People Powered

🌍 Our 2024 Impact Report is here—and it’s all about the power of participation! While it was a year of challenges for democracy, it was also one of hope. While democratic backsliding continued, People Powered and our 200+ members worked tirelessly to expand opportunities for people to shape decisions that matter—#beyondelections. Our 2024 Impact Report is a celebration of what we’ve achieved together: 🌿 Climate Action: From Zimbabwe to India, communities are leading the way in developing climate policies rooted in local knowledge and leadership. 📱 Digital Governance: We’re ensuring that AI and technology are governed by the people they impact most—because tech should serve everyone, not just a privileged few. 🌈 Inclusive Democracy: Women, youth, and displaced communities are stepping into leadership roles and shaping policies that reflect their needs. ☀️ Renewing Democracy: Together with partners, we’re building long-term structural changes to strengthen democracy for the future. Our key 2024 impacts in numbers: ✅ 604 democracy advocates and government reformers trained or supported. ✅ 40 participatory government programs launched or improved. (The majority in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America) This is just the beginning. With your support, we’re proving that participatory democracy isn’t just an idea—it’s a powerful tool for real, lasting change. 👉 Read the full 2024 Impact Report and join us in building a more participatory, inclusive future: https://lnkd.in/gjyx5KCm #PoweredbyPeople #ParticipatoryDemocracy #DemocracyInnovation #ClimateAction #InclusiveDemocracy #DigitalGovernance

Let’s cut through all the AI noise. What does it actually mean for democracy and change-making? We’ve curated the most thoughtful and forward-looking resources on how AI is shaping public engagement, digital participation, and democracy. Explore them (and more) in our Resource Center! Here are 4 standouts: 🎧 Democracy & AI – A podcast on how AI tools can support (or complicate) deliberative democracy by the Deliberative Democracy Digest. Listen: https://lnkd.in/gwWBzzqX 📄 Going Public – A discussion paper on engaging the public in commercial AI development by the Ada Lovelace Institute. Read: https://lnkd.in/gfrzcvfS 🙋🏽♀️ AI in Citizens’ Assemblies – A useful framework to evaluate AI’s benefits and risks in deliberation by the Journal of Deliberative Democracy Read: https://lnkd.in/g7ztBWVs 🦾 Engaging the Public on AI Ethics – A report outlining practical steps for meaningful public input by Involve Read: https://lnkd.in/gYQR3zv6 💡 If this helped, share it with your network or tag someone working at the intersection of tech & democracy! #DigitalDemocracy #AI #CivicTech #PublicEngagement #PeoplePowered #ParticipatoryDemocracy

🚀 #Kickoff! The first session of our inaugural Inclusive Democracy Accelerator (IDA) cohort is complete! This new program is all about making participatory democracy more inclusive — and our incredible cohort is leading the way — from Asia to Africa, and beyond. 💡💬 These pioneers are developing innovative approaches to expand their participatory programs to include more voices and make a bigger impact. From advancing women's and youth's rights to supporting displaced communities, they’re doing the work that will drive real change — in their communities and across the field. 👐🏽 Over the next 6 months, they'll receive expert support as they design and implement participatory action plans to bring #InclusiveDemocracy to life. Special thanks to the UNDP for supporting key activities and participating in our launch session today! Learn more about IDA: https://lnkd.in/g2mG6tZa

[🌍 Webinar] Around the world, public trust in government is falling—and democratic innovations often remain one-off events. But what if public participation became a sustained pillar of governance, strengthening democracy, building trust, and driving systemic change along the way? Join us on April 15 to explore how governments and civil society are mainstreaming public participation—making it a lasting force for transparency, trust, and systemic change. We’ll share: ✅ Case studies from Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Europe 📊 Global data on the long-term impacts of participatory democracy 🧰 Practical tools to embed participation into institutions How to join: 🗓 April 15, 2025 ⏰ 10–11:30 AM ET / 2–3:30 PM UTC 📍 Zoom + LinkedIn Live 🔗 Register on Zoom to join our breakout room at the 1-hour mark: https://lnkd.in/gz-6a6vq Featureing global experts: 🔹 Alessandro Bellantoni, Director for Policy and Partnerships, Open Government Partnership (OGP) 🔹 Khadim Gueye AET, Project Manager, OIDP Afrique 🔹 Maria Luiza Freire, Senior Project Manager, Ciudadanía Inteligente 🔹 Melina Mohorić, Executive Director, MOSAIC 🔹 Silvania Dwi Utami, Think Climate Indonesia Forum Coordinator, Kota Kita Foundation 🔹 Maria Lucien, Program Associate, People Powered 🔹 Amanda Luz, Programs Director, People Powered (Moderator) With Trust, Accountability and Inclusion Collaborative. Let’s move participation from promise to practice. #MainstreamingParticipation #DemocracticInnovation

