We’re excited to introduce another round of People Powered Accelerator and Mentorship cohorts.

Over the next six months, 37 teams of policymakers and civil society leaders from around the world are working to launch or expand participatory democracy initiatives in their communities. From food security to youth inclusion, gender equity to institutional trust, these reformers are co-creating solutions to meet today’s most urgent challenges.

They’re using a range of participatory methods — including policymaking, budgeting, and citizens’ assemblies — and many are blending tools to suit local needs. During the programs, they’ll receive expert mentorship, hands-on training, and access to People Powered’s global community of members. They will offer peer support with our cutting-edge resources developed through collective experience.

Discover how these new cohorts are building lasting infrastructure for public participation — and the impact of our past participants.

Meet the Cohorts:

Democratic Innovations Accelerator (DIA)

Supporting the next wave of democratic reformers who aim to implement participatory programs that transform Europe's democratic landscape, from the local to the regional level.

Run with our partner Coglobal as part of the Nets4Dem initiative.

Learn more about the 3rd DIA cohort of 12 organizations and their focus areas:

Durres, Albania: Civil Society Development Center (CSDC) Durres

Youth co-create local policies through hybrid forums, participatory tools, and inclusive outreach to marginalized groups in Durrës.

Yerevan, Armenia: Information and Education Development Network

Youth in Armenia are trained to lead participatory budgeting initiatives, designing and implementing local projects through inclusive Youth Budget Labs.

Yerevan, Armenia: National Trans Coalition human rights NGO (NTC)

LGBTQI+ youth in Armenia co-lead health policy reform through training, community research, scorecards, and a formal dialogue platform with government actors.

Brussels, Belgium: European Youth Card Association

The EYCA Youth Panel is a European youth body that advises on cardholder services and leads its own initiatives, with potential to enhance diversity and structural inclusivity.

Burgas, Bulgaria: German Language High School "Goethe"-Burgas

A youth co-designed Civic and Emotional Intelligence Center in Burgas will use civic education and emotional skill-building to empower diverse young people to influence local governance and build community cohesion.

Paris, France: DYPALL Network - Developing Youth Participation at Local Level

The Youth Geopolitical Power Forum empowers youth (18–30) to co-create public policy through assemblies, budgeting simulations, and education in geopolitics and media literacy

Bagdati, Georgia: Knowledge Oda

“Youth for Food Justice” engages rural youth in Georgia to run a food bank and lead civic actions, addressing food insecurity and exclusion.

Monfalcone (Italy), Italy: Commonground Initiatives MTÜ

Collettivo Onda mobilizes marginalized youth in Monfalcone through grassroots gatherings, storytelling, and co-designed civic actions to reclaim public space and reshape local democracy.

Siena, Italy: Siena Youth Council - Fondazione Monte dei Paschi

The Siena Youth Council aims to evolve into an inclusive, deliberative platform where young people co-create policies with institutions through rotating participation, peer facilitation, and intergenerational dialogue.

Podgorica, Montenegro: NGO Institute for Youth Policy

The ATOM project simulates elections in Montenegrin high schools to empower older minors and promote their political participation.

Cluj-Napocs, Romania: PONT Group

Com’ON Cluj-Napoca enables informal youth groups to propose and implement publicly funded projects through participatory budgeting, now aiming to scale across the metropolitan area with stronger inclusion.

Madrid, Spain: Demos Lab

EFIC is a pan-European youth-led Metaforum and Climate Advisory Council that fuses citizen science and deliberative democracy to co-create climate policy with young people from all EU member states.

Inclusive Democracy Accelerator (IDA)

Helping institutions remove barriers to participation for historically marginalized groups — especially women, youth, and displaced communities — by co-designing more inclusive programs.

Learn more about the 2nd IDA cohort of 12 organizations and their focus areas:

Satkhira, Bangladesh: PARITTRAN in partnership with Satkhira Municipality

Breaking structural barriers to include Dalit women, youth, and displaced people in local governance by building leadership and advocacy skills and ensuring their formal participation in planning and decision-making.

Boa Vista, Roraima, Brazil: Instituto Pirilampos in partnership with Governo do Estado de Roraima

Promoting the active participation of youth, women, migrants, LGBTQ+ people, and Indigenous communities in public policy spaces through grassroots training, community mobilization, and continuous monitoring of government policies.

Bujumbura, Burundi: ASSOCIATION BURUNDAISE POUR LE DÉVELOPPEMENT, DEMOCRATIE ET DROITS HUMAINS « AB3D » in partnership with Ministère de l'Intérieur, du Développement communautaire et de la Sécurité publique

Building systemic solutions for marginalized youth participation by standardizing support tools, diversifying facilitators, and balancing digital and analogue approaches to ensure consistent inclusion across all phases of the process.

Guatemala, Guatemala: Red Ciudadana in partnership with Mancomunidad de los Altos, Quetzaltenango

Addressing the exclusion of Indigenous, rural, and returnee women from economic decision-making and digital transformation by promoting civic participation and technological empowerment to strengthen local opportunities and reduce migration.

Kilifi County, Kenya: Haki Yetu Organization in partnership with Kilifi County Government- Kilifi County Directorate of Civic Education and Citizen Participation

Enhancing meaningful participation of women, youth, and persons with disabilities by addressing social and structural barriers, simplifying processes, and creating safer, more inclusive spaces for civic engagement in county decision-making.

Abuja, Nigeria: Development of Educational Action Network (DEAN) Initiative in partnership with Kwali Area Council, FCT Abuja.

Creating inclusive mechanisms to overcome the systemic exclusion of women, youth, and internally displaced persons from local budgeting by providing access, tools, and platforms to ensure public resources reflect community priorities.

