inteligente, IOPD Africa, Kota Kita, Institute of Public Finance Kenya and Mosaic.

📅 Date: April 15, 2025
⏰ Time: 10–11:30 AM ET
/ 2–3:30 PM UTC
📍 Location: Zoom

Community Updates

Sign up to join a Committee by April 6

Join one of the PP member committees to support major long-term areas of our work!

Committees address key issues, develop and review plans, and prepare proposals for the organization. Besides contributing to the People Powered community, joining a committee is a great way to expand your network and build more connections with PP members. These are the committees that you can join:

  1. Capacity-Building

  2. Communications

  3. Digital Participation

  4. Finance & Operations

  5. Fundraising

  6. Governance

  7. Membership

  8. Partnerships

  9. Playbook

  10. Research

Please note that most committees (other than the Memberships committee which will meet less frequently) will be meeting at least four times a year. The scope of work will depend on the committee. 

Impacts of Citizens Assemblies

Did you miss our March Members’ Workshop on Citizens’ Assemblies & Youth Participation? Check out the summary below!

Overview:

  • Coglobal shared insights and learnings based on the exciting work they are doing on Citizens’ Assemblies with Children and Youth.

  • People Powered shared their plans to produce an Impact Report on Citizens’ Assemblies and to develop School Participation Resources.

  • Members shared their experiences helping to organize or evaluate Citizens’ Assemblies in Kenya, Spain, Argentina and India in partnership with city Governments, Universities, and youth from vulnerable communities.

  • Members shared their experiences contributing to the recruitment, design, implementation, and evaluation of Youth Panels and School or Youth PB processes in Brazil and the United States.

We also began compiling a list of resources that might be helpful in your work:

Finally, we are continuing to build community around the topics of Citizens’ Assemblies (with youth or adults) and School or Youth Participation with our networking contact sheet and a running list of relevant resources.

Interested in connecting with other members on these topics?

Know of some great resources or want to share your organizations’ work in this area?

Opportunities

Iswe and Participedia: Workshop on Global Citizens’ Assembly Citizen Selection and Recruitment

📆 April 23, 2025

⏰ 12:00pm-2:00pm EST

📍 Virtual via Zoom (Register via Eventbrite)

Co-hosted by Iswe Foundation and Participedia, this workshop will explore methods for global citizen assembly selection and recruitment, reflect on lessons from past citizens’ assemblies, propose new methodologies, and explore how different selection principles shape deliberative fora.

Register here!

DemocracyNext is launching its paper Spaces for Deliberation

📆 Date: April 10, 2025

⏰ Time: 9.30 AM EST

📍 Location: Virtual via Zoom

This new research explores spatial qualities for successful citizen deliberation. Hear from practitioners about how they balance practicality against the creation of welcoming environments for deliberation. 

Register here!

European Commission: Join the Advisory Committee of the Young Citizens’ Assembly on Pollinators

The European Commission is looking for experts with skills and experience in facilitating dialogue between stakeholders across multiple disciplines to advise on the implementation of the Assembly. The Assembly aims to engage young people in the dialogue on reversing the decline of pollinating insects. 

Application Deadline: 7th April 2025, at 12:00 CET

Online application form: EU Survey Form

Updates from members

What has the community been working on this month?

  • Accionar.io is looking for student volunteers!

  • Accountability Lab is launching a partnership service for nonprofits that are looking to start new initiatives or find a new home for their work.

Member publications

Read the latest from our community!

Welcome to our newest members!

We are excited to introduce one new organizational member and two new individual members this month! Here’s some information about them: 

Just a reminder that you can access the Member Directory Airtable via this link. Use the password PPmembers24 to log in!

Organization members:

  • Pokecode is a project founded by Ivan Vergés and Pau Parals — both founding members of the Decidim Association — serving as a free open-source technology consultancy currently focused on services related to the Decidim platform. Pau Parals is the contact.

Individual members:

  • Maria Tazi works at Make.org engaging citizens and stakeholders through large online consultations by leveraging tech & AI. Previously, Maria spent four years at Missions Publiques, building international coalitions for global citizens' dialogues and assemblies, fostering multi-stakeholder partnerships, and advancing deliberative democracy on key global issues. 

  • Doreen Mennom Oho is a development practitioner currently serving as the Technical Programs Lead at DEAN Initiative, a youth-led organization dedicated to enhancing healthy communities for young people. In her role, she spearheads projects focused on governance, democracy, youth leadership, and climate action. She supports participatory democracy by empowering marginalized communities, especially women smallholder farmers and young people, to engage in decision-making processes.

Join us in offering a warm welcome to our three new members! We look forward to engaging and learning from them.

We hope you have a great April, and we look forward to seeing you soon at one or more of these events!

The People Powered team