🚀 Dive into the future of digital participation, and learn about funding opportunities and new resources with our March newsletter! We share the latest insights and resources to empower your participatory democracy initiatives: 1. Top digital participation tools for 2025: Explore our comprehensive ratings of 30 leading tools to enhance your programs. 2. Harnessing AI for Digital Democracy: Discover opportunities, challenges, and ethical considerations of integrating AI into citizen participation. 3. Success Stories: Learn how participatory methods are delivering clean water in Kenya and promoting sustainable fisheries in Seychelles and Madagascar. And more! Read the full newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/gbXjBXGJ #DigitalDemocracy #ParticipatoryTools #AI #CommunityEngagement

The Nets4Dem annual report is out! Read to see how People Powered, and our partners are advancing democratic innovations in Europe and Beyond. Featuring the impacts of our Rising Stars mentorship, Democratic Innovations Accelerator and online resource center in strengthining the capacity of changemakers at every level. Coglobal

📢 [Webinar, March 18] How innovative #partnerships drive digital #citizenengagement in the public sector. Join us and The World Bank, CIVIC: The Civil Society and Social Innovation Alliance as we bring together diverse actors — including public administrations, private sector entities, academia, and civil society organizations — who collaborate to develop technological solutions that empower citizens and enhance participatory governance. This webinar will showcase how principles manifest when civic tech organizations, city governments, and public sector innovators interact, work together to contribute to the development and use of emerging technologies for citizen participation and overcome challenges related to data privacy, accessibility, trust, resource constraints, and system interoperability. ✅ Register here!: https://lnkd.in/gUQJXf4A 🎙 Featured speakers include: - Aly Rahim, Global Lead for Citizen Engagement, Program Manager of CIVIC: The Civil Society and Social Innovation Alliance, The World Bank (Moderator) - Bruno Venâncio, Coordinator of the Open Government Department, City of São Paulo - Diana Sang, Director for Country Engagement, Digital Impact Alliance - Melissa (Mel) Zisengwe, Program Associate, People Powered - Simon Strohmenger, Consul Democracy Foundation - Tonny Bbosa, National Information Technology Authority-Uganda #DigitalDemocracy #CivicTech #CitizenEngagement #Innovation #WorldBank #PeoplePowered

📢 How can innovation partnerships transform digital #CitizenEngagement? Join us for an illuminating webinar co-hosted with The World Bank and CIVIC: The Civil Society and Social Innovation Alliance, where experts will share real-world strategies and challenges in co-creating digital engagement solutions! 🗓 March 18, 2025 ⏰ 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM ET / 4:00 – 5:30 PM CET 🔗 Register now: https://lnkd.in/dVPM8t2T What you’ll gain: ✅ How civic tech & governments collaborate for better citizen engagement ✅ Strategies for overcoming barriers like trust, accessibility & interoperability ✅ Case studies from global leaders in participatory democracy 🎙 Featured speakers include: Aly Rahim, Global Lead for Citizen Engagement, The World Bank (Moderator) Melissa (Mel) Zisengwe, Program Associate, People Powered Diana Sang, Director for Country Engagement, Digital Impact Alliance Simon Strohmenger, Consul Democracy Foundation Tonny Bbosa, National Information Technology Authority-Uganda Bruno Venâncio de Abreu Costa, Coordinator of the Open Government Department, City of São Paulo 🚀 Don’t miss this deep dive into the future of digital participation! #DigitalDemocracy #CivicTech #CitizenEngagement #Innovation #WorldBank #PeoplePowered

#ClimateAction 🌎! Our recent Climate Democracy Accelerator graduates Osasco Aberta and Delibera Brasil are already launching their #ClimateAssembly in Osasco, Brazil, this Friday. Stay tuned for updates.

Can participation successfully bridge the #DigitalDivide? 👩🏽💻 Governments and civil societies worldwide face rising distrust and disengagement as they search for ways to deepen public participation. 🌐🤝 But what if we could scale digital participation to engage millions in policymaking truly? Brazil’s Plataforma Brasil Participativo attempted just that—allowing 1.5 million people to shape the country's multiannual plan! Luiza Jardim ran a study as part of the Cátedras Brasil research program to explore the strengths and gaps of this participatory process and proposed key recommendations to enhance future digital participation efforts, including 9 ways to make digital democracy more inclusive, from WhatsApp to community-led WiFi hubs that bring excluded voices into the conversation. 🌎 Can Brazil’s model inspire global change? Read our latest analysis here: https://lnkd.in/g7KgZKQh #DigitalDemocracy #CivicTech #Participation #Brazil #Democracy #Innovation