Islamabad, Pakistan: Code for Pakistan in partnership with KPITB

Creating safe, inclusive spaces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to overcome the exclusion of women, youth, transgender individuals, and displaced people from civic decision-making, strengthening community voice, trust, and ownership in governance.

Cluj-Napoca, Romania: PONT Group in partnership with Cluj-Napoca City Hall

Advancing from isolated inclusion efforts to consistent participation of marginalized youth by standardizing support tools, diversifying facilitators, and balancing digital and analogue approaches to ensure no one is left behind.

Kampala, Uganda: Biosphere Foundation Uganda in partnership with Arua City Council

Addressing unequal participation in participatory budgeting by developing inclusive engagement methods, strengthening facilitation, and co-creating mechanisms to empower women, youth, and displaced people in shaping public priorities.

Kibaale Town Council - Kibaale District, Uganda: Rural Smiles Foundation in partnership with Kibaale District local government

Refining participatory models to dismantle barriers excluding rural women, youth, and displaced persons from decision-making through localized policy labs, peer facilitation, mobile participation tools, and safe spaces for inclusive civic dialogue.

Wakiso, Masajja B, Uganda: Might Foundation in partnership with Masajja Division Youth Council (MDYC)

Addressing the challenge of limited funding to strengthen the participation of women and displaced people in local decision-making processes.

Tagum City, Davao Del Norte, Philippines: Youth Service Philippines NGO, Coexister Philippines NGO, and Tabang Ta Bai NGO in partnership with the Local Government Unit of Tagum City - Local Youth Development Office

Creating culturally sensitive youth assemblies and localized participatory mechanisms to overcome systemic exclusion of Indigenous and out-of-school youth, bridging the digital divide, and empowering marginalized voices in grassroots governance.

Rising Stars Mentorship

Offering expert coaching for government officials, staff, and advocates who want help with a participatory process. Mentors are comprised of People Powered members who bring expertise from across the glove.

Run with our partner Coglobal as part of the Nets4Dem initiative.

Learn more about the 2025/2 cohort:

Puntallana, Spain: Nuria Albet Torres, La Palma Renovable | Mentor: Eva Bordos

Co-create La Palma’s first Energy Citizens’ Assembly, boosting design quality, securing final political sign-off, and anchoring community ownership for a 2026 launch.

Cologne, Germany: Veli-Valtteri Lehtonen, Student Network on Future Democracy | Mentor: Kaisa Schmidt Thomé

Formalize a student-led democracy network as an NGO with clear governance, member engagement, and fundraising to scale democratic literacy and citizens’ assemblies.

Kayseri, Turkey: Goodness Ajamu, Erciyes University | Mentor: Alain Metodjo

Design inclusive participatory policymaking/planning that moves beyond tokenism, connecting marginalized groups to decisions with practical, context-sensitive methods.

Berlin, Germany: Daniel Mackisack, Celestial Commons | Mentor: Vincent Labrevois

Build a bridge from citizen voice on complex topics to political organizations, aligning diverse stakeholders while sharpening communication and monitoring & evaluation.

Sitges, Spain: Fernando Fuster-Fabra Fernández, Associació SVS – Acció en Blau / ObservatoriCat | Mentor: Juan Lopez

Strengthen youth-centered PB and deliberation (Movem Sitges / IMPULSED), rebuilding trust and sustained participation alongside municipal efforts.

Gyumri, Armenia: Aida Vardanyan, INEDNET | Mentor: Jeremy Apert

Reinforce youth councils with clearer roles, skills, and links to local authorities; co-design PB and policy channels that reach marginalized youth.

Edinburgh, United Kingdom: Daniel Greig, Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) | Mentor: Saha Balaganesh

Shift from consultation to shared decision-making in environmental policy, building internal buy-in, clarifying when/how to use participation, and improving impact measurement.

Glasgow, Scotland: Melissa Gillen, Gorbals Ideas Fund / New Gorbals Housing Association | Mentor: Aleksandra Zietek

Deliver transparent, inclusive PB for £60k in local ideas with simple, trusted methods and stronger political engagement so residents understand and own the process.

Kaduna, Nigeria: Ahmad Saidu, EMGE Resources Limited | Mentor: Eliza Meriabe

Adapt participatory budgeting to traditional governance, establishing inclusive Ward Committees with women/youth quotas and visual, multilingual facilitation for low-literacy settings.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Siraj Hassen, East Action Organization | Mentor: Sherry Njeri Muthaura

Design participatory climate-resilience planning that elevates women and youth, integrating stakeholder mapping, policy engagement strategies, and robust evaluation.

Curridabat, Costa Rica: Alex Aguirre, IPADES – Instituto para la Paz y el Desarrollo | Mentor: Gisela Signorelli

Build sustainable dialogue between Nicaraguan migrants and public institutions to counter disinformation, reduce discrimination, and shape inclusive public policy.

Nairobi, Kenya: Martha Wambui, She’s Afrique Hub | Mentor: Sherry Njeri Muthaura

Embed children’s and youth rights in county budgets through data-driven PB advocacy, practical methods, and coalitions that include officials, parents, and young people.

Mogadishu, Somalia: Zakariya Abdihaashi Mohamed, Soomalia Green Peace Association | Mentor: Kudzaiishe Seti

Launch participatory community health planning on water and sanitation with inclusive engagement, clear M&E, and partnership building for long-term community ownership.

Join the Movement:

We will share the results participants' work in the coming months, so stay connected with us! In the meantime, learn more about the latest impacts of our previous cohorts.

The next call for applications for the Accelerators and Mentorship will be released soon. Stay tuned for more information in the coming days.

News

We’re accelerating more than 35 participatory programs around the world